Sex Toys, Anyone?

In the interest of writing more, and more about my life in general, not just teaching, here is a post about sex toys.

Well, sorta.

A few weeks ago, a friend decided, rather on a whim, that she wanted to have one of those sex toy parties. You know, like a tupperware party, except with sex toys, where the lady comes and shows you all the different types and colors and stuff. Well, this past weekend was the "passion party." (Actually, the company is called Passion Parties, which I find hilarious) I was intensely curious about this, since, despite my Oberlin education, I was woefully ignorant when it came to sex toys. I was also very curious about the kind of person who made a living selling them. So I arrived at the house a little past five where five females gathered in the living room basement anxiously waiting for the Sex Toy Lady. I didn't know a few of the other very well, which made things a bit awkward, but I think the awkwardness of the situation helped us get over it. If that makes sense. Around six, the Sex Toy Lady arrived, and I was instantly struck by how normal she looked. Almost a bit nerdy, even! Not at all the dominatrix I was imagining. She made small talk as she calmly laid out the contents of her normal-looking duffel bag: DVDs, books, and a number of silk bags, varying in size. Excitement mounted. Then all of a sudden we were smelling lotion, rubbing lube on our fingers, passing around vibrators. It was rather overwhelming, especially when we got to the dildos. They all have so many functions! So many settings of vibration! So many shades of pink!

In the end, I have to say that it was a fun and pretty educational experience. I learned that most sex toys have some kind of animal shape because in Japan, where most are designed, there's some kind of law against making things that look like penises. And that KY jelly has some ingredient in it that's nicknamed "caustic soda." And that sex toys are really, really expensive.