Abbie Chatfield wants to change your mind about this taboo sex act

‘More exploration will result in more conversations’

In collaboration with sexual wellness brand Normal, Abbie Chatfield has just launched her latest pleasure-driven product. Here’s why she thinks everyone should tap into this ‘taboo’ curiosity. 

If you’ve opened any major Australian publication, scrolled down any social media platform, or eavesdropped in on the conversations of millennials and Gen Z-ers over the past few years, you’ve no doubt come across Abbie Chatfield and signature air of unapologetic confidence. 

And when it comes to her refreshing outspokenness, there isn’t much that the 29-year-old TV personality considers ‘off limits’. From the state of our country’s politics to the ins and outs of navigating womanhood, Chatfield has long used her enormous platform to advocate for people without a voice, and topics without a spotlight. 

Now, Chatfield and the team at sexual wellness brand Normal want Australians to talk openly and shamelessly about the intricacies of anal pleasure, inspiring untapped curiosity and education with the launch of their new modular kit Option A.

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The carefully curated kit– featuring a small plug, medium plug, vibrating bullet and remote– has been designed to offer seasoned players and newbies alike a choose-your-own-adventure experience, with dozens of combinations, techniques and positions encapsulated in one collection. 

Chatfield is no stranger to spicy product collaborations, having released her signature G-spot vibrator with Vush in 2021. But unlike the last time she launched a sex toy to market, the 29-year-old says she’s been taken aback by the difference in the public’s reception.  

“We didn't realise how taboo it really was. We were all in echo chambers,” says Chatfield, speaking on behalf of Normal’s co-founders, certified sex coach Georgia Grace and sex-toy mogul Lucy Wark. 

“I didn't realise it would be so many people tagging their friends in posts, jokingly being like, ‘Oh, this one’s for you mate’, like the home of implied homophobia,” she adds. “People have been using butt plugs for so long, like open history book chook.”

Despite some publish backlash, Chatfield and the team have been positively shocked by the sheer success of the product- and it’s only been one week. According to ‘sex-stat nerd’ Wark, Option A has been the brand’s best-performing launch to date, seeing traffic to the site jump 2000 per cent.

Normal, Option A, $220 from itsnormal.com

Normal's Option A modular butt plug kit.

Shop here

Lifting the lid on anal taboo

The new-age media magnate is hopeful the hushed tone and abashment towards anal play discourse will follow a similar trajectory to another once-taboo sex act– female masturbation. 

“People are talking about it in their inner circles or with good close friends, but they're not really out and proud about it,” she says. “We felt like anal was an untapped resource of pleasure.”

As Chatfield explains, sexuality– at least our contemporary framing of it– is so closely intertwined with patriarchy, the oppression of women and discrimination against queer people, particularly when it comes to associating anal play with shame. 

“I think that a lot of women that are in cis-hetero relationships have this pressure or almost punch line of ‘Oh I'm going to let my boyfriend f*ck my ass for his birthday like it’s a reward or a joke,” she says.  

In essence, Chatfield and the team at Normal want this kit to help reinforce the notion that all forms of sexual pleasure should be enjoyed without shame, “[Anal] pleasure is seen a bad thing, which is such an oxymoron,” she says. “But accepting that pleasure and orgasms are good, and exploring yourself and your body is really important.”

“The more individuals explore these conversations, the more that we talk about it publicly– and we have education-based information for people– I think that the people enjoying other parts of sexuality will in turn remove taboo,” Chatfield says.

“It's just pleasure, there's not any shame around it.”

Abbie’s hot tips for first-timers

While anal play or penetration can often be a little daunting to those that haven’t explored it before, the Option A modular kit has been specifically curated to bridge the gap between curiosity and experience. “I think this is the best starter kit to masturbate because the whole design has been very intentional,” Chatfield says. 

While she is excited for people to ‘go crazy’ with the kit, exploring the different sensations, combinations and positions, she wants to make it clear unintentional pain shouldn’t be ignored or endured when using these toys. 

To avoid any discomfort for first-time users, Chatfield has a few pointers, “Tip one, is do it alone if you can, and obviously tip two is lube, like endless amounts of lube,” she says. “And tip three is to take your time.”

Chatfield also recommends users stimulate themselves in multiple ways when using the butt plugs, such as nipple play, clitoral stimulation or penis masturbation, “For me personally, [anal play] like an amplifier. It's not like the full show.”

Tip and tricks aside, Chatfield urges people to remain open (no pun intended) to the possibility of deriving pleasure from anal play, “Keep playing around, get lots of lube, keep doing other play, and then you'll get there eventually if that's what you desire.”

Want to explore more buzzy toys? Here’s our list of the best anal vibrators to try now. 

Originally published as Abbie Chatfield wants to change your mind about this taboo sex act