Amber Rose. Courtesy LELO.
Many would consider Amber Rose the queen of sex positivity, and she’s done a lot to earn that reputation. In 2015, she started the Amber Rose Slutwalk, an annual public march in Los Angeles that calls for the end of rape culture—which has since evolved into a weekend-long women’s conference. And, every week, she chats candidly about sex, love, and relationships on her podcast, Loveline . She never gets squeamish about the stuff typically considered taboo.In February, Rose announced the next step in her sex-positive agenda: her own sex toy line designed in partnership with LELO, the high-end sex toy brand. Although sex toys constitute a more than $15 billion dollar industry, a lot of people still don't talk openly about buying them. According to the press release, Rose's intention is to “embrace the normalcy of sex toys in everyday life.”The line includes four toys for women and two designed for men. “[Masturbation] is the safest sex in the world and I wanted to have a line for everybody,” said Rose. “Each and every kind of person.”In the spirit of opening up about masturbation and bedroom play, Broadly asked Rose for pro tips on self-pleasure and how to overcome the stigma surrounding sex toys.Broadly: Do you consider masturbation a form of self care?Amber Rose: I do! I believe that you get to know yourself and your body. You learn what pleases you. And even if you don’t want to use a sex toy when you’re having sex with your partner, I do believe that using a sex toy when you’re by yourself can help your sexual relationship with your partner. Then you know how to move and understand what you want [your partner] to do for you.How can we overcome the stigma around sex toys?There’s always going to be a stigma. That’s why I speak out about it. There’s nothing like knowing your body and figuring out what you like. As women, we’re always going to get the shitty end of the stick. People will always ask, “Why do you have sex toys?” or “Are you a freak or a hoe?” Take that derogatory bullshit and throw it out the window. At the end of the day, usually for most women, we do not have an orgasm while just getting penetrated. So, to have something else extra to help us out, there is nothing wrong with that and we should not be ashamed of that.Your line includes two sex toys designed for men. Do you think men face stigma around sex toys, too?I wanted to incorporate the male [sex toys] because I don’t want to forget about my boys.…Guys will always say, “Anything that touches my ass is gay.” It’s so ignorant. If you’re in a heterosexual relationship, it’s not gay. And if you’re gay, then that’s awesome. I wanted to have a prostate stimulator in my collection because I just feel like there are so many guys who are missing out on so much pleasure. Now they can try it.How do you introduce a sex toy to a partner who has never used one before?Couples toys are a conversation [because] a lot of guys feel like they’re good enough and you don’t need extra stimulation. They can get a bit insecure about it, but I think that just having a conversation and [telling them] that it’s not them, they’re good enough, and that it’s something you want to try. Bring that to the table and see if it works.Now, how do you recommend choosing the right toy?I would recommend trial and error. But also, I recommend you watch porn and see how girls will masturbate with toys. Now you can be like, “Oh wow, I never thought about doing it like that! I want to try that.” Also, find out what turns you on. Porn can help with that. Then you can go out and find a toy that’s perfect for you.How do you set the mood when you masturbate?Really I just [masturbate] whenever the mood strikes. It’s very random!
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