| Sex Toys |
Many people assume that sex toys are Asian inventions. While it
is true, Asians have used sexual aides for more than 1,000 years and Ben-Wa
balls are clearly Asian, dildos and vibrators have surprisingly Western roots.
Historians don't know who invented the dildo, but its
popularity is due to the ancient Greek port city, Miletus. Miletan traders sold
olisbos around the Mediterranean. Today's dildos are often enjoyed by couples,
but in ancient Greece, they were sexual refuges for lonely ladies. In
Renaissance Italy, olisbo became "dildo" probably from the Italian word
"diletto", to delight. But compared with today's lifelike models, early dildos
were hardly delightful. Made of wood or leather, they required liberal
lubrication of olive oil for comfortable use. Modern rubber dildos did not
appear until the mid-19th century.
Dildos have always had a
frankly sexual purpose, but vibrators are another story. For most of
their history, they have been camouflaged, their sexual purpose hidden behind
"massage therapy." The first vibrators were developed 130 years ago to treat an
illness called "female hysteria." Hysteria, from the Greek for "suffering
uterus," involved anxiety, irritability, sexual fantasies, "pelvic heaviness"
and "excessive" vaginal lubrication -- in other words, sexual arousal during the
Victorian era, when women were not considered sexual beings. Physicians treated
hysteria by massaging their patients' clitoris until they experienced relief
through "paroxysm" (orgasm). During the 1860s, health spas offered higher-tech
alternatives to manual therapy, water jets and steam-powered vibrating devices.
The first electric vibrators appeared in the late 19th
century, still camouflaged as therapy for hysteria and sold only to
doctors. But as the years passed, magazine advertisements began offering
vibrators to women for self-treatment of hysteria at home. In 1918, Sears
Roebuck touted one vibrator as a "very satisfactory...aid every woman
appreciates." And an advertisement in a 1921 issue of "Heart's" magazine urged
men to buy the devices for their wives to keep them "young and pretty" and free
from the scourge of hysteria.
But during the 1920s, early "blue"
movies showed women using the devices for sexual stimulation. Early
pornography stripped vibrators of their social camouflage and by 1930, they were
no longer openly advertised. Today, of course, vibrators are popular sexual
aides sold for sexual purposes. But many outlets continue to camouflage them as
"massagers." One large catalog says its dual-speed massager is "perfect for
those hard-to-reach places."
True...and a few places within easy
reach as well.
Types of sex toys
Anal beads consist of a string of beads which is inserted
into the anus and then slowly pulled out to provide a very satisfying
stimulation, often at the moment of orgasm, in order to enhance the strength of
the orgasm in both men and women.
Butt plugs are devices that are inserted in the anus,
typically to stimulate the prostate gland for pleasure. They should have a flared end to
prevent the device from being lost inside the body.
An electrode is used in erotic electrostimulation to apply electricity to various
parts of the body for sexual gratification. A stainless steel urethral sound may be used as such an electrode when
connected to electrostimulation equipment.
G Spot sex toys are dildos or vibrators that are designed, usually with a curved or hooked
end, to hit the G Spot
Sex machines are mechanical devices used to simulate penetrative
intercourse, usually, but not always, requiring electric or gas power to
function.
Sexual lubricants are lubricants used to facilitate anal or vaginal sex, or as an aid
to masturbation.
A strap-on dildo and harness, generally strapped to the groin and
hips, allows a person to penetrate a partner as if the dildo were the penetrator's own
penis. In particular, they allow a woman to penetrate a man anally, referred to as pegging, or another woman vaginally or anally. They may also be
used by impotent men to allow them to penetrate their partner; strap-on
dildos used this way are generally hollow, rather than solid.
Sybian is the brand name of a combination of a saddle-shaped
mount with a vibrator built onto it.
Sex dolls more commonly known as "blow up dolls," are
imitations of the human form intended for simulation of some sexual acts. They
may consist of a representation of a face, the buttocks, genital areas, or the
entire body. Most sex dolls are inflatable. Love pillows, especially popular in Japan, are inflatable pillows with a life-size picture of a porn star or anime
character and optionally a hole for penetration. More
expensive realistic sex dolls exist, such as the Realdoll, the cost of which runs into several thousand dollars.
Nipple clamps are a family of tools which apply pressure to the
nipples. They are often used as BDSM toys or torture devices. Some of them can also provide constant, intense
nipple stimulation and heightened sensitivity.
Sex Games are usually like traditional board or card games but their
terminology, content and objectives are sex oriented.
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