Saturday, 30 March 2019

Review: Satisfyer Pro 4 Couples

Oh Glow Blog Satisfyer Pro 4 Couples toy review south african sex blog
 
The Satisfyer brand has been especially supportive of our little blog, and I must admit that I am a big fan of their amazing suction/air pulse technology. Nevertheless, I've had this toy for ages and just haven't felt inspired enough to type up a proper review -- I just kept hoping that I'd somehow like it more as time went on. But not everything works for every body, and that's totally okay. This product was provided in exchange for a fair and candid review, so it's important to be honest.

As usual, the packaging is attractive, and the toy itself is made of ABS plastic and silicone which is soft as all hell. It presents itself as quite luxurious. In terms of product design, I was a bit alarmed by the shape as it is very pointy. Playing around with the controls made me feel they were relatively easy to understand, but I found that they can be difficult to use. There are two ovals -- the inner one controls the strength of the suction and the outer one acts as the on/off for both functions. It’s kind of difficult to reach the vibration function, and you can forget about trying to control it during any sort of playtime ... but I’ll get to that.

Oh Glow Blog Satisfyer Pro 4 Couples toy review south african sex blog
Now, as you may know from previous posts, the Satisfyer suction function is one of my favourite toy features ever. Understandably, then, I was quite excited to try it out with this new and unfamiliar shape. I started out by trying it out on my own and found the vibrations rather weak despite the company's claims of "ten powerful settings." The motor is very quiet though, which I appreciate. However, what I did find disappointing was how very difficult it was for me to find a good position for the suction bit. No matter how I tried to position it, it simply didn’t reach the right spot. There isn’t enough manoeuvrability to properly direct it where you want -- and my anatomy is usually pretty forgiving with dual-stim toys.

And also, my fears were confirmed with the sharpness of the internal "fin" part. It is relatively ineffective, which I mostly expected when playing by myself. So I decided to get my partner involved. For this we used a strap-on, so I can’t report on how it feels from the perspective of a penis.

However, this was where the toy really just fell apart for me. It was just too uncomfortable to use during actual sexual activity. I could really feel the fin digging into me in a way that was most definitely not the amazing G-spot stimulation often touted by toys designed to be used during partnered sex -- not ideal with something this pointy shape. And the suction area was still nowhere near my clitoris and impossible to direct in a way that felt good. It was a far cry from the marketing copy on the Satisfyer website, which was bold enough to claim, "once the tempting design has seduced you, you will be on the path to sharing simultaneous ecstasy."
Sure, Satisfyer. Let's go with that.

Oh Glow Blog Satisfyer Pro 4 Couples toy review south african sex blog
In the end, it just became an uncomfortable thing impeding the usual connection between me and my partner, with the added loss of actually obscuring access to most of my pleasure points. It's also a little awkward when trying to change the settings -- the controls become almost impossible to get to or use at that angle; they are also fairly confusing. Hardly as intuitive as the website claims.

And the light! It has this little LED that's just on during use and wow, the light blinds you. I get it, it’s a feature on most toys (almost all of mine) that the controls light up when in use. I guess it's meant to allow you to easily change the settings in the dark, which makes sense. But this is awful for partner play. Imagine having this searing LED light glowing by your nether regions -- it’s just off-putting. Although, the one saving grace was the comic relief. I just kept laughing because it lights up my partner’s face from beneath, like those horror games you used to play as a kid.

All in all, while Satisfyer still remains one of my favourite toy brands, they really missed the mark on this for me. Nevertheless, I think they have redeemed themselves with their new Multifun toy (review here and here!).

Still, I highly recommend the brand and its suction/vibration line. Check out our previous reviews and hit them up on social media below.

Website  ♡  Facebook  ♡  YouTube  ♡  Twitter

Monday, 4 March 2019

Interview: Goddess of Genitalia



This time we have something a little different -- an interview with South African creator, Alexa Venter. She fabricates and sells interactive, sex-positive art through her brand, Goddess of Genitalia. I first came across Alexa's work through her Instagram account and was delighted by the whimsical nature of her work. She exposes sexuality as something to be played with -- sweet like candy and fun to boot.

I loved learning about her journey as an artist and maker in the sex-positive sphere and hope you will too. This interview has been edited slightly for brevity and clarity. Enjoy!

♥️

What does sex positivity mean to you?

