The Educator Holiday Gift Guide 2017/2018 series is a weekly series of posts from Lotus Blooms educators. It covers OUR holiday season, which runs through Valentine’s Day!
While the rainbow pride flag was created for commemoration and celebration of all things LGBTQ, we love the meaning behind the individual stripes. It’s with these messages that we present to you our final staff gift recommendation guide, as chosen by our fearless leader, store manager and education coordinator Teal Dye.
Liberator Standard Wedge ($99).
We start with the Liberator Standard Wedge in Red for the red stripe representing life. Why? Because as Teal puts it, the Wedge “is life changing”. We’re serious! Liberator’s sex support products help you find and sustain the positions that are best for your body’s unique needs, making them comfortable and even possible. The Wedge is sensational for elevating hips, making it so much easier to hit those pleasure spots during sex all while reducing pain and pressure on tired joints. Best yet? With a waterproof cover that is machine washable, using the Wedge means that no more arguing on who sleeps on “the wet spot”! Get the Wedge, its longer cousin the Ramp, or get both, all available in Red, Black, or Blue!
New Bottoming Book by Janet W. Hardy and Dossie Easton ($14.95).
The orange stripe symbolizes healing, and honestly, what’s more healing than fun, pleasurable sex? Many people experience a deeply healing element to kink play, whether you find it cathartic or just enjoy the idea of stepping out from your norm and embracing the full range of your desires. The Bottoming Book has been a classic, very queer-centric introduction to kink for almost 20 years and this version was updated in 2011 to meet the needs of the modern scene. To get the full benefit of pleasurable sex with our bright orange New Bottoming Book, may we also recommend the bright green New Topping Book to pair with it?
Aurora Corset ($145).
One of our oldest and most beloved corset designs, the Aurora is bound to to make you beam in celebration of the yellow stripe, symbolizing sunshine. Teal loves this corset because the lace overlay design walks the line between lingerie and outerwear so elegantly. This design is particularly perfect for those with smaller chests wanting to show off curves and feel confident. While the Gold fits the color spot in this list, you can also get the Aurora in Blue, Purple, or White.
Good Clean Love Almost Naked Personal Lubricant ($10.95-18.95).
Ah, the green stripe, celebrating nature! Teal’s body-safe educator’s heart cannot resist the allure of a great natural lube. Boasting an organic, aloe-based formula, Good Clean Love is a staff, blogger, and customer favorite! Good Clean Love is fantastic for practically any play and any toy material. Naturally irresistable!
Forget Me Not Floral Lace Babydoll ($75.00).
One of our newest lingerie pieces has quickly become a fan favorite. Blue represents harmony, and as Teal notes, this babydoll perfectly balances classic lingerie styling and modern touches. Forget Me Not is soft and stretchy, with lace trim and strappy accents that work in harmony with many body types. Playful and sexy, we love this blue!
Je Joue Mio ($109).
Rich, deep purple connotes spirit. Well, Teal’s spirited choice is the Je Joue Mio in Purple. Devilishly rumbly and heavenly in its stretchiness, Mio adds hands-free vibration to sex play. Teal adds that the type of vibration paired with the flexibility is perfect for people who don’t like intense vibration. The Je Joue Mio also comes in Black, in case that awakens your spirit.
For a nod to our Philly family, who earlier this year added brown and black to their Pride flag (for racial inclusivity), we’re adding the Harley Corset ($189) available in Black Leather as well as Brown Leather (currently only available in stores). With lacing over the hips and a slightly straighter cut up top, this popular and versatile corset molds itself to many body shapes, including more pear-shaped larger bodies. Pleasure and pride for every body!
Teal’s been doing sex education for several years — even before she made it formal with a sex education degree. She told me that her favorite thing about this work is giving people that lightbulb experience, that “Ah ha!” moment where you finally figure out why your body does this or that there is a product to help you do that. Every day, we help make new things possible for so many people and we get to be excited with them.
Teal chose this particular collection because they are all beginner-friendly, intro products; timeless shapes that fit many bodies and allow for exploration and expression of sexual freedom and joy.
In short, we love offering you life, healing, sunshine, nature, balance, and spirit every day. We hope this blog series has helped you embrace and enjoy your celebration of gift-giving. Please stay tuned for even more exciting things to come from our store and blog!
Check out Lauren’s, Hancie’s, Alyssa’s, Diva’s, Justyn’s, and Mindi’s gift guides for more gift ideas and product recommendations!
