Everything she always wanted to know about sex toys and wasn’t afraid to ask Hilda Hutcherson, MD. Our intrepid columnist gets the buzz.
This month I’m giving readers a choice. We can either (a) discuss the possible privatization of Social Security and its impact on 21st-century macroeconomics or (b) go shopping for sex toys. May I see a show of hands?…
With friends like Hilda Hutcherson, MD, my go-to sexpert and the author of Pleasure: A Woman’s Guide to Getting the Sex You Want, Need, and Deserve, who needs sales help? I call my fearless pal and offer to buy her lunch in exchange for a guided tour of the best sex toys currently on the market. My education begins in the personal massagers section of a discreet midtown Manhattan shop called Eve’s Garden…
Hilda is zeroing in on an odd contraption. “Here’s one based on a medical device for women with arousal disorder. This piece suctions the clitoris” she says, holding up a rubbery thimble, “while this cylander vibrates. I write lots of prescriptions for these,” she says matter of factly.
“But isn’t everything here over-the-counter?”" I ask. “Aren’t sex toys more about leisure activity than medical need?” I can’t help picturing an operating room in which a dedicated young surgeon calls for his instruments: “Scalpel! Sutures! Box of remote-control panties!” Hilda puts down the sample of edible Kama Sutra Honey Dust she’s been enjoying. “When I write a prescription, I’m giving a woman permission from a doctor.” she says. “And some of us need that. Ten percent of the sexually active female population have never had an orgasm, and God konws how many women have trouble climaxing with a partner. I prescribe a vibrator for use during intercourse. Toys give you control and provide extra stimulation.”…
At exactly 12:29 Eastern standard time, life as I understand it officially ends. I note the sign that informs customers of a 10 percent discount on floor models, I see the make-your-own-dildo kit containing special molding powder, patented “liquid skin”, stir stick, vibrating unit, easy-to-follow instructions, and I suggest we break for lunch.
Over cobb salads, I ask Hilda if there’s any truth to the rumor that vibrators are addictive. “That’s ridiculous” she says. “Granted, if you’re using it five or six times a day, it’ll be hard to go back… but toys tend to put the oomph back into long-term relationships, so you start releasing those homrones that actually do keep couples close.” Hilda spears a cherry tomato. “And if you don’t have a steady partner, they help your body remember how to respond. Or if you’re menopausal — and not sexually active or taking estrogen — they keep the blood flowing through those vessels. You’ve got to prevent your vagina from shrinking and getting dry — a dildo is fantastic for that.”
