May 2013
6 posts
8 tags
Review: Doc Johnson Thinny Minnie
Every once in a while, a giant, cheap-ass sex toy maker like Doc Johnson comes out with something that catches my eye, and I wonder, Will this be the thing that changes my mind about this company?
The answer, at least in regards to the Thinny Minnie dildo, is a resounding nope.
I thought I would dig the Minnie because its shape reminds me slightly of the Lelo Ella, an elegant and effective...
7 tags
Review: Lelo Large Smart Wand
For a long time, reviewers have been complaining that Lelo vibrators just aren’t strong enough. They’re beautiful, elegant, ergonomic, rechargeable, and high-quality, but many clits-o’-steel have been unimpressed with their strength.
Well, no more. Because the large Smart Wand is one of the strongest vibrators I’ve ever tried, and also one of the best.
For all you...
3 tags
Happy Masturbation Month!
Lovelies, I am so proud to have a platform from which to shout this message from the proverbial internet rooftops: MASTURBATION IS AWESOME AND HEALTHY!
Next week I’m giving a talk to a group of volunteers at a telephone hotline that aims to support youth in a sex-positive, queer-positive way. The talk is about – you guessed it – sex toys.
One of the key takeaways I’m hoping to...
5 tags
Let's Talk About Terminology: Women
I’ll keep this post short and sweet, because I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.
Female adult humans are called women.
Do not call us “girls.” Do not infantilize us. Do not make the mistake of believing someone is “overreacting” if they take issue with being called a child.
Especially do not call us “girls” if you choose to use the word...
Happy Clitoral Awareness Week!
Yes, folks – today marks the start of International Clitoris Awareness Week. It’s time to appreciate the clits in your life! Here are some suggestions for activities this week…
Masturbate clitorally. For some vagina-havers, this is like remedial masturbation, because they’ve moved on to incorporating penetration and other things into their sessions. When was the last time...
Review: Topco Rascal El Diablo
I don’t think I really realized how big the El Diablo was when I ordered it. This is a monster of a dildo, at least compared to the ones I usually use. It has 7 1/2” of length and is 1 3/4” in diameter at its widest point – and by “widest point” I pretty much mean “the entire shaft.” On top of all that, it’s made of very firm silicone...
April 2013
9 posts
3 tags
Let's Talk About Terminology: Sex, "Sex," and Sex
If I said to you, “I had sex last night,” what would you think I meant?
Intercourse? Oral? Fingering and handjobs? All of the above?
As I am a woman partnered with a man, I think most people would assume I meant intercourse. They might suppose other sex acts were involved, but “intercourse” and “sex” are pretty well equated in the heteronormative world.
...
6 tags
Review: Joyful Pleasures Joyful Plant
Hey, it’s a glass dildo shaped like an eggplant! What will they think of next?!
When I took the Joyful Plant out of its packaging and saw how small it was, I thought, “I could probably write this review without even trying the toy.” But of course, that’s a dangerous thought for a reviewer to have.
To my surprise, upon testing it out, I discovered it wasn’t as...
5 tags
Review: Zolo Pocket Pool Corner Pocket
Has it always been common for sex toy companies to blatantly steal designs from other sex toy companies, or is it just starting to happen a lot? Because I feel like I’ve seen crap like this everywhere lately.
The Zolo line of toys caught my eye because it’s all products for men, and there just aren’t that many good toys for boys out there. There’s Tenga and Fleshlight,...
Sharing the Sexy #22
• Hey, remember when women were seen as more sex-crazed than men? What the hell happened? Damn you, cultural paradigm…
• This zine about sex with trans women is pretty fantastic. And it taught me a sexual term I’d never heard of before: muffing!
• This teacher taught her high school class about consent. We need more of this in schools, folks.
• Here’s a call for submissions...
4 tags
Big Sex Toy News! + Massager Vibes
Ladies and gents, are you sitting down? Because I’ve got some earthshattering news for you…
The Hitachi Magic Wand is no longer called the Hitachi Magic Wand.
I’m just piecing together tweets from the International Lingerie Show to try to figure out what happened, so forgive me if I’m off the mark, but it seems that the Hitachi brand decided it no longer wanted to be...
30 tags
Obscenity, Authenticity, and Coming Out: My Day at...
On Friday night, I attended the Feminist Porn Awards, an annual event held by my local sex shop Good For Her. I hadn’t planned on going, because I’ve been a little strapped for cash lately, but my friend happened to have an extra ticket and invited me along at the last minute. Obviously, I was thrilled.
The awards were really exciting and a lot of well-deserved films took home...
My First Year as a Sex Blogger
I recently reached a huge milestone: my blog turned 1!
My very first post went up on March 27th, 2012. It’s hard for me to believe it’s been a whole year.