To me, sex positivity is embracing yourself as a sexual being with desires and fantasies, loving your genitals and encouraging sexual education. It means not being ashamed of asking questions and not being ashamed of your sexual spirit. Basically, taking the shame away from consensual, safe sex and respecting how other people express their sexuality.

Can you describe yourself and your journey as an artist? What led to you starting Goddess of Genitalia?

I've always loved art, but when I got to high school my passion really grew. For the first time I got to really learn about art history and understand the importance of art. I started studying Fine Art at the University of Cape Town in 2014, where I was exposed to sculpture -- which I had never attempted before and really enjoyed. The brief of my first second year project was to transform an object made out of wood into something else. I chose to sculpt a rolling pin to look like a dildo and titled it Your Mom's Favourite Tool. I felt so shy about my idea at first, but got a lot of positive feedback from my peers and gained quite a bit of confidence from that. The subject matter was mostly met with broad smiles and laughter, which I really enjoyed! It was the first time I had made art that made people feel something, and the first time that my art made me feel something too.

Throughout my studies I kept researching and creating work with different sexual themes, sometimes evoking the subject through visual metaphors like fruit, but mainly just being overt. In 2017 my good friend and fellow artist, Rain Patterson, drew a digital portrait of me and titled it Goddess of Genitalia. I felt that the name was so empowering; it made me feel proud of the work I had done. I used that as my Instagram handle. In my final year of studies I thought, "I love my art and I want to share it with the world." My Vulva pillows had been displayed in my graduate exhibition and a lot of people bought them, and because I enjoyed making them so much I decided to continue. That is what Goddess of Genitalia is: me making work that I love to make and sharing it with others.

What sort of materials have you worked with before, and what made you fixate on textiles for your brand?  

In third year, my research focused on Kitsch art, specifically Jeff Koons. This led me to explore materials that had a kind of Kitsch appeal. I've worked with silicone as a material as well as often using it to make molds which allowed me to make multiples of my work. I really enjoy the Kitschy shiny plastic aesthetic of the silicone. Continuing with my Kitsch obsession, I created penis and vulva chocolates and even soaps, as I enjoy working with material which I can melt and pour into my own molds.

My love for fabric came about in that same year which was when I hand-sewed my first Vulva pillow. I was drawn to the strange, shiny look of the crushed velvet fabric and enjoyed how it felt as well. When I showed my pillow to my peers for the first time, they began stroking and cuddling it and really interacting with the object; which I think was the beginning of my fabric obsession. I prefer to focus on soft fabrics which encourage interaction between the viewer and the art.

Sexuality is often a very polarised and emotional topic. Do you see your work as particularly personal or revealing?

My work is absolutely personal. When I was in high school, I was very interested in learning about and understanding sex, but was also uncomfortable with my own body and expressing myself as a sexual being. Despite not having been exposed to much porn, I thought the inner labia were 'supposed to' be neatly tucked away inside the outer labia. In comparison, my own labia poked out and were kind of messy-looking. I thought it was so ugly and nobody would ever want to have sex with me. Through working with genital imagery in my art, I was exposed to a huge variety of genital shapes. I discovered that all vulvas, penises and intersex genitals look so different and there is no way in which genitals are 'supposed' to look. This probably sounds corny, but working with sex through art changed my life.

Your large vulvas are about the size of the scatter cushions often used in living-room spaces. Was this a conscious choice? Can you expand on the idea of including personal body-parts in more neutral home (or office) environments?

Yes; I want the Vulva pillows to read as being homely. A person's home is the place where they feel most at ease and adding a Vulva into that space may help someone to feel comfortable with that imagery. The Vulva becomes a part of that person's comfort zone. I consider my work to be art but also want people who would like to have one of the pillows to feel that it is art that is attainable. Cushions are familiar items that appear in many homes, so instead of calling my Vulvas "soft sculptures," I call them pillows.

How do you see your brand and your art progressing in the future? Is there anything else you want to try?

There are other products I have in mind which I'd like include; one of which being genital chocolates.

In the future I would love to create art for specific events and parties. I love the work I make and I really want people to see and interact with it in person.

♥️
 
It was so great getting such amazing responses from Alexa. I highly recommend taking a look at her social media platforms, and, if you like what you see, consider supporting her work by purchasing a beautifully tactile Vulva pillow. They're handmade with love and will definitely start some fun conversations. Follow her work at the links below!