MASTUBATORY AIDS (For male bodied people)

Sex toys are a favorite topic of mine; they are generally fun, astoundingly innovative, pleasurable options for many sexual human beings regardless of body, gender, relationship status, or sexual preference. I’ve noticed, however, that there seems to be a surprising stigma connected to masturbatory aids for male bodied people. For some reason a pocket pussy tends to creep people out, while the idea of a dildo seems perfectly acceptable, even empowering or sexy. Maybe this is because male bodied people are generally expected to masturbate, and there is an assumption that their hands should be enough. Or maybe it is because it is easier to disembody a penis, and create the notion of a nongendered pleasure device that happens to be phallic (although some dildos take surprising shapes), than it is to remove the vaginal shape/sensation from a female bodied home. Gender politics (possibly) play into this strange dichotomy, depending on how many WGSS classes you’ve taken, but it definitely exists.

I, for one, support the use of masturbatory aids for anyone who deems them necessary, and there are a plethora of such products for male bodied people which stimulate the sensations of anal or vaginal sex, depending on your preference. Many of these are smaller, handheld masturbatory sleeves like pocket pussies or fleshlights, which are usually made with safe, silicone materials and are sometimes adjustable (for the right amount of pressure).  Although more difficult to clean and requiring more lube than some other types of sex toys, these offer a more realistic sexual experience for the user than just jerkin it old school and cumming into some Kleenex.

Perhaps because toy-less masturbation for male bodied people is less maintenance, effort, and money, male masturbatory aids are less popular than anal toys or sex toys for female bodied people, but there is also just less general knowledge and acceptance for the use of these toys. There is also the added “weirdness” of more elaborate, realistic masturbatory aids. Many people are made uncomfortable by the notion of sex dolls, or even partial sex dolls, such as toys which look like an entire person or possibly just the butt, the pelvic area, or the bottom half of a person (yes, these are all toys that are readily available and made in varieties of shapes, sizes, colors, hairiness, and with a broad scope of genital configurations).

One of the most popular of these more elaborate masturbatory aids are sex dolls, which are often thought of a gag-gifts, like cheaply made, unsafe, blow up dolls. There are, however, safe, well made, incredibly realistic sex dolls, such a Real Dolls, which are marketed as “The World’s Finest Love Doll”.  Real Dolls are equipped with extremely lifelike vulvas, vaginas, anuses, and mouths (they even have removable, changeable tongues!), and can be customized down to the smallest pubic hair pattern. There are also doll options for female bodied customers, but these are much less popular. The distinction made when it comes to a full-bodied doll is that they often serve as more than just a masturbatory aid. Most people won’t shell out $2,000+ just to orgasm, so investing in a high quality Love Doll is a pretty big commitment, and is often accompanied by an emotional relationship between customer and Doll.

People have emotional connections with inanimate objects all the time, usually in a sentimental capacity, but most people don’t try to put their penis is their scrap book, or dress up their old teddy bear and take it out on dates. People who do this with their love dolls are often categorized as emotionally unstable, sexually perverse, or in some other way incompetent. I am not in a position to judge these behaviors, however most Real Doll buyers fully acknowledge they are engaged in a physical/emotional relationship with an inanimate object, they are not hurting others based on this choice, and find more emotional fulfillment with their doll than they have in previous relationships with actual people. If this interests you check out the documentary Guys and Dolls, which explores the relationships of three men with their various Real Dolls.

A similar type of relationship, although less overtly sexual, is present in the idea of 2D love, which originated in Japan and indicates an emotional relationship between a person and a body pillow with the print of an anime or manga character. These can be friendships, emotional relationships, or sexual relationships, but the idea centers more on companionship than masturbation.

In exploring the many ways to get off in the large and mysterious world of ours, it seems silly to me male bodied people should be limited to their own hands in masturbatory exploration. Obviously I encourage the use of anal toys and masturbatory aids for those who are intrigued by them. Although sex dolls, love dolls, or elaborate masturbatory aids make many people uncomfortable, they offer a world of options for those who cannot connect well or find what they’re looking for in another human being.