SEX Toys

By Mistress Michelle Peters

The toy industry for grown-ups is far greater than the toy industry for children! At first glance that sounds like one of those "clever, clever" remarks that need intensive qualification before they mean anything at all—and when resolved actually have no meaning whatever.

But in fact it is a serious statement of an irrefutable fact.

Leaving aside the current craze for sets of Newtonian Balls, designed to drive you either half-mad with their everlasting clicking, or to lull you into a sense of false security while the world falls apart behind your back, let's look at the dictionary definition of the word "toy".

The Concise Oxford Dictionary states: TOY: Plaything (especially for child); knick-knack; thing meant for amusement rather than for serious use etc. We may ignore the etcetera! Using the secondary definition of "thing meant for amusement rather than for serious use", we at once enter into the field of hobbies, and are confronted with cameras and photo equipment, fishing rods and a thousand bits of fishing gadgetry and, you name it! Not excluding model railroad equipment, which is a substantial industry in itself. If you are over 18 years old, you are no longer a "child", but unless you are very poor, or unusually eccentric, I am sure that at any age from 18 to 80, you have, in value, at least 10 to 20 times the value of toys in your possession that an over indulged child of ten has!

Now photography, golf, tennis, fishing and what-not are all very well in their way, but they are only secondary amusements—unless of course you are a professional, when the gadgetry ceases to be toys and becomes tools of your trade. There is one field of human interest in which all mankind are amateurs, and that is sex! Without question, for around 50 years of an average man's life, it is the number one absorbing interest, beyond even food and drink!

And it is about the "gadgetry" of sex that I want to write in this article. Of course, for "straight sex of the "Let's get with it, baby" and "Bang, Bang Finish," variety, we are, most of us fully equipped by nature. However, in a world in which overpopulation is an increasing problem, and, incidentally in which women now have a somewhat louder voice than men, straightforward copulation is neither as easily come by nor as universally practiced as it once was. At the very least, some small degree of "gadgetry" is demanded, in the way of pills and/or contraceptives. Of course, there is a solid block of opinion opposed even to these, but it is noteworthy that opposition to birth-control always seems to emanate from celibate persons who never themselves run the risk of having to get up three times every night to change a diaper! As far as we know!

Once again, I am not concerned with all that. It would be stretching a point to talk of a contraceptive sheath as a "toy". It might be said to be closer to a "tool", without any intentional pun. Rather, I want to discuss what, until about 40 years ago was an esoteric subject, at the dim fringe of sexuality, but which now, day by day and year by year comes more into the limelight. Sex-toys for adults!

Writing as I am for American readers, I have to admit right now that I am uncertain about the historical background of my subject in your country. I am very sure of my position as far as Europe is concerned, and also about the position in America today and for at least 20 years back. In Europe there has been a certain, mostly concealed market for sex toys for several centuries, but until about 100 years ago it was small indeed, and deeply hidden. The growth of the market and the revelation of its products was not fast from about 1870 until 1920, but after the First World War it took off and began to make a definite public impact through the l920's and the 1930's. There was a halt during the Second World War, and then the development of the market began in earnest. Today it is a significant industry, showing a rate of growth that al­most any other industry would envy. I have reason to believe that it is growing, not in cash turnover but in volume of product units at least 100% per annum (which means that it is quadrupling every two years). In money terms, allowing for inflation, the increase will be very much higher than that.

This is true for Europe and, in the past 25 years is also true for the United States, but before the Second War, I believe that the market for sex toys in America was insignificant. There was, admittedly a certain half-concealed market, for "Electric Belts", "Shoulder-Braces" and "Surgical Supporters", but one can hardly count these because there is no way of knowing what percentage of sales were to people who actually did suffer from rheumatism, sagging shoulders or aching testicles!

You will have to pardon me if I tell you frankly, that until at least 1950, America, viewed through European eyes was considered to be extremely naive and, in the very worst sense of the word "innocent".

This is probably the fault of Hollywood, with its nauseating combination of Old American schmaltz and cowboys; but the impression was very real, and in many quarters, reinforced by late-night movies, it still lingers. It is, of course, not our fault if your national public relations work was, for so long, left in the wrong hands. I agree, this may all be nonsense, comparable to the parallel absurdity of the Englishman as seen in America, prior to 1950. You know the kind of thing. "Stiff upper lip", "Looking down his nose at the world", "America wins all the wars in the field and loses them in London", "They hired the money, didn't they?", and so-on. It is a pity that we did not understand one another better; there is still a lot to be done before we overcome the barrier of a common language!

