Dear Sasha: My gal's birthday is coming up and I'm interested in buying her a glass dildo. We've been checking them out here and there, and she's expressed great interest, both practical and aesthetic. I went online to do a little research and found one reputable site linked to a store in Vancouver that refuses to carry them because of safety issues (possible shards of glass in vagina). I would like your thoughts on this matter before I make this purchase, as I don't want to be remembered as the girl who wrecked someone's cunt. » Mata Hairy
Dear Mata,
There is no doubt that Womyn's Ware, the site to which you're referring, is a sleepless watchdog of women's health and sex product information. But sometimes when one of your mandates is to provide accurate health and product information with prevailing models of corporate greed all around, you can be excused if you get a bit alarmist here and there, obsessively uncovering every negative repercussion, no matter how remote.
Rest assured that everyone who tries to distribute accurate and helpful information means well, but over at Come As You Are (www.comeasyouare.com), they're a little more relaxed about carrying glass dildos. They feel that dropping them on the floor and smashing them against walls without chipping or shattering are good enough testaments to their durability. Naturally, it's best not to fling your glass dildo around, and if you ever do chip or crack it you've got a nice piece of art on your hands, and do take care that the manufacturer is reputable. Come As You Are buys their glass dildos from an independent glass blower in Seattle named Levi Belber, who does each piece by hand.
As the owner of a glass dildo, I followed the same safety rule I do with most purchases: if it's drop-dead gorgeous, who cares if it's bad for your health? It was simply too beautiful, with its ribbon of iridescent glitter throughout, not to buy, and, after all, I had to bring something home from Provincetown that wasn't emblazoned with a fucking rainbow. All flipness aside, it has been used without crisis so far, and appreciated for its ability to maintain slickness and heat.
Dear Sasha: I know you like to respond to the most interesting letters you receive and continue challenging yourself and the rest of us. But come on! Cum in a glass ["Cup o' cum," Feb. 10]? You seem to be taking far more of the most-likely crank letters a bit too seriously. I mean, it's possible, but giving that much space to these readers is a bit much. A couple of weeks ago the issue that you responded to was so off the wall and likely made up that I can't even remember it now. » Thoth
Dear Thoth,
Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of assuming letters are false, and the one time I publicly did - you may recall the anal clit debacle ["Anal Clit," Nov. 22, 2001] - I was buttonholed by the very angry and hurt owner of the AC at a bar for what seemed like an eternity.
This does bring up an issue that I know people are interested in because it's the second most popular question people ask me in person and interviews: how do I know letters are false? I don't, and frankly, I don't care. For every person who thinks it's a lark to make up a bizarre fetish and pull the wool over old Sasha's eyes, there are 10 people who genuinely need that information.
To feeder of the offending letter, here's some helpful input from another reader named Sukeban: "Sasha, obviously you are not a cum eater, and since you're not a man, you are not the best person to answer your reader. This is what you should have told him: To increase your load don't drink alcohol three days in advance before your pop shot, take vitamin B, C and zinc each day. Seaweed soup is also really good to eat. About freezing your load, simply use an ice cube tray and cover it with some plastic each time you add another shot."
Yep, still makes me want to vomit, but please let me know if it actually helps.
Got any questions for Sasha? Write her at
465 McGill Street, 3rd floor, Montreal, Quebec, H2Y 4B4
Fax: 393-3173
e-mail: pouledeluxe@yahoo.com
