Vibrator Art To Celebrate Masturbation Day

What drew you to The Firefighter vibrator?

I did the Smile Makers quiz and found my perfect match! I was happy it was The Firefighter too as the colour is amazing and the shape of the vibrator is something I’ve never seen before - the only thing I can say is it fuels the fire more than fighting it ;)

At Smile Makers, we bring conversations about solo sex for vulva owners OUT IN THE OPEN to normalize this integral part of our overall wellbeing. What are your thoughts on our mission?

I think it’s brilliant and I’m amazed it’s still such a new thing to become normalised and not seen as ‘taboo’. I LOVE that your products are stocked in grocery and beauty stores, I think everyone else should follow suit! When you spend a bit of intimate time with yourself it gives you such a self-love buzz (pardon the pun) and allows you to discover new things that arouse you that you can then communicate to a partner. I think it’s also really important to stay in tune with yourself and regularly mapping your physical form can not only feel nice but can bring forward changes to your body that could be quite important to notice. There’s no denying it’s an integral part of your overall well-being!

"When you spend a bit of intimate time with yourself it gives you such a self-love buzz (pardon the pun) and allows you to discover new things that arouse you…"

As well as making brilliant masturbation statements through art, what does normalizing the conversation mean to you?

Confidence and power in joining the conversation. More and more vulva owners are wanting to converse more openly about sexual pleasure and are learning to pay attention to their needs and desires, which is so important and a great step into being able to confidently relay that to a sexual partner. It also allows non vulva owners access to an open space/platform to be able to educate themselves on things they may not have known before, or even themselves been nervous asking about! It’s a win win!

As we both love smashing sexuality taboos, have you watched, read or listened to anything recently that you think does the same?

I’m going to let myself down here and say that I don’t actually watch too much tv or listen to half as many podcasts as I probably should but there was one podcast that aired on Spotify a few months ago called Sex, lies and dm slides, which really opens up the conversation about sex, and super confidently - plus it’s hilarious! I spend some time on social media too and I feel like that is a great place to find real influential advocates for sex positivity especially for vulva owners - one of whom is Florence Given, who also has a book out at the moment, which I’m looking forward to reading!

From the seven markets surveyed in The Smile Makers Sexual wellness study, Brits more so than any other vulva owners said they loved getting curious about vibrators through talking to friends! Is this something that you’ve experienced in the UK?

Oh yes definitely! I even find myself at parties with other vulva owners talking about sex, partners and vibrators having just met them! It’s great for confidence, comparing stories and to generally normalise masturbation. These conversations are usually hilarious and light hearted, so it’s also great to have a close knit group of friends to share more intimate experiences or problems with who are comfortable listening to and being honest with you.

What are your best tips for having these fun conversations with friends?

I think number one is to not be afraid. Whatever you want to say, chances are they do too so go for it! I remember being nervous and embarrassed the first few times I brought it up with my friends but if you’re all there for each other and are a bottle of wine deep, it’s great! I’m not advocating getting sloshed every time you want to talk about masturbation but to fight the initial nervousness it works a treat, then it’s all smooth sailing from there!

"I think number one is to not be afraid. Whatever you want to say, chances are they do too."

We really believe in the power of journaling to blow off steam and provide time and space to reflect. Do you think we can get the same kind of effect from painting/creating art?

For sure. Both are a great way to achieve a meditative state of reflection, which I think is a really important thing to do. Words are such an accessible medium to look back upon, and I always find that whenever I look back on a drawing or a painting I’m reminded of how I was feeling when I made it. I find it super interesting looking back on something I created out of anger with fresh eyes and seeing different parts within it - like even brush strokes where I probably became a bit more calm through painting. It’s really important to find some kind of outlet that stops your mind from fogging with a million negative things because there are so many opportunities and positive things that can fill that space instead.

Buy Nicole’s exclusive print of The Firefighter now!

Good Things Come To Those Who Masturbate

Of course, there are SO many benefits to masturbation; better sleep, stress relief, feel good vibes. These almost instant effects can really boost our lives on a daily basis, hence why we are big advocates of perceiving masturbation as a part of our self-care routine!

But, the benefits go way beyond just the day-to-day impacts. Pleasuring ourselves with a vibrator, solo or partnered, makes for a better sex life overall! Vulva owners that use vibrators are more likely to be sexually satisfied than those that don’t, take their sexual wellbeing more seriously and know their bodies better. So, let’s get talking about it!