Good vibrations

A card about leash and collar (right) a card that describes the uses of handcuffs

When the time came for graphic design student Shirin Thakoor to pick a topic for a college assignment, their (Thakoor's preferred pronoun) first instinct was to opt for sex toys. Thakoor, who hails from Mumbai, is the creator of House of Pleasure, a set of 20 stackable cards depicting different sex toys and their uses. "It's such an under-addressed topic and I believe that the cards can help people out.

Shirin Thakoor

Initially, I was going to stick to the basics like dildos and vibrators, but those aren't the only toys out there. I also wanted people to know that they don't necessarily have to buy toys to elevate their sexual experiences; simple things like ice and candles are also options," they explain.

The pack contains 20 vibrant cards that are designed to be stackable and interactive. The front of each card accommodates the illustration of a toy, with the relevant information on it on the back. Blindfolds, handcuffs, leashes and wands are some of the toys depicted. The terminology used is gender-neutral and queer-friendly, to be as inclusive as possible. "Millennials and the Gen Z demographic are finally having conversations online about sexuality and art, but I've noticed that sex toys are pretty much still undiscovered. Information on the Internet is vast and often unstructured, so I wanted to create something structured for people to understand what might suit them," the 23-year-old adds.

Thakoor believes that the inclusion of toys is important within queer communities and relationships, and also hopes that therapists and sex educators are able to use these cards during sessions as visual aids to help people understand the methods better. A new version of the stack with more toys and details of where to buy them from is already in the works.

Log on to: @paw_printed_socks on Instagram
Cost: Rs 5,000