Meet the woman who is 'paid' to test sex toys and says "it's the best job in the world". Jodie Nokes, 27, felt like a "freak" having never orgasmed before starting her role as a full time sex toy tester for Lovehoney.
Now Jodie climaxes whenever she wants but warns women should take breaks from overusing sex toys as "you can have too much of a good thing". Jodie landed the "dream gig" after leaving a review on a 'bullet' vibrator she'd bought from the site and is now 'paid' in sex toys in return for her honest feedback.
Jodie, who is otherwise unemployed, from Walsall, West Midlands, said: "I was fed up of disappointing sex and wanted to try out new things to improve my sex life. I’d had many disappointing encounters with both men and women and wanted to explore my own body and discover what I liked.
“I quickly got through all the bullets and mini vibrators but wanted something more powerful. I got carried away and before I knew it had spent £120 on a wand vibrator. It's like Christmas when a new box arrives I never get over the excitement."
Jodie was sick and tired of her "boring" sex life and took it up on herself to spice things up aged 19 when she bought her first sex toy. Unfulfilled, she found herself browsing Lovehoney and bought three sex toys for £15 - a bullet vibrator, a rocket with an interchangeable head and lubricant.
After her order arrived, she was asked to review her products and once she was done, she was referred to a page to become a sex toy tester. To become a tester, she had to submit at least 10 reviews of different toys.
After posting them she could live her dream of testing toys in exchange for freebies. Jodie - who is currently in a relationship with, Michael, 27, a kitchen porter - said: "I remember buying a miniature vibrator that looked a bit like Darth Vader. It was so cute and quirky and way more powerful than what I expected for such a little thing."
Jodie says it isn't 'one size fits all' when it comes to vibrators, and everyone has their own preferences. Before she knew it, Jodie was writing hundreds of reviews for Lovehoney.
Before ordering her first toy she told her mum, Adele, 51, who is also unemployed, who she was living with at the time, what she was doing.
I said to her: “'Mum, I’ve got some sex toys coming'. You know what mums are like, they’re always asking what you’ve ordered. My mum was very supportive and didn't mind at all."
Jodie said she had a hard time trying to orgasm before giving sex toys a whirl and soon realised what she'd seen in adult films wasn’t real.
“I used to fake it because of what I’d seen in media and on TV - I thought something was wrong with me," she said. She continued on her quest to climax and tried all types of shapes and sizes of sex toys.
Finally, she 'struck gold' when she purchased the wall plug-in magic wand. "I was so happy and cried: 'I’m not a freak,' after climaxing for the first time aged 19," she said.
Soon after she joined the tester programme and a sex toy tester forum where all the testers can discuss their experiences. An employee in the Lovehoney office posts a product to review, and it is up to the testers to respond and say they will test it.
Jodie said: “It felt like Christmas the first time I received a sex toy to test in the post, I was squealing with excitement as I ripped it open. It wasn’t even 9am and I hadn’t even had my first cuppa."
Jodie was nervous writing her first review as she wanted to be completely honest and was worried Lovehoney would want her to only write good things. She uploaded her first review, with good and bad points, and waited apprehensively.
Ecstatic, she saw her review on the website and nothing had been changed. Ever since the sex-positive woman has tested toys and lingerie and has been doing it for nine years now.
The most expensive vibrator she’s ever received was £180 - the doxy wand - and she now is the proud owner of 100 vibrators. Jodie said trialling lingerie for the brand also led her to find inner confidence and self-love.
She won 'model of the month' twice with Lovehoney in October and April of 2016 and was overjoyed.
“I couldn’t believe it, I’d always struggled with my image and had insecurities," she said. “I felt so good in myself. I got into modelling and learned how to shoot all my own pictures and decided to set up an Instagram to help others.
“I did consider setting up an Only Fans account but didn’t like the idea of selling my images.”
Jodie opted to continue sharing her pictures on Instagram for free, hoping to encourage others to love themselves. Her family are completely supportive of her sex-toy obsession.
Her boyfriend, Michael - who she met two years ago on Facebook - certainly has "no complaints". She keeps her toys in her room but has so many they won’t all fit into her cupboard and drawer and overspill into storage boxes.
She warns "you can have too much of a good thing" and ladies should refrain from overusing sex toys. “One week I used them so much it became a bore - everyone should take breaks from time to time," she said.
She added: “Sex toys and lingerie have helped me find my confidence and myself. I used to find dating daunting and wasn’t happy in myself.
“Once I had been on that level of euphoria, I wasn’t so scared to find a new partner. Now I’ve found the one.”
