Yes, But Does My Vibrator Need to be Toveled?
For some reason, http://www.koshersextoys.net/ isn’t loading right now, which means either people are so excited about its mere existence that they’re flooding the internet in a sex toy frenzy, or it was all a beautiful, sexy, frum dream.
It’s back up! (Insert tehillim joke here.) KosherSexToys really wants you to be married to use their stuff (“Our website – while obviously only for married adults – contains no crude or indecent pictures or text. We believe that only two people belong in the bedroom – and bringing pictures of others in can only harm a marriage.”). According to the “About Us” section,”You will never see something on this site that will make you blush. When we need to use descriptive terms for our products, we use clinical and clean language; product pictures do not contain models; and our lingerie are photographed alone, not on a mannequin.”
As someone who, in spite of all her sex positive blather, is kind of a prude in real life, I appreciate the sentiment, but going to a sex toy website can still be uncomfortable, regardless of product descriptions and pictures. There is plenty avoidance of certain language on the site, by the way, like “tantalize body parts not reached by main shaft.”
Here’s a product description for the Vibrating Stimulator:
“The vibrating extension is on a flexible arm, allowing you to move and place it exactly where you want! This gives you ultimate control and the obvious benefits that come along with that. The top of the shaft also has heart shaped nubs and head for extra sensations against the body of the user.”
I like how the user is just “the user,” by the way, and not “the woman,”even though it’s assumed, I’m sure, that the user is using it on her lady parts. I would not argue that KosherSexToys is a queer friendly operation.
On the website, you’re warned against comparison shopping, because the product names have been changed for reasons of tznius. I tried anyway, and visited the Babeland site searching for similar vibrators. Here’s what I found:
Rabbit Habit at Babeland: $90.00
Vibrating Stimulator at KosherSexToys: $29.99
Obviously, the experience of shopping at Babeland is very different and for a separate audience, but seriously? These vibrators are CHEAP. Get one for a friend!
The site also sells dildos, lube, anal beads, handcuffs, and soon, lingerie. You can get your sex questions answered by Dr. David S. Ribner, a sex therapist and rabbi with YU ordination.
In spite of all the stuff to find infuriating about KosherSexToys.net- the need for a spell checker, the lack of clinical language, the emphasis on heterosexual marriage-it’s pretty great that this exists. It’s an important move towards more sex positive Jewish relationships and communities.
My main concern with the cost discrepancy between Babeland and Kosher Sex Toys is that I know Babeland has high quality controls. So the fact that Kosher Sex Toys is so much cheaper makes me wonder, is this going to give me an electric shock?
The main concern is that the site doesn’t list what materials are in the vibes. Phthalates are a huge concern and many low-priced toys have them. Glass products can also contain lead. Babeland’s product selection is 100% phthalate-free and everything we stock is carefully reviewed to make sure there aren’t any harmful ingredients or materials. You can read more here: http://www.babeland.com/sexinfo/features/sex-toy-phthalates/
Phthalates are chemicals used to make plastics flexible and are banned in Europe. Since sex toys are considered to be “novelty” items, the industry is left to regulate itself. Be careful!
1. it’s not the same rabbit. the babeland one is ‘the original.’
2. they sell nipple clamps? awesome! totally wasn’t expecting that.
3. lots of glass toys. very smart as it is easier to convert them from dairy to meat and vice versa, if you know what i mean and i think that you do.
Thanks for posting this. I’ll buy my toys at Babeland, but this is the right site for this kind of stuff.
Jewish girls from conservative homes deserve to have great solo orgasms and fulfilling sex with partners.
First off, this post made my week. Blessings to you for that.
Secondly, I think they ought to designate one section as ‘oral law.’
Thirdly–although they’d of course object–we need drag queen Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross on-board with her ‘Shabbos-dick.’ (http://www.zeek.net/feature_05123.shtml)
Hi!
This is Gavriel from KosherSexToys.net
Thank You Babeland for bringing up your very important point
All of our items are 100% phthalate-free, and are screened for unhealthy materials. The reason we are so much less expensive is simply because we mark up our products less (it is not unusual for a Sex Toy operation to mark up their products 200-300%!!!) and don’t spend money on fancy cardboard boxs’ and sleeves that usally have pictures on them that our clients would have no interest in seeing anyway.
If anyone (even our competitors) looking at our website has any questions or concerns about the products we carry, please feel free to shoot us an E-Mail we would be happy to answer them!
K.S.T
The Babeland version is more expensive because it is an original Rabbit. The Kosher version is an imitation. Does it matter? Rabbits don’t have a very long shelf life and tend to break fairly easily – this includes the name brand version. As it is battery operated, MWN need not worry about electric shock. That being said though, the best vibrator is and remains the Hitachi Magic Wand. Never breaks, never fails and though it plugs into the wall, you’ll never need batteries. Doubles as a really good back massager too. Or was it the other way around? Good massager, doubles as world class vibrator… I don’t remember… Kudos to Gavriel in any case for gingerly and delicately meeting a market demand. The site is charmingly pollyannaish – if Pollyanna was into nipple clamps.
So. Wrong.
I don’t know that I could ever let someone use handcuffs on me or vice versa, as fun as those scenarios might sound. What if, chas v’shalom, the spouse who isn’t cuffed has a seizure or a heart attack? Perhaps I’m just being paranoid.
What a funny article. I will need to be a good Jewish girl and make sure all my dildos are kosher.
Wow this is so fascinating to me. I grew up very religious but never even thought in my mind that vibrators would have to be kosher.