History Of Sextoys – At a Glance

Could people have been using sex toys 28,000 years ago? Quite possibly, according to an article from the Independent [1]. The article describes a 28,000 year old stone- sculpted phallus that was discovered in a cave in Germany. It also describes a more “recent” wooden object found at a Roman site in Northumberland. The Roman phallus was apparently originally catalogued as a “darning tool” (I do love a good euphemism), but on further inspection it was suggested that it may be “the only known life-sized Roman dildo”, or……. “a pestle”.Check out the image and you can decide for yourself! It certainly puts a new twist on the social media trend of last year to ask – How often do you think of ancient Rome?

Meanwhile, an exhibition that ran at the Asian art museum in San Francisco in 2017 [3] included “two Bronze dildos that could be worn and were sculpted in fine detail” [4]. Thought to be a fairly common possession of elites at the time, the two phalluses displayed in the exhibition were taken from tombs in Jiangsu. The tombs date to China’s Han Dynasty (2nd Century BCE).

Back in Europe the popularity of dildos supposedly continued for centuries. A search of the online etymology dictionary attributes one description of dildo, “artificial penis used for female gratification”, to the 1590’s [5]. The origin of the word itself is not known, but there seem to be variations of the word in a number of old European languages (including dillidoun “a darling/a pet” in Middle English and dilla “to lull’ in Old Norse). One suggestion for its origin includes the Italian word Diletto, meaning delight (Another wonderful Euphemism)! Art and poetry that include dildos have been found from ancient Greece and Roman times [2] and apparently, in addition to world famous art, dildos made of leather, stone, ivory or wood were fashioned in Renaissance Italy [6].

Of course, dildos are not the only sex toy to have a long history. According to a Psychology Today article [8], that describes a timeline of sex toy invention, Penis extenders made from wood, leather, ivory or metal are mentioned in the Kama Sutra in 300AD. In addition Ben Wa balls have evolved across Asia from a tool to increase men’s pleasure to be used also in pelvic floor strengthening and pleasure by women (now known as a kegel ball). Also in Asia, Chinese men supposedly used penis rings made from goat eyelids in the 1200’s (would not be my first choice, but I guess you work with what you’ve got) and later, in the 1600’s, this evolved to a ring made from ivory (better) and fashioned with ornate dragon carvings to become the first penis ring equipped with clitoral stimulator (much better).

Then of course there is the history of the vibrator to consider. Vibrators have inspired some of the wildest historical theories of all. From the idea that Cleopatra invented the first vibrator by trapping bees in a wooden box (ouch) [9], to the invention of the electric vibrator by a British Physician trying to cure “Hysteria” in Victorian times (1880’s). The suggestion that vibrators were invented by tired doctors to replace manual clitoral massage to induce “paroxysm” (aka orgasm) in hysterical women [10] is not universally supported in academia [11], [12], but non-the-less has gained popularity in pop culture and has culminated in the 2011 film Hysteria.

Whether initially invented specifically as a clitoral massager or, more probably, as a massager for general body pain, once electricity became available in the home, the electric vibrator was advertised freely in women’s magazines of the early 1900’s. With such wonderful catch lines as “Very useful and satisfactory for home service” and “Aids that Every Woman Appreciates”[13], you are free to wonder how the women that bought them really used them!

What is more certain is that by the 1970’s a modern personal massager, the Hitachi Magic-Wand ™, was indeed an effective tool to induce orgasm. With American sex educator Betty Dodson’s choice to use them in her classes to teach female masturbation [14] further validated by a later study in 2008 [15]. That study found that 93% of a group of 500 women suffering anorgasmia (inability to orgasm) were able to reach orgasm with the use of a magic wand and Betty Dodson’s techniques.

From here things have escalated. These days the availability and variety of sex toys has never been better. Although not evenly across the globe. Acceptance of sex toys is generally increasing, with online surveys from 2009-2011 in the US indicating that on average more than half of adults who responded report the use of vibrators in sexual activities [16], [17], [18], [19]. While historically vibrators are linked to women’s pleasure those reports were also associated with increased positive sexual experiences for heterosexual and LGB women and men. In addition, mainstream media is influencing attitudes. For example, the Rabbit style vibrator became even more popular after it was featured in a 1998 episode of HBO’s Sex and the City “The Turtle and the Hare”.

In conclusion, this brief over-view aims to serve as a sense of how widely (in time and geography) sex toys may have been creatively employed by humans to enhance or enable their sexual experiences. As declared by the World Association for Sexual Health in 2019 [21], sexual pleasure is finally being officially recognised as a fundamental human requirement and right. That right, while respecting the absolute necessity for safety from violence or coercion, includes “the possibility of diverse sexual experiences” and “access to sources of sexual pleasure.”

On that last note we are pleased to introduce you to Belupa. Our online haven filled with a cornucopia of modern sex toys for your pleasure. Please Enjoy!