In honor of this landmark date passing, here’s a list of some of my favorite posts I wrote this year. (Remember, you can always have a look through my archive if you want to see ‘em all!)
• The very first toy I...
5 tags
Let's Talk About Terminology: Oral Sex For Ladies
(Blogger note: sorry for the dearth of sex toy reviews recently! I am waiting on a bunch of toy shipments at the moment. Don’t worry your pretty little head – I’ll be back to talking about dildos and vibrators on the regs in no time!)
There are so many ways in which misogyny manifests itself in our culture – ugh, so very many! – and language is definitely one of those. In fact,...
6 tags
Hot Tip: Enthusiastic Consent Isn't That Hard
What with the barrage of rape cases flooding through our media outlets at the moment, a lot of people are talking about what it means to consent to sex.
You may have heard of one of the sex-positive responses to the question “How do I avoid raping someone?” – the idea of enthusiastic consent. In short, it means that no always means no, and only yes means yes.
Many of us have signed...
March 2013
8 posts
Ask Girly Juice: Help! My Partner Hates That I...
Anonymous asked: I have a problem… I watch porn from time to time and I enjoy it, but it makes my girlfriend really uncomfortable. She says it makes her feel like she’s not good enough. What can I do?
This is a really common problem, and I think it stems mostly from the cultural narrative that tells women we’re only valuable for our appearance and our sexuality. A woman...
Sharing the Sexy #21
• Female porn stars with and without makeup. Draven Star sans makeup is tooootally the kind of girl I would’ve had a huge crush on in high school. Or, you know, now.
• My mom forwarded me this link: vibrators can be used by actors and singers to warm up their voices. I also hear you can hold a Hitachi to your nose to clear up congestion…?
• Here is a great article for introducing...
6 tags
Review: SSA Glass Royal Adventure
Dear SSA Glass: I love you, I love you, I love you! Sincerely, GJ’s vagina.
Seriously, though – this month I was lucky enough to receive a Royal Adventure dildo, and my ladybits are smitten.
Previously, my favorite SSA Glass toy was the Amethyst, with the Bubbly coming in a close second, but the whimsically-named Royal Adventure has usurped them both.
Like all the toys this company...
6 tags
Let's Talk About Terminology: Vulva vs. Vagina
I am troubled by people who use words wrong. Especially when they do so in ways that actually impact the way people view the world. That’s why I’m launching this new feature, Let’s Talk About Terminology, to discuss sex-related terms: the right ones, the wrong ones, which is which, and why.
First up: female genitalia. Of course.
Let’s just ponder for a moment the way...
6 tags
Review: JeJoue SaSi
Imagine how you would feel about a lover who was totally inept at getting you off, who always seemed to change their technique just as you were getting close to coming, and who approached your genitals with a grimace of apprehension, and you’ll understand how I feel about the JeJoue SaSi.
Several years old and probably discontinued by now (though still available through Sex Toys...
3 tags
Review: Sportsheets Doggie Style Strap
At their best, sex toys enhance your sex life (whether solo, partnered, or both) and improve your pleasure. At their worst, they can injure you. And at their most mediocre, they make no discernable changes to your experience. That last option is the best one to describe the Sportsheets Doggie Style Strap.
It’s a pink and black fuzzy strap with rough handles that remind me of the...
2 tags
Does My Partner Get a Say in My Masturbatory...
Sex-positivity is a relatively new movement, so there are still some conflicts floating around inside it. One of them is the fundamental discord between two ideas widely accepted as truths by the sex-poz crowd: “Your body is your own and no one can tell you what to do with it,” and “You and your sexual partner(s) need to discuss and establish boundaries that you’re both...
Sharing the Sexy #20
• Here’s a great essay about being intersex.
• How to be an ally to your fat lover!
• This typography series by Sophia Wallace, Cliteracy, is fucking spot-on!
• Ever wondered how to recycle old sex toys? Now you know!
• Jenna from silicone sex toy maker Tantus did an AMA on Reddit. Goooood readin’.
• Lilly’s review of the Jimmyjane Hello Touch is way better than mine...
February 2013
12 posts
6 tags
Pocket-Sized Porn Reviews: Matriarchy, Twins, and...
I made a decision a while ago that I wasn’t going to review porn on my blog anymore, because I just don’t feel I’m very good at it. I also think I have pretty specific tastes in pornography, and it’s hard to review something that every single person is going to react differently to.
However, now that I no longer have the stress of feeling obligated to review porn by the...
4 tags
Review: Tantus Splish
It makes me sad to have to write a negative review about a Tantus toy, since they’re usually so fantastic – but the Splish has been a total letdown for me.
It’s a good-lookin’ dual-color dildo, a smaller version of the formidable Splash. I waffled a lot about which toy to get, because the Splash is too wide for me at 1 3/4”, and the Splish is too narrow for me at...
