Chastity gets new twists with 21st-Century belts

Want to keep a really tight leash on your beloved? Just log on to the Internet and order a modern-day chastity belt.

Call it a backlash to Viagra and HBO's "Sex and the City," but that centuries-old symbol of virtue is making a comeback.

Several manufacturers whose promises of purity are garnering growing attention say the device is not just being bought as some sort of sexual fetish. Vendors say sales are climbing among those in committed, long-term relationships.

Paul Tooker, the owner of Access Denied in Lindenhurst, NY, said most of his sales of men's belts for $440 and women's belts for $375 are to couples who want to demonstrate their fidelity.

He said people have started giving their partners a key to their chastity belt as a sign of devotion, not unlike a wedding ring.

Tooker, who runs the Internet business with his wife, Brigetta Tooker, won't give exact sales figures, but estimates he has sold several hundred chastity belts during the past year, mostly to couples.

During the mid-1990s, the only big manufacturer of chastity belts was Tollyboy Products International, based in England. Tollyboy was founded about 30 years ago by Hal Higginbottom, credited with bringing the chastity belt into the 20th Century.

Higgenbottom designed chastity belts made of rust-free stainless steel and featured a seven-pin radial lock. They are intended for long-term use, and wearers can bathe and comfortably perform normal bodily functions in them.

His version, which is supposed to fit like a second skin, has long dominated the market place.

Today, though, Tollyboy has plenty of competition. A quick check around the Internet turned up at least a dozen companies peddling a wide range of belts.

Besides Access Denied, which sells stainless-steel models, there are companies such as Jamin' Leather of Myrtle Beach, SC, which sells leather and brass chastity belts for men and women.

In Nevada for the past two years, Frank and Doris Miller have been selling a chastity belt so light it's supposed to be undetectable under pants.

Their belt, the CB2000, weighs less than 5 ounces and is made out of plastic. It is guaranteed not to set off security alarms at airports.

Altairboy's Note: This article was published in my local newspaper on May 10, 2001. I was contacted and spoke briefly with the author just prior to publication.

Page last updated 01-May-12 by: Altairboy@aol.com