It was only almost by accident that English became the national language of America instead of French. I am inclined to think it would have been much better for both sides if America HAD adopted French as its languages. Then neither side would have understood the sneers and insults, and we'd have made more effort to try to understand one another!

Still, however it arose, the fact remains that the impression we have is that until about 1950, American attitudes toward what one might call the "shadow pleasures" of life, including liquor and sex were naive in the extreme. And if you resent this, you may reflect that it was America, under tremendous pressure from Non-Conforming Protestants, that tried so disastrously to abolish the liquor trade, and not England!

I guess it would be true to say that the first "sex toys" ever, were instruments of punishment, and at that stage it is quite impossible to say how much of the trade was "legitimate" and how much entirely sexual in it significance. In days when every man and most women had to know how to ride or drive a horse, the possession of at least one whip was more or less mandatory. If men with some frequency, and women less frequently, found a certain sexual pleasure from administering the whip—or receiving it in person—it is still not legitimate to describe the possession of a whip, until 1930 at least, as ownership of a sex- toy.

Today, with certain very small exceptions, there can be no doubt about it! You cannot possibly believe that the performance of your Ford or Volkswagen will be improved by a good thrashing! Therefore, unless you are a jockey or show-jumper the chances are that ownership of a whip betrays you as a person who either likes to use some kind of sex-toy, or HOPES TO BE ABLE TO DO SO! (I do not now include cowboys in the category of legitimate whip-owners.

Bing Crosby gave the game away years ago when he sang about how he "Rode the range in a Ford V-8!") It is impossible for any normal person to wit­ness corporal punishment without feeling strong emotion, even if only of the "There, but for the Grace of God go I" variety. There can be pity, re­vulsion, disgust and even hatred of the authority that passed sentence and the creature of authority who administers the punishment. However, try as one may to overlook it, it is also undeniable that the strongest emotion aroused by witnessing corporal punishment is sexual excitement. What is more, providing the punishment is not brutal, a similar sexual excitement is aroused in the victim and in the executioner. I shall not enter here into the reasons why this should be so.

They are fairly clear-cut, and I have dealt with them comprehen­sively elsewhere in other articles and in my many books, to which I refer you. At this stage I shall content myself with saying that it is so. Now, until about the middle of this century in England, and probably in America too, the only places where corporal punishment was often used, but was kept below the level of brutality were in the home and in the schools. Corporal punishment in penal institutions and in military circles was still disgustingly cruel, although that is now al­most entirely abolished, with advantage to every­one. While accepting that sexual excitement was to be derived by onlookers and executioners in dis­plays of brutal whippings, we shall ignore that aspect, because there is no way in which one can consider a cat-o-nine-tails for instance, or the Russian Knoutas "sex-toys". To use such a dreadful implement as a sex- toy would be about equivalent to giving a child a real submachine gun, fully loaded, to play with at kindergarten! It must al­ways be remembered that, for instance, in Naval floggings, in the British Navy until late in the 19th century, approximately one third of all men flogged died inside a week, while one third were permanently crippled. There is not a lot of fun in that!

It was in the home, and at school that the idea of sex-fun first crept in, and whence was derived the idea of sex-toys that led to the present-day indus­try. A direct result of caning and birching at school has always been masturbation. Not only the victim, but also the observers habitually mas­turbate after this kind of punishment.

One can only conjecture about the behavior of the school­teachers who administered such punishment! No doubt most of them would have claimed that they were unmoved by it, although it is difficult to understand why. Schoolteachers do not give any sign of being made of better, more moral, or emotion-stronger metal than the rest of society, anything the contrary!

And in the home, how many boys had their first erection, and their first ejaculation while being spanked across the knees of a parent or nursemaid can only be conjectured. Certainly, during the days when it was firmly believed that "to spare the rod was to spoil the child," this was common. One wonders, too, how many stern husbands, be- whiskered and silk-hatted, found considerable pleasure in reconciliation and forgiveness after they had warmed their wives' bottoms or backs with a whip or strap.