5 tags
Review: California Exotics Silicone Jack Rabbit
When people ask me what I think about rabbit vibrators, I say, “It’s a brilliant idea, but it’s usually poorly executed.”
Many rabbits are made of disgusting materials – and the ones made of body-safe silicone basically fall into two categories: ridiculously expensive rechargeables, and cheaper, shittier vibes with power distribution issues.
I have pretty specific...
5 tags
Review: SSA Glass Sweet Lola
I am an unabashed fan of SSA Glass, even though their toys are cheap and probably not great quality, and apparently they are actually a Chinese glassware company.
Whatever, bro. I don’t even care. I have several of their toys and they’re all made of lovely borosilicate glass. They have a wide variety of shapes and sizes. And, most amazingly of all, every single SSA Glass toy comes...
Sex Toys Are a "Real Thing" Too
The cultural narrative which claims sex toys are just a substitute for the “real thing” is bullshit, and I’m sick and tired of it.
Masturbation is every bit as “real” and legitimate as sex with a partner, regardless of whether you use your hands, toys, or any other implement to do it.
I am sick of men who think it’s somehow appropriate or clever to tell me I...
Sharing the Sexy #19
• This website will deliver your sex toy purchases to your door within an hour if you live in the Toronto area. Oh my god, is this the future?!
• This poll infographic seeks to answer the question, what is and isn’t cheating?
• Ever wanted to become a sex toy reviewer like moi? Epiphora wrote a beginner’s guide and I give it an A+!
• Here’s some interesting stats about porn...
6 tags
Dear Whiny Single People on Valentine's Day:
I get it. You think your life is SO TRAGIC because Valentine’s Day has come around yet again, and yet again you have no one to spend it with.
You’re posting every hour on your social media outlets to announce that you are “forever alone” and therefore miserable. Every person on your friends list – both your social media one and your real-life one – knows the exact...
5 tags
Review: Jimmyjane Hello Touch
I don’t know how to feel about Jimmyjane. Their Form 2 is one of my favorite vibrators ever, but I hated their Iconic Rabbit. I enjoy their elegant, minimalist designs and marketing, but at the same time, they can be really pretentious sometimes.
Their newest release is the Hello Touch, a duo of tiny vibrators that you strap onto your fingers and operate via a control panel embedded in an...
7 tags
Ask Girly Juice: Vibrator Recommendations
Anonymous asked: I’m writing to ask you to offer a suggestion that would have these attributes: cordless (preferably rechargeable), mostly clitoral, body-safe, variety of sensations and intensities, and design-conscious without breaking the bank. Thank you.
Okay, I think I can do that!
Lelo has a few that might work. The Mia 2 and Siri are both rechargeable, have a variety of modes and...
Sharing the Sexy #18
• Sex-positive feminist podcast The G Spot has just released its entire first season as a Valentine’s Day gift for you or someone you love.
• How to have sex with a survivor. Important stuff.
• I think we can all agree that the new Fucking Sculptures line of glass dildos looks pretty damn excellent. I’m intrigued by the Corkscrew, and laughing at their choice of name for the Hooded...
4 tags
How to Introduce Your Friend to the Wonderful...
My network of friends is pretty familiar with the fact that I’m a sex toy aficionado. As a result, lots of them have asked me, over the years, to take them on their first-ever visit to a sex shop so they could buy their first-ever sex toy.
Working in the sexuality industry, you quickly learn (if you didn’t already know) that sex is a deeply personal and often embarrassing topic for...
8 tags
Ask Girly Juice: Small Dildos
Anonymous asked: I’m really really tight down there. Do you have any recommendations for a small dildo I could start with, to work up to bigger ones?
Yeah, girl!
I think you’ll find that Tantus, in particular, has a lot of smaller options. As a tiny-vagina’ed girl myself, that’s one of the reasons I love Tantus so much!
I was recently sent a Tantus Charmer (on sale...
January 2013
12 posts
Review: Lelo Adore Me Pleasure Set
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Lelo’s new Adore Me Pleasure Set is yet another addition to the giant pile of Fifty Shades-inspired products – but I would argue that if you’re going to succumb to the trend, this set is a fantastic way to do it.
The set contains three items: the Sutra chainlink cuffs, Intima silk blindfold, and Mia 2. All are lovely, high-quality pieces.
...
Review: Doc Johnson Reflections Serenity
The Doc Johnson Reflections Serenity is a glass G-spotting dildo that comes in either black or pink.
Because of its curve, firmness, and two differently-sized bulbs, it often gets characterized as a cheaper ($35) alternative to the Pure Wand. And while it is an okay dildo, there is nothing which can truly rival the Pure Wand. If you’re deadbent on getting a good G-spot toy, let me tell...
