It’s only human to want to believe what we do is becoming more mainstream. People who are just starting out with male chastity often seek validation by searching for signs that this practice is “normal”. My interest dates back to the late 1990’s when I read an article on chastity devices. There were a few websites that offered information and stories about male chastity. Several companies, usually a single person, offered chastity devices and belts. I contacted a number of them and learned that no one was making a living building these devices. Clearly, a small number of men were pursuing chastity play. Based on the stuff I could find on the Web, the vast majority of people writing about their experiences or publishing chastity fiction were unattached males who had no keyholders.
Devices tended to be expensive; averaging over $500. That price tag ruled out all but the most dedicated men. I think that the growth of the Web and search engines are responsible for growth in forced male chastity. Back in the day, there were very limited choices at any price. All devices were custom made. More interesting, virtually all of the device makers started out building a device that they could wear. Having done that, they sometimes decided to try to sell them to others. Since it is very cheap and easy to get a web site going, they would then build a site and wait for customers.
There were always off-the-shelf chastity devices. These tended to be leather belts with pouches that lock on. Obviously, they couldn’t be worn for more than a few hours at a time. There were also things like stallion guards that allowed chastity play, but not serious orgasm or erection prevention. A.L. Enterprises started out building the CB2000 by hand. It is a acrylic device that he made out of lucite tubing and rod. Unlike other devices, it came with a set of base rings and spacers that allowed this off-the-shelf device to be customized by the purchaser for a good fit. It wasn’t very secure, but it did allow men to try forced chastity for less than $200. Sales were very good and soon he could afford an injection mold that allowed for larger scale production. The CB series of devices cropped up in adult stores and in retail sex toy catalogs. Popular chastity was born.
The CB devices are still sold and are often the starter chastity device for many men. A.L. Enterprises claims it has 70% of the chastity device market. I don’t think there is a way to measure market share since there are no statistics captured on male chastity device sales from all sources. Be that as it may, The CB devices allowed couples to try chastity play. Without a doubt, most of the people trying it gave up and put the device in a drawer after a short time. Long term forced male chastity requires a commitment on the part of the male and, if he has one, his keyholder, that most people don’t want to make.
Those of us who do make that commitment and decide that the device should be worn full time, soon learn that the off-the-shelf devices don’t offer the level of comfort, ease of keeping clean, and security we want. We turn to custom chastity device makers to create something designed for our exact measurements. These devices are more expensive, but offer something we can wear 24/7 for life. Deciding which device to buy and what your measurements really are is a difficult problem. Many of us, including me, needed to have the device adjusted after wearing it for a while. Once it is right, wearing it is effortless.
Just by thinking about the steps I have followed to get to over six months in a cage suggests that only a tiny fraction of the people who try this will stay with it. Some, I am sure, end up playing with chastity over a weekend every so often. But how many of us are there?
Based on my analysis of web traffic and forums/blogs, I would guess that at any given time there are less than 5,000 active 24/7 caged males. This means we are a rare, if not endangered species. We represent a small subset of people into kinky play. One of the big reasons I wanted to start this blog is that because we are so rare, there is little opportunity to determine if what you read is useful, factual material, or the fantasies of a lonely male.
We are so rare, in fact, that mainstream people are largely completely unaware that our kink even exists. You see all sort of “whips and chain” jokes on sitcoms, and see similar material on swinging, but no one, not even the Tea Party has noticed we exist.
Since male chastity requires a lot of communication and growth on the part of both male and keyholder, those of us who practice it, need information and two-way communication to help us learn and sustain our interest. I, for one, really value your participation here. Every post Mrs. Lion or I writes and every comment or reply you provide helps all of us build a safe and useful body of knowledge for everyone practicing or thinking about male chastity. Thank you.
