EVER WANTED TO KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE VIBRATOR?


The first mechanical vibrator was invented in the 1880's by a British
physician as a way to more quickly and effectively perform a "therapeutic
massage." Starting in the first century A.D., doctors manually massaged
women to orgasm in hopes of purging them of a mysterious illness. The
vibrator was invented as a way to get the job done more quickly'therefore
allowing the doctor time to see more patients.
What, you must ask, were esteemed physicians doing with their vibrators?
They were treating hysteria, the most common health complaint among women
of the day. While the existence of hysteria as a disease was debunked in
the 1950ıs, medical experts from the time of Hippocrates up to the 20th
century believed that hysteria expressed the wombıs revolt against sexual
deprivation. A woman's display of mental or emotional distress was a clear
indication of her need for sexual release. Genital massage was a standard
treatment for hysteria; its objective was to induce "hysterical paroxysm"
(better known as orgasm) in the patient. Obviously such treatment demanded
both manual dexterity and a fair amount of time, so turn of the century
physicians were delighted with the efficiency, convenience and reliability
of portable vibrators.
Today, vibrators are status implements for most young educated women who
consider themselves wise in the ways of the world. Vibes are just a part of
the urban landscape, and a good boyfriend is one who sensitively buys you
one for Valentine's Day. The vibrator is quite possibly the most potent
symbol there is of womenıs sexual agency. The possession of a vibrator
tells the world (or at least yourself!) that not only are you comfortable
with your own peculiarly female sexuality, but that you are able to give
yourself sexual satisfaction'that you arenıt waiting for a man to decide to
send you into paroxysms of ecstasy.