18+ Story
She said: “It’s great if you’re stressed and need to unwind.”
Diana had a “secret mascot” she took on trips as a good-luck charm, her former bodyguard revealed in 2016.
Modern versions don’t all look like bullets or plastic penises. The Oh! Kiss Me Lipstick vibrator (£14.99, lovehoney.com) is a 3in toy made with discretion in mind.
Here, sex and dating expert Almara Abgarian says we should all own a vibrator.
I GOT my first sex toy on my 16th birthday. It was a cute little thing, a soft, pink vibrator from two male friends who undoubtedly gave it to me for a laugh.
But the joke was on them. I made good use of it over the years that followed — and I’ve not looked back.
Now, 15 years later, I have a large collection of goodies, from vibrating bullets to my personal favourite, the Happy Rabbit Thrusting Vibrator (Lovehoney, £79.99). It gave me one of my most powerful orgasms ever and moves on its own, doing all the work for me. What more can a girl ask for?
When Princess Diana was carrying around her favourite sex toy, vibrators were regarded as shameful, to be purchased only as hen-do gifts. If you owned one, you certainly didn’t talk about it.
They were seen as scary items designed to replace men. Thankfully we have moved on from this outdated view of female pleasure. But still less than half of us (48 per cent) own a sex toy.
Every woman should have one. I frequently use orgasms to reduce anxiety and deal with insomnia. Self-pleasure is a way to get rid of the day’s stress.
I tend to save sex toys for special occasions . . . mostly because I forget to charge the battery and don’t have the patience to wait for my orgasm.
However, I am single — so in lockdown I dived into my drawer of goodies a few times a week.
'TINGLING SENSATION'
And I’m not the only one — UK sex toy sales rose by 13 per cent in the early weeks of lockdown.
It lets you take control of your own pleasure without relying on a partner to provide that tingling sensation.
Sure, it cannot replace skin-on-skin contact. But solo fun is about loving yourself, not focusing on someone else.
It lets you explore what you like and what you don’t. So when you are with a partner, you can guide them to your sweet spots.
I’ve given sex toys as gifts to friends, some of whom had never used one before. I received many happy messages afterwards. One used it so much she broke it. It can be daunting for a beginner, so start slowly with a bullet.
These are usually cheap and easy to use, such as the Durex Intense Delight Bullet (£9.99).
The big hitter is the rabbit — a gadget with tiny vibrating rabbit ears that sends women into a frenzy. I’ve tried many variations and some are sensational, though I recommend doing your research.
Also popular is The Smooth One by Kandid (£55
recent years, luxury sex toys have become more commonplace. If you want to splash the cash, Lelo offers sleek designs with gold and silver detailing, like the Soraya 2 (£199).
Whether you start out slow with a bullet or go for something more adventurous, using a sex toy is about more than reaching climax.
It is about embracing your body and everything it can do.