One gets glimpses of this, as in aircraft flying at 20,000 feet one gets glimpses of towns and fields through gaps in the clouds, in the literature of the day; in the novels, in the magazines. But even so, it would be stretching a point to de­scribe a whip or riding crop as a "sex toy", even when it was used as such, when its owner had a horse tied up at the hitching post outside. Since the Second War, however, the matter is not in doubt. If a man owns a whip, cane, tawse, crop or quirt, it is a sex-toy! And remember that toys fall generally into two categories. There are the toys one can do something with, and there are the toys one can only look at and fantasize about! I have known, as you probably have, children who own a great heap of toys, but will leave them all to play with two bits of wood and a brass bolt. What the child puts into his toy is far more important to him that what the toy puts into him! So with a whip. No doubt some whips are used as sex-toys. A very large umber are so used, I am sure.

But a far greater umber are hoarded, kept in secret and fantasized. If one is a masochist, one may keep a whip or their implement, hidden carefully away. When he opportunity arises, one takes it out, handles it lovingly, and imagines how it would feel to haven't laid across one's buttocks by a dominant man or Oman, according to one's taste. The result, in the form of sexual excitement is exactly what it would be if the whip were actually used! In truth, it is probably far more sexually exciting than a good whipping would be. It is a fact that fantasies are almost without exception far more pleasant than any real experience. The masochist might well find that a real whipping would be very painful and unpleasant-but his dream will give him the masochistic sexual pleasure he craves.

The same thing applies in reverse to the sadist, with the possible exception that he may find the experience even more pleasant than the fantasy, because it is not his buttocks that are being burned! Both of them will, in any event, be driven to fantasy simply because it is still extremely dif­ficult for most people to arrange to turn such fantasies into reality. It is easy for a man to fantasy that he is whipping his wife while they are having intercourse, and this may well help him to reach a level of pleasure beyond what he would otherwise experience. Or his fantasy may take the form of being whipped by his wife, or another woman. He may even fantasize one way today and another to­morrow, depending on his state of mind at the time, because sexual sadism and sexual masochism are merely two sides of one coin. But outside fantasy, the chances are that if he were to try to whip his wife, or to invite her to whip him, she would react in one of several ways. She might take off to Reno or Mexico the next morning, seeking a quick divorce. Or she might hold the suggestion over his head for the rest of his life as proof of his moral degeneracy. Or she might become terrified of him because of this apparent aberration. She might run home to Mother. Or she might give him a black eye. There are other alternatives, all equally unpleasant! Because there is perhaps one sexual sadist or masochist among women for every thousand or so among men. So that the chances of finding one in one's own bed are rather remote!

What was that dictionary definition I gave you? Thing meant for amusement, rather than for serious use." A whip, cane or other implement of punishment that is owned—or even longed for—but not used is, by that definition clearly a "toy". A sex-toy for an adult.

However, I am not basing my ideas about "toys for adults" on the mere possession of an implement for corporal punishment! I will allow you your rationalization about it. It belonged to your grandfather, or you keep it in case you ever need to horsewhip a young man for seducing your daughter, or you may one day buy a horse and keep it in your apartment in New York or Chicago. I won't argue with that. I don't have to!

I will, however, just add this. Among many other preoccupations, I am one of Europe's leading designers, makers and exporters (principally to America) of toys for adults, and among my designs are nine different kinds of devices for mild corporal punishment, none of which would in any way inconvenience a horse!. In total, during 1973 I exported just over 1000 assorted implements, most of which must by now have been sold because repeat orders continue to arrive. They range from small breast and penis whips, which do little more than tickle and titillate, to leather Disciplines, designed to be used on one's own person without any outside help. To say that I believe these implements are bought as sex-toys would be the under­statement of the year. THEY HAVE NO OTHER PURPOSE!

Still, I'll let that go. One swallow does not make a summer, I agree.

Soon after the end of the American Civil War, something occurred of lasting international importance, something that had far more effect upon all our lives than, for instance the promulgation of the Monroe Doctrine or the establishment of the United Nations! Two men, working separately and in different countries, discovered how to cure and vulcanize rubber, by the use of heat and sulpher. If that had never been done, the automobile would not have been possible.

