This article is a sponsored collaboration between LELO and PAPER
This papermag.com article is a safe space, so I'm just going to go ahead and tell the actual goddamn truth: despite what HBO, 50 Shades of Grey and the subtext of Cara Delevingne's latest AD Home Tour video might imply, the average American in possession of a vagina does not actually need to purchase a larger number of sex toys than will fit in a standard-size, West Elm-adjacent, midcentury modern-ish nightstand drawer.
Seriously! While we are all obviously entitled to get as kinky as we please, there's no actual need to buy, like, a complete size range of dildos. Even if you managed to upgrade apartments during the pandemic real estate bonanza, methinks your Brooklyn one-bedder still lacks the requisite space for a sex swing. And if there are roommates in the equation? Forget it, unless you're living in one of those Staten Island communes with mandatory veganism.
When it comes to needs as opposed to wants, and we're talking solo sex, then all that's truly required is a good clit vibrator that gets you off simply and discretely. Think of this as minimalism. As bedroom Konmari. Your vagina is like the Noguchi museum — place only the most exquisite, form-meets-function art objects in there. Respect yourself. Respect the laws of good design.
When curating your collection, you'll want to invest in the best possible products. And after clearing your bedside drawer of generic "massagers" that resemble karaoke mics, gag gifts from bachelorette parties past and well-intentioned but ultimately useless sex toys purchased by ex-lovers on Valentine's Day, you might consider the LELO Sila. It's a pretty, shell-shaped little pleasure pod designed by LELO, a highly-awarded Swedish intimate lifestyle company specializing in sleekly designed, luxury vibrators. And it's really all you need to achieve easy, everyday clitoral orgasms.
The LELO Sila is one of the most unintimidating sex toys out there. You might not even want to hide it in the aforementioned bedside drawer. Constructed from body-safe lilac, green or pink silicone with LELO's trademark gold embellishments, this thing is literally so aesthetic that you could place it on a lineup of perfume bottles and mistake it for your Ariana Grande Cloud. It's a clit vibrator, not a penetrative toy, so its main design feature is a suction mechanism that creates a seal around your clitoris and, through a series of customizable vibration settings, gets you off exactly how you like it.
The LELO Sila doesn't just look cute. It's also deceptively powerful. Clitoral stimulators have been around for a while, but the LELO Sila represents a new generation of products that are capable of way more than — how do I put this — a quick suck. Okay, that wasn't exactly eloquent, but I think you know what I mean.
Key to the LELO Sila's powers is its wide mouth, as opposed to the smaller suction mechanism seen on other clitoral stimulators. You'll know from having watched human beings Go Down There that lip circumference is key when it comes to playing around with the clitoris, and creating a seal around not only your clit but also your vulva is kind of the ideal dynamic.
The LELO Sila does all that and more, so you're not just in for a quick lil orgasm, so much as an exciting and stimulating journey towards tangle-up-your-linen-sheets-and-make-a-Samantha-from-Sex-and-the-City-face bliss that can take as long or short a time as you need. Using mine, I was able to get myself off in a matter of minutes, but also make time on the weekend for a prolonged session of much more intense, building pleasure. The experience either way was intuitive and fun, rather than frustrating or scary, as can be the case with some of the more advanced, sex dungeon-esque phallic sex toys on the market.
The LELO Sila feels essential: it's great for everyday, easy orgasms, especially for those who aren't ready for more hardcore sex toys, who don't get off on penetrative sex, or who are too busy to mess around trying to find their g-spot. A perfect present for the design-conscious, it's as nice to look at as it is to use. And it really does feel thoughtfully engineered, especially as everyone's vaginas are different, and that wide suction mouth will accommodate a range of sizes and shapes.
There are eight sonic wave intensities that can be easily adjusted with one finger while your mind is on, well, other things. Use it alone, use it with a partner, use it in the shower — that silicone is nice and waterproof.
The LELO Sila is a great entryway into the world of luxury vibrators, but even if you do have an entire vault of next-gen kinky products at your disposal, you'll be unable to deny the simple pleasures of a guaranteed clitoral orgasm that's completely customizable to your body and schedule. A masterpiece of sex tech, and the bedrock of your newly-curated bedside collection.
Check out the LELO Sila for yourself, here.
Photos courtesy of LELO