10 Sex Toys That Support the Feminist Agenda

There is something liberating about a sex toy, and it's not just the "I don't need anyone else" aspect. (Many women find using sex toys with a partner just as fun as going it solo, after all.) It's more that there's something kinda wonderful in the fact that they exist at all, and that in doing so they acknowledge women as sexual beings, deserving of pleasure—and orgasms—on their own terms. While there are plenty of options on the market, here, we rounded up 10 of the most innovative, impressive creations (many designed by women for women) which allow you to take your sexuality into your own hands.

The Rabbit

Ever since Charlotte locked herself in her bedroom with the Rabbit on Sex and the City and emerged messy-haired and rosy-cheeked afterward ("No man ever did that"), mainstream America (or, everyone with HBO) got a different picture of how and when women can get off. That was 1998, but the toy had been around since 1983, when Shay Martin at Vibratrex created the first model. Back then, manufacturing sex toys was prohibited in Asia, where the toy was being built, so it was disguised in a bright color and shaped like an innocent bunny. (Yes, there is a reason.) Today, it still has the flexible, phallic-shaped shaft, exterior bunny ears, and interior beads (added in 1984). The design allows for simultaneous stimulation of the G spot and clitoris, while the bright color palette it comes in makes it one of the least intimidating toys on the market. (Who knew such a friendly toy would almost single-handily transform the public perception of female masturbation?) Rabbit Habbit, $90; babeland

The aptly named <em>Limon</em> has one of the more intuitive designs of a handheld toy: the more you squeeze, the more it vibrates. The design itself is part of the empowerment—the Minna team enthuses: "Our mission is to improve women's sexual experience through beautiful, well-made products that are smart." Without clumsy buttons, the Limon's squeezability creates an uninterrupted vibe, <em>and</em> it smartly remembers your preferences for next time. Now that's one way to get a firm handshake.

Minna Limon Fresh Squeeze, $119; <a href="http://www.minnalife.com/products/limon">minnalife.com</a>

Minna Limon Fresh Squeeze

The aptly named Limon has one of the more intuitive designs of a handheld toy: the more you squeeze, the more it vibrates. The design itself is part of the empowerment—the Minna team enthuses: "Our mission is to improve women's sexual experience through beautiful, well-made products that are smart." Without clumsy buttons, the Limon's squeezability creates an uninterrupted vibe, and it smartly remembers your preferences for next time. Now that's one way to get a firm handshake. Minna Limon Fresh Squeeze, $119; minnalife.com

Hello Touch X by JimmyJane

JimmyJane is known for its sleek, high-tech designs and the new Hello Touch X is no different; it looks like a sexual encounter from the future. But it's easy to use: just secure the tiny pads to your fingertips and wrap the bracelet around your wrist, and then let electro stimulation pulse deep vibration into your nerves and muscles. "We wanted Hello Touch to be an augmentation of you, turning your natural touch into supernatural sensation," said Molly Murphy, marketing director at JimmyJane. By bringing the stimulation of a vibrator into tactile foreplay, without the clunkiness of a larger toy, they seem to be doing just that. Hello Touch X by JimmyJane, $79; jimmyjane.com

Lelo Ora2

This toy makes the list for its ingenuity alone. In a market flush with penetration-based sex toys, Lelo Ora, now on its second rendition, is designed with the oral experience in mind. The Swedish designers also get points for an utterly chic package: oval-shaped with a gold-accented center and smooth touch. Beneath a thin silicone skin, a tongue-like apparatus swirls and pulses to mirror the motions of cunnilingus. The toy has gotten mixed reviews—some women have an easier time reaching orgasm through penetration and others find it falls short of an actual oral encounter (though admit it's a lot to expect a machine to match the flexibility of a real tongue). Still, as a reviewer for Nerve wrote: "It's always nice to stumble across a product that offers a different sensory experience. Ora manages to be a toy that's not merely novel, but actually paradigm shifting in its difference." Lelo Ora2, $159; babeland.com