From our immediate point of view, the extraordinary thing is that within ten years of the production of the first rubber-coated cloth, there arose a demand for very special types of rubber clothing. The use of rubber-cloth for rainwear was obvious enough. In fact, this was the first use to which it was put and, throughout the life of the product the main use. One cannot appreciate, at this distance in time, what a blessing to mankind the invention of the Macintosh must have been. The reduction in common colds, pleurisy, pneumonia and rheumatic complaints alone make it a development not less important to human happiness than penicillin!

Nevertheless, within a decade of the rubber cloth becoming available, there were people in Europe, and also in America, having all kinds of unusual garments made from rubber-cloth, even though such material was quite unsuitable for the ostensible purpose. (It is always necessary to permit people to rationalize their cravings! When, some decades ago, it became standard procedure to issue free rubber contraceptives to British navy sailors going on leave in foreign ports, they refused almost to a man to accept them. The inference that they were going ashore to get drunk and pick up a prostitute was quite unacceptable to their self-esteem. However, when a notice was placed by the bin, pointing out that the use of a condom was an excellent way of preventing disease and preserving health, the objection ceased at once. It is one thing to be considered as a sensible man who will try at all times to keep himself fit, and quite another to be thought of as a mere animal whose long-repressed cravings have to be satisfied!) The volume of demand for such garments was not high enough to interest any large-scale manufacturers, so inevitably small tailors and dress­makers began to cater for it. Such things as underpants and trousers were ordered, WITH THE RUBBER COATING ON THE INSIDE. Bed sheets were in demand, and night-shirts, also coated inside. The ordinary, double-breasted and belted Macintoshes of the day were ordered, with the rubber-coated cloth doubled so that it appeared on the outside normally, and also on the inside. Such Macintoshes were quite impractical, simply because the wearer would have sweated so much that in heavy rain he would be wetter on the inside than on the outside. Yet I have a small collection of broadsheets and brochures, brown now and brittle with age, in which such items were listed and illustrated as long ago as 1880. Even then there was enough demand to merit printing such small catalogues. The prices, by today's standards are absurdly low, but by comparison with prices then current in the mail order catalogues of firms that sold ordinary merchandise, it is obvious that customers were willing to pay heavily "over the odds"

for "unusual" rubber clothing. For instance, in 1882 one could buy a black rubber-cloth Macintosh of high quality for sixteen shillings— about $1.00 at today's rate of exchange, and about a week's wages for a day laborer in England in 1882. A similar Macintosh, lined with rubber, offered in a small brochure would cost four pounds, or the equivalent of $6, a week's wage for a middle-management executive of the day. A pair of underpants in rubber-cloth, with the rubber inside, cost almost ten times as much as an ordinary pair in fine wool.

Of course, it must be admitted that these eccentric rubber-cloth garments were sold "For the cure of asthma, bronchitis and rheumatic fever", as well as even more unusual diseases (rationalization at work again!) but even this makes it difficult to understand the very high prices. Unless, as I am quite sure, it was considered that there was something "shameful" about them, and that they were, in consequence, on a kind of Black Market.

By "shameful" I mean "sexual", the two words being synonymous from about 1830 until 1930,both in Europe and America. The aura of shame still lingers! With the usual interval for war, 1914 to 1918 (sadomasochists do not require any extra stimulation - when there's a war on. They get all the fear, anxiety, discomfort, pain and cruelty they want, and more, legally and honorably in war!), the demand for rubber clothes developed through the between-wars period. New materials were introduced, including rubber-covered satin, a most impractical cloth because it tears at a glance and is almost impossible to keep free from unsightly creases.

But it was not until about 1950 that this market, too, took off like a jet-plane. It was the introduction of latex sheeting that sparked off this resurgence in the rubber-clothing industry. Latex, as its name implies, is made from the rubber "milk" or latex, which is kept fresh and brought from the tropics at low temperature, and is then processed. Prior to this, most rubber had been smoked and put up in slabs, which on arrival were ground to powder and mixed with a volatile solvent. The sheet was made, the solvent evaporated, and a film of rubber was left. It stretched; it would be colored quite well; it had a strong odor of sulpher and petroleum, and it tore at a touch!

