*my first column published in the Ontarion!* Check out the better/longer version HERE!
Woody Alan once said “don’t knock masturbation, it’s sex with someone I love!” And with that in mind, I thought it might be fun to explore the history of one of the most famous and widely used tools of masturbation, The Dildo. Websters Dictionary defines the word dildo as “an object serving as a penis substitute for vaginal insertion” [however I'm sure that it can be used much more "creatively" than that].
The history of the dildo goes back surprisingly far. The dildo is said to have been around since third century BC. The Greeks are said to have fashioned phallic tools out of stone, leather, or wood; and olive oil was the K-Y of that era. It is thought that these tools were used in fertility or deflowering rituals. Also, the world dildo is thought to have come from the Italian word “dilleto” for “to delight”.
In the 1800′s women would go to the doctor for treatment of “female hysteria” which was characterized by symptoms of irritability, excessive vaginal fluids, heavy uterus and fantasies. To “cure” their patients, doctors would massage the woman’s vulva and clitoris until she achieved “paroxysm” (uh..today that’s called an “orgasm”). It didn’t take long before doctors began prescribing a phallus shaped apparatus for home treatment of “hysteria” and anxiety.
In the early 20th century dildos and vibrators were advertised in women’s magazines as cures for anxiety and tension. This “new” therapeutic tool became widely popular and their use was encouraged to keep women “happy and content”.
Today dildos and vibrators are widely known and extremely popular. They come in MANY different sizes and shapes; from little purple dolphins to huge tools modeled after porn stars. You can buy them in rubber, plastic, glass, and even a silicon and pvc combo (developed by NASA) that is said to feel just like real skin!
