Episode
Vibrators
49:16
Published: Tue Nov 30 2021
Description
It's a sexual health episode! This week, Mike and Aubrey dive into the hotly debated medical history of vibrators and ask: who fact-checks the fact-checkers? Note: A previous version of this episode included language that referred to “the female downstairs,” implying both that gender is linked to genitals (it isn’t) and that vibrators were used primarily by cis women (they weren’t). We love our trans listeners and we don’t want to do anything that makes them feel excluded, so we’ve removed the sections where that language appeared. We'll be discussing this and our approach to handling feedback in more detail soon. Thanks to everyone who wrote in to let us know! — MikeSupport us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!The Technology of Orgasm by Rachel MainesBuzz by Hallie LiebermanSignior DildoHysteria! trailerVibrators had a long history as medical quackery before feminists rebranded them as sex toysA Failure of Academic Quality Control: The Technology of OrgasmHow Gosnell Duncan Changed the Sex Toy Game ForeverVictorian Doctors Didn't Treat Women With Orgasms, Say Historians (Almost) Everything You Know About the Invention of the Vibrator Is WrongSupport the show
Chapters
This podcast explores the use of strap-ons in ancient Egypt and Japan as a devotional to Osiris, and delves into the heated debate surrounding the invention and original usage of modern-day vibrators.
00:00 - 02:39 (02:39)
Summary
This podcast explores the use of strap-ons in ancient Egypt and Japan as a devotional to Osiris, and delves into the heated debate surrounding the invention and original usage of modern-day vibrators.
EpisodeVibrators
PodcastMaintenance Phase
The speaker struggles with a seemingly false fact and questions how bees could be put into a gourd.
02:40 - 06:21 (03:41)
Summary
The speaker struggles with a seemingly false fact and questions how bees could be put into a gourd.
EpisodeVibrators
PodcastMaintenance Phase
The discussion revolves around various types of treatments for women's health and highlights the potential threat to bodily autonomy and freedom.
06:21 - 13:09 (06:48)
Summary
The discussion revolves around various types of treatments for women's health and highlights the potential threat to bodily autonomy and freedom. Some of these treatments include forced medical treatments at the discretion of husbands and orgasm treatments that are falsely classified as medicine.
EpisodeVibrators
PodcastMaintenance Phase
This episode explores the true story behind the invention of the vibrator, which was originally created to cure women of their supposed "hysteria" by male physicians.
13:09 - 17:24 (04:14)
Summary
This episode explores the true story behind the invention of the vibrator, which was originally created to cure women of their supposed "hysteria" by male physicians. In reality, it was a product of invention, rather than discovery, and perpetuated the idea that female sexuality is something to be medically controlled.
EpisodeVibrators
PodcastMaintenance Phase
Vibrators were marketed using euphemisms and alternative purposes to escape social scrutiny, but the real history behind their invention involves the mistreatment and medicalization of women’s bodies for purposes of control and domination.
17:24 - 24:06 (06:42)
Summary
Vibrators were marketed using euphemisms and alternative purposes to escape social scrutiny, but the real history behind their invention involves the mistreatment and medicalization of women’s bodies for purposes of control and domination.
EpisodeVibrators
PodcastMaintenance Phase
A paper published in the Journal of Positive Sexuality fact checked the popular narrative created by a book about the medical history of vibrators, revealing that much of it isn't substantiated.
24:06 - 27:28 (03:22)
Summary
A paper published in the Journal of Positive Sexuality fact checked the popular narrative created by a book about the medical history of vibrators, revealing that much of it isn't substantiated. The author notes that academics should be more critical when citing sources and not take narratives for granted.
EpisodeVibrators
PodcastMaintenance Phase
A discussion about a vibrating wand that can be used for multiple purposes, including pleasure, and a suitcase with various tools resembling a time machine, with a debunking of the concept of stealth orgasms.
27:28 - 33:02 (05:33)
Summary
A discussion about a vibrating wand that can be used for multiple purposes, including pleasure, and a suitcase with various tools resembling a time machine, with a debunking of the concept of stealth orgasms.
EpisodeVibrators
PodcastMaintenance Phase
The podcast discusses a vibrating device that is marketed for pleasurable massage but used as a fitness tool.
33:02 - 36:27 (03:25)
Summary
The podcast discusses a vibrating device that is marketed for pleasurable massage but used as a fitness tool. It is suggested that the device is similar to the size of an iron attached to a strap.
EpisodeVibrators
PodcastMaintenance Phase
The podcast discusses the unique engine attachments that were used for various purposes, including making meringue, and the sale of penetrative and rectal attachments for treating medical conditions caused by excessive masturbation.
36:27 - 42:11 (05:43)
Summary
The podcast discusses the unique engine attachments that were used for various purposes, including making meringue, and the sale of penetrative and rectal attachments for treating medical conditions caused by excessive masturbation. The text also touches on the norm of questioning the work of older scholars by younger scholars.
EpisodeVibrators
PodcastMaintenance Phase
The Lieberman book feels like a modern take on the societal aspect and complexity of women who buy things while the Mains book focuses more on technology.
42:11 - 46:55 (04:44)
Summary
The Lieberman book feels like a modern take on the societal aspect and complexity of women who buy things while the Mains book focuses more on technology. Both authors contribute an important study to women's sexual pleasure.
EpisodeVibrators
PodcastMaintenance Phase
The healthcare industry faces discrimination towards sexual health products, which are often labeled as novelty items instead of sex toys.
46:55 - 49:05 (02:09)
Summary
The healthcare industry faces discrimination towards sexual health products, which are often labeled as novelty items instead of sex toys. The industry needs to ensure that everyone has the same access to healthcare and that discriminatory labeling is removed.