By contrast, latex sheeting does not contain sulpher or solvent; it has little odor, and what it has is pleasant. It stretches up to four or five times its length without breaking and, except in special circumstances, does not tear. It is, in fact, almost ideal for making what the latex sheet manufacturers call "fun clothes", except for one very great drawback. Latex sheeting cannot be welded or sewn. The only way to make up clothing from it is to cut each piece out by hand, with sharp scissors, and to glue the parts together laboriously by hand. Even ten years ago this was not excessively limiting, but today in Europe and America, labor costs are so high, that the cost of such clothing is becoming prohibitive.

Still the demand continues, and therefore two developments may be expected. First, someone will take his know-how and a supply of latex sheeting to some country where labor costs are still low, such as Spain, South Korea or Taiwan and set up a production unit there, But it will not be long, with world-wide escalation of costs before this, too becomes prohibitive. Then, inevitably, there will be a change of material from natural rubber to some kind of plastic film, which can be machine-welded. There is, after all, nothing sacrosanct about rubber sheeting as material for adult sex-toys. It has been available only a century. While existing rubber-customers will be annoyed and upset at the loss of the material they have grown to like and become accustomed to, there are always new customers pushing into the market, and they will not care what film is used so long as it gives the effect they require. The one quality that is lacking at present, but I'm sure that within reasonable time some industrial chemist will find a way of linking the molecules of a synthetic material so that it will have all the stretch and recovery qualities of natural rubber. With that achieved, the main objection to plastic will disappear, and with low assembly costs due to the use of high-frequency welding instead of laborious hand-gluing, garments of synthetic rubber will take the place at present occupied by those of the natural material.

If you are not alive to the very powerful fascination that rubber clothing exerts over very many people, you may find it difficult to understand why I should describe such things as "adult sex- toys".

Certainly they are well covered by our definition, "Thing meant for amusement, rather than for serious use." The rubber clothes that are sold in considerable volume throughout Europe and North America today HAVE no serious use—from one point of view at any rate. They do not keep the wearer warm or cool according to the weather; being so thin, they do nothing to protect the skin from abrasion; they do not, directly at least, boost his ego as other clothes can do, because they are rarely if ever worn in public. (At any rate, they are rarely SHOWN in public, although they are often worn concealed under ordinary clothing in public.) Bluntly, the "serious use" of rubber clothing is to provide sexual stimulation, and of course this is serious business indeed. The difficulty arises entirely from the fact that while all mankind—and much of womankind—constantly seek sexual stimulation, the seeking of it and indeed the finding, except under certain very limited conditions, is still usually considered reprehensible! The use of "soft lights and sweet music", accompanied by food and drink and, to some extent, soft fabrics is considered generally legitimate, probably because, with the possible exception of liquor (which stimulates desire while at the same time diminishing accomplishment), none of these factors is exceptionally potent as an aphrodisiac. We may therefore conclude that, socially, a MILD aphrodisiac of the kind I have mentioned is acceptable, while a POWERFUL aphrodisiac, which is what sex-toys are, is not acceptable.

Therefore, this whole business, including the making, sale and purchase of rubber clothing is still conducted sub rosa. However, social attitudes are changing rapidly—not always for the better, but sometimes with improvement—and it will probably not be long before synthetic rubber clothing is openly and publicly offered for sale.

Inevitably, it will first be offered, not as an aphrodisiac, but as a prophylactic, and indeed this has been taking place on a small scale in the UK, USA and elsewhere for over ten years. There is some not inconsiderable sales promotion of plastic film "slimming garments", even though it has been conclusively proved, time and again that there is not a shred of truth in the claims made for them. In fact, plastic "slimming garments" are bought and worn by people, mostly women, who unconsciously are seeking a sex stimulant. If such clothing was openly offered as an aphrodisiac, they would not buy it.

It would be "disgraceful". So they buy them ostensibly for slimming, do not lose weight, but accept as a pleasant substitute the sexual stimulation they discover in them­selves and their men when they wear such things.

Since it is still generally impossible for people in our kind of civilization to accept that sexual stimulation, outside the procreation of children is proper", it cannot be considered as "serious Therefore, rubber garments can only fall into the category of "for amusement", which makes them toys!

Where the possession of such things as whips and canes may be easily rationalized, even today, it is much more difficult to rationalize the possession of rubber clothing of no apparent practical use.

However, as we have seen, this can be done by making the false claim that the inevitable sweating that accompanies the wearing of impermeable clothes, is in fact slimming. Very tight rubber briefs for men can be rationalized as "supporting". I have even seen close- fitting hood-masks in rubber rationalized as "good for the complexion"!

