Sex tech just got a lot more social. The increasingly popular teledildonics trend is linking couples around the world with haptic sex toys that put a new spin on Skype dates for the monogamous. Taking a cue from Tinder, Montreal-based sex toy designer Véronique Verreault of Miss VV's Mystery is turning remote pleasure into an anonymously kinky online romp.
Designed to help women locate and tone their pelvic muscles, Miss On the Go features a mobile app and is the debut sex toy from Miss VV’s Mystery — a pleasure products company based in Montreal, Quebec. Miss On the Go retails for $169 on the company’s official website, MissVVsMystery.com, which is available in English or French.
On top of creating a top-quality product, the most important thing for me is the message I vehicle: Confidence is sexy.
Kegel exercisers and smart phone apps have been coupled up for years. Quirky games and technique tips help to keep consumers on track with their daily routine. Companies like Pico Bong have even added music and animation to their apps and corresponding kegel-ciser vibrators.
Verreault spent copious hours researching kegel products in the sex toy industry and was determined to create something that spoke to both women's health issues and sexual desire.
“I had been doing kegels for many years, wearing the exercise balls many times a week and I loved it,” Verreault said. “I did a lot of research in books and online, with sexologists, and a focus group to understand consumer behavior in terms of sexuality.”
Verreault realized that the kegel niche needed a new incentive.
“One day, I was sexting with my kegel balls and I said that's it,” she said.
The missing link was the aspect of fantasy, and one that brought all people — not just couples — together through their desires.
“During my research, I discovered that the stranger fantasy was among the top three sexual fantasies for women,” says Verreault. “So I made my own social network.”
Miss On The Go puts women in the driver's seat, allowing them to use the toy alone with a pleasure-focused exercise program, or with a significant other or new partner as a teledildonic sex toy. The social network is set up much like a dating website, where women can scroll through fellow users and choose partners based on how enticingly they write their personal descriptions.
Those that want to zero-in on their boyfriend, husband, or online-friend-with-benefits can use the search option to grab a specific screen name.
“For couples or women who know their partner,” Verreault says, “you go on the app, type your boyfriend's online pseudonym, and he gets a notification to play. Once you are connected, he can control the vibration of your Miss On the Go and both of you can exchange pictures and texts.”
For the more adventurous, the Mystery Game option brings a bit of Tinder-esque play into the mix.
“A woman can go on the social media app and browse profiles with preferences for age, gender, and location,” says Verreault. “The profile remains anonymous for everyone because people feel more willing to explore their sexuality, especially women, if their face is hidden.”
Men can learn to level up their sexual haptic skills with each round, which concludes with a summary of their vibe expertise (or lack thereof).
“I added a pleasure bar to reveal her level of satisfaction,” says Verreault. “ At the end of the game, the woman can indicate the level of pleasure on the app.”
A sex toy experience of such eyebrow-raising proportions brought unique challenges that Verreault tackled with fervor throughout her three-year development process.
“On each social media profile, we can see the number of players the users have been playing with,” Verreault said. “This was a request from my focus group, as some women wanted to make sure their husband was not playing with other women.”
Often criticism arrived with the exact lack of personal confidence that Verreault says she hopes her product will fight to eliminate.
“Lots of people have that tendency to think that a product like mine will encourage cheating,” Verreault says, “but if you don’t trust your man, why are you with him?”
Verreault won over most skeptics with her focus on “consensuality,” as she cleverly calls the concept.
“The woman decides when and who she wants to play with. She will send an invitation to her chosen partner, who then accepts or refuses her,” says Verreault. “Sexologists go crazy (in a good way) when I explain that aspect. I want the woman to feel comfortable, happy and not stressed about the process.”
The choices that personalize Miss On The Go are more than play options; they're windows to sexual desires that guide women to fearlessly seek what they want.
“On top of creating a top-quality product, the most important thing for me is the message I vehicle: Confidence is sexy,” says Verreault. “The app lets you choose what you want. You want to play alone? Great! You want to play with someone? Great! As long as you're good with your decision and confident about your choices, you're good to go!”
Miss VV’s Mystery will be exhibiting its Miss On the Go vibrator and Kegel exerciser at Sex Expo New York 2017, to be held Sept. 23-24 at the Brooklyn Expo Center.
