Sex toys facts and myths

Myth: Sex toys are only for people who have a bad sex life

Sex Toy Fact: Everyone and anyone you can image is the kind of person who uses sex toys. In fact research on vibrator use suggests that people who are having sex use sex toys more than those who aren’t, and that between 20-30% of people have used sex toys at least once in their lives. Sex toys aren’t a crutch or a cure-all, they are an addition to sexual repertoire.

Myth: Sex toys are addictive:
Sex Toy Fact: Addiction implies harm, and there is nothing harmful about using sex toys (as long as they’re used properly). It’s true that people can become used to using sex toys, and even come to rely on them, but there is no “withdrawal” and anyone can easily get themselves back to masturbation or partner sex without sex toys. People who suggest that vibrator addiction is real tend to be people who think that any sex toy use is too much sex toy use. Read more about the truth behind vibrator addiction.

Myth: If a woman has a sex toy, she won’t need a man:

Sex Toy Fact: Sex toys are not replacements for people. A sex toy won’t make you breakfast, or cuddle, or tell you how much it loves you. Many men are intimidated by sex toys because they have been raised with the idea that the most important thing about them is what’s between their legs. These myths about male sexuality sink in early, and as a result most men are insecure about their sexual importance. Also, let’s remember that there are lots of women who don’t want a man in the first place, and a sex toy isn’t going to change that one way or the other.

Myth: Guys only use sex toys because they can’t get “real” sex:

Sex Toy Fact: The cliché about men and sex toys is the guy in the raincoat, buying the “masturbator” and watching porn in his basement while masturbating. The reality about men and sex toys is that millions of them use them, in one study it was 21% of respondents, both when they are in relationships and single. The best way for a man to become a better lover is to learn more about his own sexual response. Masturbation, with or without sex toys, is the key to this, and to learning to control ejaculation. Using sex toys doesn’t mean a man is a loser, it means he’s smart, and likely to be better in bed for it.

Myth: Sex toys make sex less natural:

Sex Toy Fact: Most of us are raised being told many lies about sex among them that “natural sex” means one thing only. Is drawing less “natural” when we use a pencil and paper? Is painting more “natural” if we use our own blood, rather than paints? Of course not. Yet sex is somehow less “natural” if we use tools and toys to make it different. Sex toys are animated not by batteries but by our imaginations, and using sex toys is as natural as the people using them.

Myth: There are bad sex toys and good sex toys:

Sex Toy Fact: With the exception of a few sex toys that pose obvious risks, there is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” sex toy. Sex toys are whatever we do with them. A vibrator that would be too strong, too heavy, and painful for one person might be perfect for another. A dildo that feels sticky and looks weird to one, might be the ideal shape, size and texture for another. The trick is to find the sex toy that’s right for you, but most sex toys will be good for some people, and bad for others.

Myth: The more you pay for a sex toy, the better it is:

Sex Toy Fact: A $6 vibrator might give you more pleasure than a $300 vibrator. More expensive sex toys should last longer, be made of better materials, and maybe come from smaller, more ethically run companies, but they won’t necessarily feel better or give you more pleasure. Sex toys are like most other commercial products in that the budget ones will do the trick, and more often than not, that’s all we’re looking for. Read more about high end sex toys.

Myth: Sex toys can cause damage to your body:

Sex Toy Fact: Those people who would rather us not use sex toys at all come up with a variety of arguments for why they are bad. They’re addictive, their weird, and if you use them you can ruin yourself for “real sex”. For starters, “real sex” is any kind of sex you’re having or thinking about having. Also, there is no evidence whatsoever that sex toys can damage or harm your sexual sensitivity or genitalia. Of course you could always poke out an eye if you don’t use your sex toy properly, but the same is true of your can opener, and no one’s telling you to throw that away.