I hit my late 20s having experienced broken bones, root canals, filing my own taxes, negotiating salaries, skinny-dipping, hitchhiking, and much more. But I had not yet used a vibrator — or any sex toy for that matter.
This was in no way a decision, at least not a deliberate one. I had no moral qualms or sexual bashfulness. I consider myself a sexually liberated and adventurous woman, and at some point, I started feeling shame whenever I admitted to my vibrator virginity, as if I had somehow fallen short. Something had to be done about it, so I took my ass to the famously feminist sex shop Babeland to explore the wonderful world of vibrators with help from my tour guide, Babeland’s co-founder Claire Cavanah. In the end, I chose the Smart Wand (dark purple in the illustration above, $169) and the Ina Wave (red above, $209), both by LELO, a Swedish company that designs slick silicone toys that could easily be mistaken for portable speakers.
The Ina Wave features dual action stimulation; it’s a modern variation on the classic Rabbit. The Smart Wand is a straightforward external massage apparatus; its intensity increases intuitively as more pressure is applied. I tried the dual-action vibe almost scientifically, pinpointing the ways it differed from old-school masturbation. The Ina’s vibrations created sensations different from any sex or masturbation I had previously experienced, while the Smart Wand’s thudding was closer to the real deal. Both got the job done, but in the end, I was won over by the Smart Wand — perhaps because it felt most like the style of sex I enjoy with a partner.
It wasn’t so much the quality or intensity of my orgasms, but rather, the frequency and consistency of my orgasms that sold me on vibes. I thought I had to be content with a two-orgasms-a-day maximum, and even then, the second one was hard to eke out. The Smart Wand, however, knows no limits. I have definitely been swayed the sex-toy way.
BY JEN PITT
ILLUSTRATED BY ROSENA FUNG
This article originally appeared in the August/September 2017 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
More from BUST
4 Different Ways To Experience Orgasmic Pleasure
The New Rechargeable Hitachi Magic Wand Is A Modern Improvement On An Old Standby
My First Vibrator: BUST True Story
