This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Arizona chapter.
- During the Victorian era, doctors believed that women suffered from hysteria. It was believed that women were emotionally unstable. To treat the problem doctors performed endless “pelvic massages” that elicited an orgasm. Today these pelvic massages have came to be known as masturbation. With the creation of the vibrator doctors could rest their hands for a while.
- Around 1880, Dr. Joseph Mortimer Granville is credited with the first electromechanical vibrator. In 1902, the American company Hamilton Beach patented the first electric vibrator available for sale. The vibrator came about a decade before the vacuum cleanerand electric iron, according to Wikipedia.
- The possession and sale of vibrators is illegal in some areas, including states in the south and countries like India, although it is sold online. The state of Alabama prohibits the selling of sex toys, which includes vibrators. This law is part of an Anti-Obscenity Enforcement Act that was upheld in September of 2009, according to a Huffington Post article titled “Alabama’s Bad Vibrations.”
- It is not a myth that only 30% of women achieve orgasm through intercourse. For many women the position and stimulation of the clitoris, during sexual intercourse is not ideal for an orgasm. Some believe most women will not climax by intercourse alone and that a toy could up the sexual repertoire.
- There will always be more risks associated with sex than the use of sex toys or vibrators no matter how unique or intimidating they may look. There is no evidence whatsoever that sex toys can damage or harm your sexual sensitivity or genitalia.Â