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The Fleshlight is a male sex toy, designed to emulate the sensation of various sexual acts for masturbation purposes.
The fleshlight gains its name from the flesh-like material used in its design, and from the plastic case that looks like a flashlight. Several inserts, including vagina, mouth, and anus-shaped holes, can be chosen from.
The Fleshlight was designed by a former police officer who was looking for a means to overcome a period of forced abstinence while his wife was pregnant. It was granted a patent in 1998 as a "device for discreet sperm collection".
In a humorous 2002 essay describing a Fleshlight "test drive", on-line sex journal Nerve.com called it the "ultimate faux vagina". The Nerve.com reviewer noted problems with lubricant leakage, but admitted that "this thing feels like getting a blow job — only no teeth."
In her 2004 book, The Many Joys of Sex Toys, Anne Semans included a guide to the usage of the Fleshlight. She suggests a number of variations including clamping the Fleshlight to a desk in order to free the hands, or adding extra stimulation by simultaneously using a butt plug, cock ring or nipple clamps. According to Semans, "it takes a few sessions with the Fleshlight to appreciate it".
Other writers have pointed to shortcomings with the product. In their Sex Toy book, writers Em & Lo include an entry for Fleshlight but indicate that some may find the casing "heavy, unwieldy and too wide", noting that "you can't squeeze the casing to increase the pressure around your dick".
An interactive version of the Fleshlight that can be remotely transmitted via the Internet was launched in 2004. The device claims to work by converting thrust force and speed into vibration and pulse on the receiving end. In its review entitled "Ins and Outs of Teledildonics", Wired News wrote that "the Interactive Fleshlight is where it's at...a man can be thrusting in Cleveland while a woman is penetrated in Seattle, and the cybersex experience gets one step closer to the holodeck."
References
- Bussel, Rachel Kramer (September 21, 2006). "Boys' Toys". The Village Voice.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "General FAQ". Official Fleshlight Website. Fleshlight.com.
- Semans, Anne (2004). The Many Joys of Sex Toys: The Ultimate How-to Handbook for Couples and Singles. Broadway Books. pp. 62–4.
- U.S. patent 5,782,818 and U.S. patent 5,807,360
- Maynard, Joe (1999). "My date with the Fleshlight". Nerve.com.
- Semans (2004), p.63-64
- Em & Lo (2006). Em & Lo's Sex Toy: An A-Z Guide to Bedside Accessories. Chronicle Books. p. 84.
- Lynn, Regina (September 24, 2004). "Ins and Outs of Teledildonics". Wired News.