Why I Love Working in the Sex Toy Industry

A little over a year ago, my friend, Alexandra Ars, from Orgasmatronics, Inc., approached me about helping her with some ad copy. I’ll admit I was surprised by her request because I had absolutely no experience in advertising. I was a trained scientist, for fuck's sake. What did I know about selling sex toys? But I was looking to try something new, so I accepted her challenge. I had no idea that this one little ad was going to change my life in such a drastic and wonderful way.

When we first started brainstorming together, I realized how very little I actually knew about sex and sex toys. Alexa described our product, the X1 Orgasmatron, as a hand-held Sybian. And then waited patiently while I googled Sybian. We both knew I was in over my head, but we also knew that I am a curious enough person to dive in and do my best to learn ALL. THE. THINGS. about sex toys.

Now, one year in, I understand that I will never know all there is to know about sex toys. But my quest has opened my eyes to an amazing community. And turned me into a bit of an advocate for working in the sex toy industry. Here's why.

Because you get to experience increased personal pleasure

Before I started working in the industry, I owned exactly one sex toy: a rabbit vibrator that I bought on a whim with some girlfriends when I was in college. I knew of the one, obvious, way to use it. Shove it in and crank it up. When I started working at Orgasmatronics we were only offering the X1 + Jane dildo. I took one home and used it in the "obvious" way. It was alright, but admittedly, I didn’t love it. The "obvious" way wasn’t the way for me. Then I started answering emails for our company and was absolutely blown away by the creativity of our customers. I took their suggestions home and experienced pleasure like I never had before. If you are looking for inspiration for your own toys, check out some of the user suggestions for the X1 - or seek out tips and suggestions for your own favorite toy - and then get creative!

Because you get to experience increased intimacy

When you sell sex toys, people inevitably want to talk to you about sex. And sex toys. And what they like and don’t like. In my previous profession, this kind of chit-chat would have resulted in a quick trip to HR. But now? Now it’s normal to have those conversations. And oh, so healthy. Because talking about sex is so important. Now I’m more comfortable talking openly about sex, not only with strangers, but also with my partner. And let me tell you, nothing increases intimacy like communication. (Learn more about why communication counts in Why We Should All Be Talking About Sex A Lot More Often.)

Because you get instant street cred

I was recently on a mini-vacation, and I took myself out to a little wine cafe for dinner. A younger gentleman and an older gentleman sat next to me, and we engaged in small talk, like people do. When we got to the part where we asked each other what we did for a living, I hesitated for some reason. I think I was afraid of offending the older gentleman. I said I "worked in marketing" because that felt safe. And then he asked, "marketing for what". So I stuttered out that I worked for a sex toy company. He replied, "Well, you just became the coolest person in the room." Sure, it’s totally superficial and who cares what other people think, but I’m not gonna lie: my inner nerd was pretty damn excited at that comment. Plus, it's easy to assume that sex toys make people uncomfortable. What I've learned is that in most cases, they seem to make them excited!

Because you get to be part of a wonderful community

There are so many amazing people in this field. Well-educated, well-spoken, and motivated people. A whole league of folks dedicated to helping you feel comfortable about sex and sexuality. Be it through creative development of innovative toys, or through open and diverse conversations, when you work in the sex toy industry, it becomes your job to be surrounded by these incredible, inspiring people. Call it a perk.

There are, of course, bazillions of other benefits. These are just the ones that have stood out for me. Like working in the service industry, I think working in the sex toy industry is something that everyone should do. Even, no, especially, if you are naive and think you are wildly unqualified. Oh, and there's one more perk I just can't overlook: free sex toys;-)