But we shall now turn, finally, to a group of products which cannot be rationalized. They have to be accepted as aphrodisiac, as sex-stimulants, and consequently as adult toys. I refer to the wide group of products which are often generically described as "restraints".

They include all kinds of bonds, from simple handcuffs to devices of leather and other materials which can be used to make a person absolutely helpless. The range includes items that cause anything from mild discomfort to quite severe pain, among them many that fall into the category of "genital punishment". Used by folk who are not concerned with the sadomasochistic syndrome such things would be quite meaningless. To those who are, they are directly aphrodisiac.

In the same way, to many people an even mild whipping would be a punishment, an unpleasant experience to be avoided almost at all costs. To a masochist it can be very stimulating sexually; it is an aphrodisiac.

"Restraints", within the limited definition I am using, have absolutely no serious use. (If you accept my suggestion that, in our society sex-stimulation may not be considered "serious"). No matter what the approach road may be, the ultimate goal of whips and canes, rubber clothes and "re­straints", is sex-stimulation—not for the "legitimate" purpose of procreation, but for what we might define as "fun".

A leading British manufacturer of latex sheeting, which has a number of important industrial uses, states in his literature that his product is also suitable "for the making of fun and leisure wear".

Even ten years ago, another manufacturing firm from whom my company was buying upwards of 1000 yards a month of latex sheeting entirely for making "fun and leisure wear flatly refused to accept any suggestion that the latex was being used for such a purpose! I had to order it "for industrial use"!) Now, while most of us like "fun" of one kind or another—and mostly of one kind—you must agree that in our so­ciety fun is still not quite acceptable or respecta­ble. Sex-fun is considered reprehensible by a large part of the populace, even though most of them seek it—which probably accounts for the fact that Europe and America are largely populated by crazy mixed-up kids of all ages from 14 to 85 years old! While one may stretch a point in considering whips and canes, and agree that they may possibly be owned against the day you emulate the Marshall from Texas in riding a horse down Fifth Avenue; and while one may settle for the illusion that hundreds of thousands of women and some men still are foolish enough to believe that plastic garments can be slimming, there is no possibility of ducking around the facts about restraints. Apart from sex-stimulation, they have no "serious use", and if we may not accept sex-stimulation as "serious", then they are solely for "amusement" and therefore can only be classified as "toys"!

Now, again if you are not personally involved, you may be inclined to look down your nose and consider all this to be very unpleasant.

What's more, you may feel it to be needlessly complicated, and in a way it is. To arrive at orgasm via being strapped into a leather restraint while wearing rubber clothing and then to be whipped, is an extremely complicated way of getting there. However, you must not overlook the fact that there are plenty of folk in the world who, able to travel by jet-plane, still seem to get a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from rowing across the Atlantic, swimming the English Channel, or passing from the USA to Canada via a tight rope stretched across Niagara Falls! There are others who prefer to raise an appetite for dinner by taking a couple of glasses of chilled dry sherry rather than sinking that hooker of frozen gin which has been passed close to a bottle of dry vermouth and is known as a Dry Martini—probably the finest invention of American civilization!

The French say, "It is better to travel than to arrive", and this may be applied to sex as much as to any other activity. After all, when one arrives one is at one's destination and there's nowhere else to go, at least for some time!

And, on a more serious note, you must appreciate that there are many folk who are unable to find complete sexual pleasure outside sadomasochism. The proportion is very high indeed, and before you get too high and mighty about it, you might well consider whether, in fact, you yourself do not fall into that category! Obviously there is an element of humiliation for a man in allowing a woman to tie him up and beat him, and in that context the humiliation itself, as a psychic pain, may be what the masochist seeks. Yet we all know how sweet a reconciliation can be after a domestic row, and since inevitably reconciliation depends upon one partner submitting to the other, the submission itself can be a masochistic pleasure which will sweeten an eventual sexual conjugation. At the same time, the other partner who does not submit, may well get sexual stimulation from the sadistic attitude. If, in marriage or otherwise, you are prone to rows, the chances are, not that your marriage is worse than any other— and at best it can only be a compromise between irreconcilables!—but that you, or your partner, or both are deliberately seeking the aphrodisiac effect of eventual submission or domination!