KITTEN TALK 8: History of Sex Toys: Vibrators
Hey Kittens !
Long time no see.
And Happy 2022! A new year has begun. I hope you all are happy, healthy, and have had a good year so far.
If you had caught my posts earlier this year, I had COVID at the end of December and was sick for about two weeks.
Yeah...NOT the way I wanted to start the new year. But, I have recovered since then, and also needed to take some mental time off, but I am here because my creative juices( hehe) are flowing and this is a topic you guys voted for me to discuss about.
So if you haven't realized by the topic yet, we are talking about sex toysss. Specifically the history of vibrators. and how we went from pieces of stone, to those things we can order discreetly online and your friend is wondering why you using the electric toothbrush in your room ( silent vibrators exist too btw)
I will source everything down below, and as always I encourage you to do your own research if this is a topic you find fascinating ( I know I do)
So lets begin in 29000 BC. I guess we was getting freaky as far back as then. Discovered in Germany, this siltstone phallus object is debated to have been an actual prehistoric dildo, or an idol sculpture, see below and decide for yourself:
I think it's no secret in history, women- especially our sexuality, was treated a certain way ( and still is) at these times. Women long ago were thought to be dealing with a condition called : hysteria. "Hysteria" has Greek origins and it was believed that the uterus traveled around our bodies ( imagine that) and caused different symptoms and ailments.
In the 19th century, vibrators or " massagers" existed, but these were often advertised as body massagers, to help with things such as insomnia, deafness, vomiting, constipation, sore throats etc.
When in the 20th century, when doctors realized these vibrators/ massagers weren't the cure -all for these aliments, the manufacturers' started to worry and decided to make a different approach with the product: making it for sexual pleasure.
Obscenity laws back then, prevented advertisers from outright saying these were sex toys. So, they used suggestive wording in their advertisements or imaging, but not outright saying what it's really for, Imaging ordering a $3 vibrator off the New York Times.
From the 1970s and beyond, especially with the sex revolution, women started to be the owners of sex toy companies, and we saw improvements in said inventions such as the " Rampant Rabbit" which included a clitoral stimulator and the "Fukuoko" invented in Japan, a vibrator you slip on your fingers and use to stimulate the clitoris. We went from a male driven focus on toys, to more of what women wanted.
The Fukuoko:
We have seen an increase in sex toy use especially during COVID. The sex toy industry is estimated to be worth over $50 billion by 2028!
Even though this is just a short writing about vibrators and their history, we can probably spend days if we wanted to, to really research and unpack the history. I have provided links down below for you to do your own independent research.
I hope you guys enjoyed! I apologize for the delay, and as always thank you for your patience, understanding and love you give me everyday.
Should we carry sex toys in the future? Have ideas on future blog posts? feel free to comment below, send us an email or DM us @prettysub_cosmetics.com xoxo
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/07/how-the-vibrator-caused-buzz
https://www.elle.com/life-love/g29713/the-history-of-the-vibrator/
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181107-the-history-of-the-vibrator
https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/prehistoric-siltstone-phallus-world-oldest-sex-toy-tool-ignite-fires-article-1.447999
https://thetoy.org/sex-toys-a-brief-history/
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/sex-toys-market