15 tags
Sharing the Sexy #17
• Here’s a rad article on how to stimulate the A-spot! (If you want my advice on this same topic, I suggest getting your hands on a Tantus Tsunami, my favorite A-spotting tool.)
• Original Plumbing, a publication produced by and for trans guys, is expanding their web presence and needs your help! (The perks for contributing include things like indie porn subscriptions, so… why the...
7 tags
Review: Jopen Key Comet Wand
The Jopen Key Comet Wand is the must-have sex toy of 2013.
Yeah, I said it.
In previous years, everyone clamored over intriguing G-spot treasures like the Njoy Pure Wand, VixSkin Mustang, and Lelo Ella. And while I still love those toys, their time in the limelight is more-or-less over. The Comet Wand is the hot new star on the scene.
It has what is widely considered the holy trifecta of...
9 tags
Are You Shitting Properly?
I will warn you right now that this post is only minimally related to sex. For some of you, your butt is integral to your sex life; for others of you, the two barely register as connected. So this post is, as you might expect, for people of the former category.
I was recently made aware that I’ve been shitting wrong. I watched a video on the Squatty Potty, a stool (like, the furniture...
6 tags
Review: Leaf Spirit
Leaf is a company that tries desperately to market their toys as eco-friendly. First of all, they’re green, which looks cute as hell but doesn’t actually change their ecological footprint as far as I’m aware. Secondly, they’re rechargeable… like many, many other toys out there. And thirdly, they have a couple of other nice environmentally-conscious touches, like...
4 tags
Review: Power VIP
Little information is available on the internet about the Power VIP vibrator. I got mine for $13 in JT’s Stockroom’s clearance section, where it’s known as the “Power Oscillator” – obviously intended to evoke my all-time favorite sex toy, the Eroscillator.
The toy arrived in an excessively large box which contained only the base unit and four attachments – no...
Sharing the Sexy #16
• “Just say no to porous materials,” says Ash Russell. YES!
• Toronto photographer Michèle Pearson Clarke is doing a photography project wherein queer women hold hands with an ex-partner who they’re no longer friends with. This looks wonderful, and I would dearly love to get in touch with my ex to see if she’d be interested, except I’m pretty sure she hates me...
5 tags
Review: We-Vibe 3
Ah, couples’ vibrators. Such a wonderful idea in theory, so often poorly executed in practice.
Prior to my latest attempt at enjoying a couples’ vibe, the We-Vibe 3, I had tried the Lelo Tiani and the FixSation, neither of which impressed me. Both weren’t strong enough to get me off, both had shitty remote strength, and both tended to numb me out so it was still hard to get...
10 tags
Ask Girly Juice: The Best of the Best (So Far)
Julie asked: Do you actually use all/most of the toys in your collection? It seems like a lot to have to keep in constant rotation.
Oh boy! No, I definitely don’t use every toy I own on a regular basis. Some of them sucked right off the bat, so I retired them immediately after finishing my review; some were okay, but not remarkable, so they only get used when I’m in an eccentric...
15 tags
Sharing the Sexy #15
• Here’s a tirade in favor of menstrual sex. Can’t say I’m crazy about the penis-shaming therein, but she makes some good points.
• While we’re on the topic… This slam poet loves him some period sex!
• Porn star Madison Young taught a hands-on female ejaculation workshop. I love this part: When a female audience member came up to her after class and explained that...
Sexual Goals for 2013
I’m a big list-maker. I make lists year-round, but especially when a new year is starting. And because my life and work are sex-centric, many of my goals end up being sex-related too. Here are some of the sexy things I hope to accomplish in 2013.
1. Get fucked in the ass with a strap-on.
Though I am interested in having anal sex eventually, it’s not something I think I’ll be...
December 2012
8 posts
7 tags
Review: Lelo Gigi
Many times over the years, I’ve accompanied various friends to sex shops to help them pick out a vibrator. And many times, I’ve fawned over the Lelo Gigi, explaining the wonders of its rechargeability, G-spot curve, and elegant appearance. As a result, several of my friends have a Gigi of their own now – but I didn’t get one until Adult Sensations offered to send me one. (And...
Silly Search Terms
When I installed a stat counter on my website, it was only because certain toy retailers wanted to know how many hits my blog gets. I had no idea that it would result in endless amusement for me.
You might say, “But GJ, statistics aren’t funny!” And you’d be right. But you know what are funny? The phrases people type into Google that lead them to stumble upon my site.
...
6 tags
Review: Vibratex G-Spotter attachment
The Vibratex G-Spotter attachment is designed to slip over the head of your Hitachi to make it more versatile. I wasn’t a fan of my Hitachi, so I gave it away to a friend, and as a result, I’ve been testing out my new G-Spotter on the Bodywand. It fits perfectly, because the two wands are almost identical in shape and size.
The G-Spotter is made of vinyl, which is porous and may...