Sex toys. We all use them. We all love them. Many of us even rely on them fully for reaching orgasm. But they have served a much deeper and more meaningful purpose in modern society than you may know. In fact, at
AdultShopSexToys.com, we would argue that sex toy shops have a place in the annals of feminist history.
No way, right? Vibrators and dildos couldn’t have that much impact on women’s rights. Well, you would be surprised. There are still many people alive who remember the wave of sexual liberation and the years before, when Freud’s theory of “the mature orgasm” still reigned supreme and the sexual satisfaction of women was secondary, maybe even unimportant to their partners.
The truth is that women’s rights to sexual pleasure and body autonomy are just as important as the right to vote, divorce, work or many other cornerstones of feminist theory. Let’s take a quick look through the different ways that sex toys have played a part in women gaining that independence and how it factors into the conversation of feminism today.
The Earliest Dildos Known To Man
No exploration into the history of sex toys would be complete without looking at the first one, or at least the earliest example we have been able to find. In 2005, a
team of German archeologists found a polished stone phallic object that they believe was 28,000 years old. It had a two fold purpose: reshaping flint and creating orgasms. Gotta love our ancestors and their multiple uses for everyday items...very efficient.
Of course, we don’t know for sure that the object was used for women. Plenty of men through time have appreciated a good dildo. But it does show us that sex toys have existed well into the past and possibly longer than the one found in Swabian Jura. We can at assume that some women were using them and it would be fascinating to learn more about the place of sex toys in the ancient world.
In Greece, we get a bit of a clearer picture of how objects were used in sex play for both men and women. A common practice was
to use food, in particular radishes or even sticks of stale bread, for the task. Some were for pleasure only, a disposal method of having a bit of fun. Others were used for punishment, as transgressions like adultery came with its own set of rules and regulations allowed by law. Nothing too shocking when we consider the practices we already know of citizens in those days.
Sex Toys as Medical Devices
Skipping ahead to the years closer to our own, there were many “aides” developed that were specifically for women. You may have heard the term Female Hysteria. During the 19th Century, even the small amount of progressive thought on women having sexual desire had been set backward. Physicians and average people of the day alike believed that women were satisfied only by their partner achieving orgasm and that they were incapable of having one of their own.
We know that isn’t true and women back then, while conditioned to believe that there was something wrong with them if they felt frustrated, knew that it was ridiculous on some level. That led to them seeking out assistance from doctors in droves, complaining of insomnia, anxiety, depression, fatigue, restlessness and even of regular signs of arousal, like “accumulating moisture between the legs”.
The friendly neighborhood doctor had the remedy, however: manual stimulation. They would put the lady in question into stirrups and get to work. The clitoris was the easiest way to alleviate symptoms and for many physicians, they gave more climaxes than MD’s today take blood pressure readings. Only one problem: they were getting so many ladies off that their wrists were starting to suffer!
In come the first doctor-used sex toys of the time. At first they were large machines that used hand cranks, water or steam for the desired effect. Once electricity was a regular part of daily life, those less efficient methods were quickly discarded for compact, hand held vibrators that got the job done quickly. That meant more female patients left happy and more physicians walked away with heavy pockets.
You may be wondering how a sexist belief in Female Hysteria lends itself to feminism. Think of it as the first tentative steps in the West of acknowledging both that women have the ability to achieve orgasm and that there are devices which can be used to do so. Devices that don’t rely on intercourse or penetration at all, instead on being placed on the clitoris. It would be some time before that became common knowledge, so let’s time travel forward again, to…
The 1960’s and Female Liberation
If we are going to talk about how Women’s Lib occurred in regards to sex, we have to start with William Masters and Virginia Johnson. The two controversial figures worked together to create a system for categorizing and analyzing sexual behavior in men and women of different ages and orientations. One of their major accomplishments was bringing to the forefront of modern sexual thought the idea that women could consistently achieve orgasm by stimulating the clitoris, especially with the use of vibrators.
In the wake of this research, a groundbreaking essay written by Anne Koedt was published, “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm”. With that battle cry, the dam was broken. Many prominent men, such as popular editorial writer and essayist Norman Mailer, were not fans of this line of thinking. In “Conversations With Norman Mailer”, Mailer talked about technology like vibrators ruining the sexual revolution by taking it too far. In “The Prisoner of Sex” he claimed that the multiple orgasms women could achieve with sex toys was a threat to masculinity.
This was not uncommon. Men around the world were denouncing women’s ability to have a normal and healthy sexual appetite and sate it on their own, or with one another. They had not seen the possibilities and so missed out on a roaring good time.
Sex Toys Today
We now live in a very different world. Sex toy shops are plentiful and women are encouraged to sate their needs on their own, or with a partner. Couples of every variety purchase and use sex toys of all kinds, not only the vibrator; butt plus, dildoes, strap ons, clitoral suctions, pocket pussies, cock rings, nipple clamps, anal beads, BDSM gear, violet wands...you name it and you can find it in bedrooms across the globe.
Fantasies are no longer taboo. Not to say that women have reached complete equality when it comes to their place in sex. But the walls are falling down, one by one. Sex toys are one part of the equation we can thank as we revel in their use.
So, if you have been thinking of getting a new toy to play with, do it! You aren’t just getting a fun addition to your sexual repertoire, you are striking out against repression and standing up for female liberation. Orgasms for female unity!