Luna Beads

Luna Beads are designed in pursuit of better sex—indirectly. While the beads themselves are not intended to make you climax, they work like Ben Wah balls (but with a more manageable, easy-to-use design) by strengthening the pelvic muscles to ultimately give you a stronger orgasm. Ideally, you put them in before a leisurely walk and as they hit the pelvic wall, they cause the muscle to tighten and release. (But they also vibrate subtly, so while you should think of them like a strength training tool, they are also likely to get you a little hot and bothered.) Luna Beads, $49.99; brookstone.com

The Liberator Heart Wedge

Simple but smart: Place this beneath your booty (or abdomen—get creative!) during sex, and the slanted shaped will help align your body with a man's to help him easily hit your G spot. A sex pillow may not be the most elegant bedroom accessory, sure, but it's better to get what you need between the sheets—even if it's heart-shaped and padded. The Liberator Heart Wedge, $65; liberator.com

Vibease

Deemed the world's "first smart vibrator," Vibease is a wearable vibrator that responds to smart phone controls. Slip it into your undergarments and you can set the silent vibrations to sync with the audio in erotica (including Fifty Shades of Grey) or give the controls to your partner who can send you custom vibrations from near or far. "[It is] Designed specifically for women based on the key factors to female orgasm: audio, mood, emotion, fantasy, and clitoral stimulation," co-founder Harmione Way explained to ELLE.com. In an article for Pando.com, she also noted: "We're not selling a sex toy. We're selling the empowerment of women. You shouldn't be ashamed to feel good." Amen.

Vesper

Without a doubt, Vesper is the most elegant item on our list. The delicate gold vibrator looks like a silver bullet, and while it is very discreet, it comes on a gold chain so it can be worn like a pendant around your neck. It's also become part of the movement for women to be explicit and vocal about their sexuality—part of the #vesperstyle marketing campaign involves women posting selfies wearing Vesper in their daily lives. "[It] enables women to embrace their pleasure openly as a fashion statement," said Ti Change, co-founder of modern sex toy company Crave, and the designer for Vesper. "But it's also completely up to them if they want to be discreet or public with it." Vesper, $69; lovecrave.com

Ann Summers put together a team of eight women to design their <em>ultimate</em> toy line dedicated to "what women really want." It includes an expanding vibrator for the girth-enthused, and vibrating silicone that you can slip into your bra for nipple stimulation. The entire endeavor is a move toward a "for women by women" approach to the sex industry. The most enticing of this lot is "The Ultimate O," a somewhat daunting three-pronged vibrator. Designed with the help of gynecological experts, its structure is informed by the female body to provide maximum clitoral stimulation. 

The Ultimate O, £39; <a href="http://www.annsummers.com/p/the-ultimate-o-pink/07cshdas1358041">annsummers.com</a>

The Ultimate O

Ann Summers put together a team of eight women to design their ultimate toy line dedicated to "what women really want." It includes an expanding vibrator for the girth-enthused, and vibrating silicone that you can slip into your bra for nipple stimulation. The entire endeavor is a move toward a "for women by women" approach to the sex industry. The most enticing of this lot is "The Ultimate O," a somewhat daunting three-pronged vibrator. Designed with the help of gynecological experts, its structure is informed by the female body to provide maximum clitoral stimulation. The Ultimate O, £39; annsummers.com

Eva

Eva, a wearable vibrator that can be worn during sex for hands-free clitoral stimulation, was created by Alexandra Fine, who has a masters in sex therapy, and engineer Janet Lieberman, with a simple mission: "To openly empower the sexual experiences of womankind. We are trying to make the world a happier place one vagina at a time." Surely, a hands-free vibrator that makes clitoral stimulation easy and effortless during sex—when 75 percent of women require clitoral stimulation to climax—will make for a lot more happy vaginas. Eva, $105; dameproducts.com