My name is Stacy, and I’m a nice Jewish girl from Philadelphia who sells luxury sex toys online.
Why would an observant Jewish woman get into the sex toy business? A better question is why wouldn’t she? After all, you’re about as likely to run into a Jew in the adult industry as you are at Bloomingdale’s.
Jews believe that sex is not shameful or obscene. Although sexual desire comes from yetzer hara, the evil inclination or desire, as long as it’s satisfied respectfully between partners everything is kosher. Sex between a husband and wife is even considered a mitzvah, and that’s where my story starts.
One summer Saturday evening almost two years ago, my husband and I took a post-Shabbat walk through Greenwich Village—and stopped in front of a sex shop. Though we’re not exactly kinky, we are each other’s beshert and try to keep our marriage exciting. Curious, we walked inside.
What we saw left us embarrassed and feeling dirty—and not in a good way. Later that night, I went online and searched for a website that offered what we were looking for: an exciting romantic experience. Finding nothing, I decided to create it myself, and a year later My Secret Luxury went live.
We aim to offer a sophisticated and discreet experience for discerning customers who, like me that summer evening, want to spice things up but didn’t necessarily know how. It’s a safe, welcoming place free from judgement—and one that I think falls right in line with Jewish values.
No matter how religious someone may be, they deserve to experience romance, passion, and pleasure. If a scented candle helps heighten the mood, great. If being dominated makes your toes tingle, good for you. If a discreet vibrator makes it easier to reach orgasm, I say baruch hashem. Pleasure is a birthright and everyone deserves to achieve it.
My mother loves to tell her friends about my business (she’s the most popular person in her retirement community) and she’s proud of my entrepreneurial adventure. I’m a mother myself, and I plan to teach my sons the values my husband learned at yeshiva. They’re too young now, but when they’re ready I’ll also tell them about what I do—and use my business as a platform to start an open and mature conversation about sex. I will teach them that sex is reserved for consenting adults, and must be engaged in safely and smartly. But my business will teach them that sex is not some dirty activity; it can be a mitzvah enjoyed by both partners.
I never expected to sell sex toys—I fell into this industry on a Saturday night in Greenwich Village. But I’m not ashamed or embarrassed to be here. I believe there is something noble about inspiring romance, facilitating love, and increasing pleasure.
My job is to make sure people have the tools they need to experience pleasure. Their orgasms should thank me!
(image via MySecretLuxury)
A version of this post originally appeared on Jewrotica.
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