Our Pleasure Positivity Project launched in July 2019 with the mission of breaking down the taboos surrounding female sexuality.
Female sexual empowerment has been in our DNA for decades, and this project uses our voice and our expertise to close the orgasm gap.
Every month we will be joined by an inspirational Guest Editor to share their expertise, knowledge, and advice as well as their toy edit.
In her lifetime, a woman
will miss out on...
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ORGASMS
Dr Philippa
Kaye
My name is Dr Philippa Kaye and I am delighted to be the new resident sexual health GP for Ann Summers. I am also going to be the guest editor for the Pleasure Positivity Project for January 2021, but you are going to be seeing a lot more of me in the future as we embark on this project about sexual wellness.
I have been a GP for over a decade and have a particular interest in women’s, children’s and sexual health with extra qualifications in these areas. I have written multiple books, on topics such as the menopause and pregnancy and I write in the national press and am regularly found on your television and radios trying to help you understand current health issues. And, in 2020, health news dominated things slightly!! I am known for my straight talking attitude, for not being afraid to discuss sexual health, and for being able to translate medical speak into something simple and understandable.
Every day in my surgery, I see people coming in with issues related to their sexual health and finding it difficult to talk about their problems. My aim here is to continue to break down the taboo and stigma around sexual health, something which Ann Summers has been involved in for many, many years. As a doctor, I have seen and heard it all; there is nothing to be embarrassed about here. We are going to tell it like it is, empower you about your body and sexuality - whatever that may mean for you.
Dr Kaye's
Toy Picks
Here we go – what would a dr recommend from a sex shop?
The answer is that it depends on what you are looking for and what you like and the only way to know that is by exploration and trial and error! But to help you out I have had a little look around the various categories of vibrator to give you a starting point to work from, the rest is up to you!
Silicone Pebble Massager
"The images in the media, sex scenes in the movies all seem to imply that men and women orgasm at the same time and that women orgasm from penetrative sex alone. That could not be further from the truth with the vast majority of women unable to reach orgasm from penetrative sex, instead they need external clitoral stimulation. And the clitoris is far larger than the small hooded part you can see and feel, it extends into the lips of the vulva. A pebble massager which you can use on all these areas will allow more of the clitoris to be stimulated, hopefully resulting in a better experience."
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Rampant Rabbit
G-Spot Stroking Vibrator
“The combination of internal and external stimulation means that the rabbit style of vibrator is favoured by many women. As described above the clitoris is a large organ extending into the vulva and pelvis, in fact the fabled ‘G spot’ may well simply be a point where part of the clitoris is stimulated as it wraps around the urethra. Either way a rabbit provides both internal and external stimulation. ”
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Womanizer Starlet
Clitoral Stimulator
“Many people are aware that directly rubbing or touching the clitoris under the clitoral hood can be too much, too overpowering. Using a suction style clitoral stimulator can be gentler, allowing further stimulation. A suction style device mimics the act of a mouth as opposed to a hand on the clitoris and can be used to stimulate the whole area.”
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My Viv Slim Vibrator
“Vibrators come in a variety of sizes, and some can look and feel rather intimidating so a slim vibrator is a good starting point. This can be used internally or externally as well as on other erogenous zones such as the nipples. It can also be used as part of dilating if you have vaginismus. The surface is powder coated to give a softer surface feel, but the buttons and seals are silicone and waterproof. ”
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My Viv Dilator Set
“Vaginismus is a condition where there are involuntary spasms of the vagina which can be so painful they don’t allow anything to penetrate the vagina, even putting a tampon in may be too painful. Part of the treatment for this condition involves using dilators to gradually relax and dilate the vagina to allow penetration. This set allows you to start with the narrowest dilator and then work your way up slowly (again we will cover this in more detail in the future!). Use with plenty of lubricant and adding in an external bullet style vibrator, like the one below, can help give some positive feedback when you use the dilators – something like this may be easy to manage while you are using the dilators.”
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Elvie Pelvic Floor Trainer
“We all should be doing our pelvic floor exercises daily, whether or not you have been pregnant but some women may benefit from using a vaginal trainer. These further help strengthen the pelvic floor, but be careful not to overdo it as too strong pelvic muscles can cause problems too! Don’t leave them in all day, a few minutes is enough, after all you wouldn’t hold a squat or a bicep curl hold for more than about a minute The right balance of strength will help prevent incontinence as well as lead to better orgasms. The advantage of the Elvie pelvic floor trainer is that the combination of the trainer with the app provides what is called biofeedback, the gem on the app responds to the strength of you squeezing your pelvic floor muscles, so you know when you are doing it correctly!”
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My Viv Oil Based Lubricant
“Don’t forget the lubricant! Vaginal dryness is extremely common (we will be talking more about it later) and lubricant can make all the difference, whether or not you think you need it it is worth considering! We are going to give a lot more information about lubricants but the below is an oil based lubricant. Oil based lubes are richer and longer lasting than water based lubes BUT they are NOT compatible with condoms so can’t be used if you are relying on condoms for contraception and may not be compatible with some sex toys. For solo pleasure, if you do not need to use condoms, or an oil based lubricant works with your sex toy, the thicker, longer lasting consistency may help!”
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