The History Of Motorized Sex Toys

Believe it or not, human beings have been making sex toys since the Stone Age. Dildos, Ben Wa balls, and various other devices to aid in sexual pleasure have a surprisingly long (and quite interesting) history that we could discuss for days. However, out of all of the different sex toys that have ever been created, one in particular stands out for having a most unique and "hysterical" backstory: the vibrator. In today’s post, I will not only share the origin of motorized sex toys, but I will also take you on a tour of some of the latest “pocket rockets” courtesy of the online adult superstore Adam & Eve.

In the modern world, vibrators are a sex and masturbation aide utilized by both men and women alike. However, the world’s first vibrator was actually designed as a therapeutic device for doctors to use on their female patients who were diagnosed with hysteria, a medical condition that has long since been debunked. At one point in time, hysteria was among the most common medical disorders diagnosed in women and included a wide range of symptoms from nervousness and insomnia, to loss of appetite for sex with one's husband, to a “tendency to cause trouble for others.”¹ Looking back on it, the symptoms were actually so broad and so general that almost any woman with any medical complaint could be diagnosed as hysterical. Although hysteria was originally thought to be the result of a woman’s uterus “wandering” throughout her body and causing problems, later physicians viewed the disorder as a consequence of inadequate or insufficient sex.

For centuries, the primary treatment for hysteria was a “pelvic massage” that culminated in “hysterical paroxysm” (i.e., orgasm).¹ Massages of this nature were usually performed by doctors, who made a hefty profit practicing this “therapy,” given that hysteria was so prevalent and, of course, required multiple treatments. In reality, all these doctors were actually doing was giving women the orgasms that their husbands didn’t (or couldn't) and taking the husbands’ money for the privilege of doing so!

The only problem for doctors was that these treatments became rather tedious because it can take some women a long time to reach orgasm (even with effective stimulation, it can take an average woman up to 20 minutes) and the doctors were doing it all by hand. The first vibrator was thus invented as a way of cutting down on the length of office visits, thereby allowing doctors to “treat” more patients.

However, as electricity started making its way into people’s homes, the consumer market for vibrators grew rapidly. Not only could a personal vibrator save a lot of money on trips to the doctor’s office, but it could also be utilized within the privacy of one’s own home day or night. The demand for vibrators was actually so strong that motorized sex toys became just the fifth electric device approved for home use after the sewing machine, fan, teakettle, and toaster.¹ Vibrators thus made their way into homes long before vacuum cleaners, electric irons, and television sets.

On a side, note, those early vibrators looked a little frightening if you ask me. Here are a couple of photos I took of some late 19^th and early 20^th century vibrators I saw on display at a sex museum…

I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time imagining anyone wanting to voluntarily put those devices anywhere near their genitals! Fortunately, times have changed and sexual technology has advanced considerably. For one thing, modern vibrators are now battery operated (or solar powered, for the environmentally conscious) and many are waterproof, so there’s far less risk of electrocution. But beyond that, there are now vibrators available to serve many different sexual purposes, with some designed for women, and some for men. Certain vibrators are optimized for stimulation of the clitoris, others for the G-spot, and yet others for the anus. Some vibrators are lifelike, others are pointy and ribbed, and some look kind of like probes taken from an alien spaceship. And, of course, vibrators now come in all different sizes, shapes, and colors. Check out some of the more interesting designs over in Adam & Eve’s vibrator department. If there’s a specific feature you’re looking for, I’m quite sure that you won’t be disappointed.  

As you can see, the history and evolution of vibrators is a fascinating subject. If you want to know more about this topic, I recommend checking out The Technology of Orgasm. It’s one of my personal favorites and makes for a great summer read!

Want to learn more about The Psychology of Human Sexuality? Click here for a complete list of articles or like the Facebook page to get articles delivered to your newsfeed.

¹Maines, R. P. (1998). The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria", the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Image Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2006-09/10/content_685362.htm

Comments

[Charlie]

You might be interested in the Antique Vibrator Museum. It showcases a century of vibrators, from a hand-cranked one to a pneumatic vibrator, all the way to the modern era. The history of these gadgets is pretty fascinating!