Those of us who work behind the scenes at Babeland come from a variety of backgrounds.  Some of us first came to sex education from an academic perspective; some of us had a robust retail background, and filled out our sexy knowledge after becoming Babelanders.  And some of us fell in love with Babeland as teenagers, waiting and waiting for the day when we might finally be able to change the world, one sex toy at a time.  Steph is one of those folks, and we're glad she held onto that Babeland-love until she could finally grace us with her skills, knowledge, infinite patience, and laugh-out-loud humor.  Meet Steph, one of this month's Staff Pick-ers, and get to know more about her here!

Abby: Tell us the story of how you started working here.

Steph: I have loved Babeland since I was about seventeen years old [see above] living with my parents, and ordering from the mail catalog.  As is true for a lot of people, it meant a good deal to me as far as my own sexual empowerment and as a beacon of sex-positivity.  In Spring 2008, as I was finishing up school in Westchester, I told my boyfriend that Babeland would be my ideal place to work.  In a pretty fantastic turn of events, he saw a Babeland job posting on Craigslist a few days later.  I sent in my information that day, and took a train into Manhattan for the interview that week.  The moment I was told I got the job was one of my sweetest so far.

Abby: Aww!  I love hearing that.  Tell us more about what you were doing before Babeland, in terms of work, sex ed, etc.

Steph: At SUNY Purchase, where I went to school, I worked at the Alternative Gynecological Clinic that saw students when Health Services was closed for the day.  Before that, I helped teach babies to swim, temped in an office, sold containers at The Container Store, and worked at 7 Eleven when the Simpsons Movie came out (and have an adhesive donut to remember it by).

Abby: Delightful.  Well, now that you've landed here, tell us about a typical day for you at Babeland.

Steph: My day consists of coming in, basking in the space, picking toys up and arranging them (like the thicket of dildos in the back of the store) and, for fear of sounding overly sentimental, helping other people see the beauty, and with that, validating their desires.  I've always known that my experiences at the Alternative Clinic help me talk to people about sex, but I didn’t realize until lately that studying Art History has informed my experience too.  Sex educators are educators, consultative sales people, docents explaining the purpose of the beautiful objects we sell, and artists.  I understand why people linger so long at Babeland, because before I worked here I remember passing my fingers over the soft packs and the firm lines of the Feeldoes, and thinking about how cool it must be to work with those things on a regular basis.

Abby: And is your family supportive of  your work here?

Steph: My parents were surprised when I started here, but supportive.  My grandma has probably embraced it most.  She and my mom came in once on a quest for vibrating ducks.

Abby: Well, who can resist a vibrating duck?  Okay, now tell us about your favorite/most life-changing moment at work so far.

Steph: I’m going to get sentimental again and say that every moment with my coworkers is life-changing.  They have taught me so much about the power of language and how it shapes an environment.

Abby: I can relate to that for sure.  What's something you've learned about yourself through working at Babeland?

Steph: I’ve learned that I am deeply afraid of cornstarch (we use it to velvet the Vixskin dildos.)

Abby: I like the idea of using "velvet" as a verb.  And what's something you've learned about sex?

Steph: I've learned that the spectrum of what constitutes sex is wonderful and limitless.

Abby: Indeed.  And finally, what's your favorite word for genitals?

Steph: Missy Elliot turned me on to "chocha."g to get sentimental again and say that every moment with my coworkers is life-changing.  They have taught me so much about the power of language and how it shapes an environment.

Abby: I can relate to that for sure.  What's something you've learned about yourself through working at Babeland?

Steph: I’ve learned that I am deeply afraid of cornstarch (we use it to velvet the Vixskin dildos.)

Abby: I like the idea of using "velvet" as a verb.  And what's something you've learned about sex?

Steph: I've learned that the spectrum of what constitutes sex is wonderful and limitless.

Abby: Indeed.  And finally, what's your favorite word for genitals?

Steph: Missy Elliot turned me on to "chocha."