Avibrator, sometimes described as amassager, is asex toy that is used on the body to produce pleasurablesexual stimulation.[1] There are many different shapes and models of vibrators. Most modern vibrators contain anelectric-powered device that pulsates or throbs. Vibrators can be used for solo play, partnered play by one or more people, or in anorgy. Devices designed for use by couples as tools ofgenitals stimulation have been developed.[2] They can be applied toerogenous zones, including thevulva,vagina,penis,scrotum,anus, orrectum, to stimulate the sexual response of both partners. The application of these devices can be used for the purpose ofsexual stimulation, the release ofsexual frustration, and the achievement oforgasm. Vibrators are a recommended treatment by sex therapists for women who experience difficulties reaching orgasm throughmasturbation or intercourse.[3]
Vibrators often generate their vibrations usingeccentric weights driven by a conventionalelectric motor, but some use electromagnetic coils.[4] Some vibrators are marketed as "body massagers" – although they still may be used, like the ones sold as adult sex toys, forautoeroticism. Some vibrators use batteries, while others have a power cord that plugs into a wall socket. There is also a vibrator that uses the flow of air from a vacuum cleaner to stimulate the clitoris.
Modern versions of old musical vibrators synchronize the vibrations to music from amusic player or acell phone. Some luxury brand vibrators are also completely covered inmedical-grade silicone with no exposed control panels or seams. Although proper cleaning is required for anysex toy,[5] having fewer places for bacteria to grow reduces the chance of infection. While some companies sell significantly larger dildos and vibrators, most that are marketed for vaginal or anal insertion are sized around theaverage penis size.[6]
There is a wide range of vibrators, but most of them fall into several broad categories:
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Although many vibrators are marketed as waterproof, most should not be submerged. The ones designed for underwater use may be used in the swimming pool, while bathing, etc. These vibrators may be recommended to be used with a water-compatiblelubricant, such as a silicone-based lubricant. This is not the case for all waterproof vibrators, as silicone-based lubricants can degrade silicone vibrators. Multi-speed vibrators allow users to customize how fast the vibrator's pulsing or massaging movements occur. Depending on the specific type of vibrator, the speed change is made by simply pushing a button a certain number of times, allowing users to change speeds several times during use. Bendable vibrators can adapt to the body shape and are used to find and stimulate hard-to-reach erogenous zones. They can be shaped to act like other vibrators, such as G-spot, anal, penis, or dual.
Programmable and remote-control vibrators can be worn in or against the genitals, which can be pre-programmed or controlled remotely. Other vibrators come with a handheld remote that can be used to adjust speed and intensity. Smart vibrators can connect to mobile applications viaBluetooth LE connections, allowing features like long-distance remote control over the Internet, vibration in sync with music, and programmable vibrations. Certain manufacturers, includingLovense, incorporate functions such as long-distance control, sound synchronization, and app-based operation.
Some vibrators, designed to be discreet, are shaped as everyday objects, such as lipstick tubes, cell phones, or art pieces. Occasionally, some women use actual mobile phones in this function. The undercover vibrators are usually relatively small, and most of the time they have only one speed and are powered by a single battery.
The electric vibrator was invented in the late 19th century as a medical instrument for pain relief and the treatment of various ailments. It was marketed for decades without any sexual connotations, for example, to be used against the skin for wrinkles, the scalp for headaches, or the stomach for indigestion. One account gives its first use at theSalpêtrière hospital in Paris in 1878, with Romain Vigouroux cited as the inventor. English physician and inventorJoseph Mortimer Granville, who also developed an early model, asserted his own priority in the invention and has been described as the "father of the modern electromechanical vibrator."[14] Mortimer Granville's 1883 bookNerve-vibration and excitation as agents in the treatment of functional disorder and organic disease describes the intended use of his vibrator for purposes including pain relief and the treatment ofneuralgia,neurasthenia, morbid irritability, indigestion, and constipation.[15] These early vibrators became popular among the medical profession and were used for treating a wide variety of ailments in women and men, includinghysteria,arthritis,constipation, amenorrhea, inflammations, andtumors; some wounded World War I soldiers received vibrotherapy as treatment at English and French hospitals in Serbia.[16]
Vibrators began to be marketed for home use in magazines from around 1900, by brands such asWhite Cross together with other electrical household goods, for their supposed health and beauty benefits. An early example was the "Vibratile", an advertisement that appeared inMcClure's magazine in March 1899, offering a cure for "Neuralgia, Headache, Wrinkles".
Mail order was the standard method of marketing vibrators between 1900 and 1920. However, in the mid-1920s, vibrators began to appear in erotic films and photography, effectively driving them out of "respectable" publications. Vibrator ads virtually disappeared until the modern vibrator resurfaced in the 1960s as a frankly sexual device.[17][18]
The vibrator re-emerged during thesexual revolution of the 1960s. On June 30, 1966, Jon H. Tavel applied for a patent for the "Cordless Electric Vibrator for Use on the Human Body".[19] The cordless vibrator was patented on March 28, 1968, and was soon followed by such improvements as multi-speed and one-piece construction, which made it cheaper to manufacture and easier to clean.
As of 2013,rechargeable vibrators were beginning to be manufactured to reduce the environmental impact of battery-operated vibrators.[20]
In 2017Lynn Comella, associate professor ofGender Studies, noted that "sex toy packaging... has been replaced by softer and more sanitized imagery. It's now possible to buy a vibrator at many neighborhoodWalgreens".[21] The UK pharmacyBoots followed the US pharmacy's lead and since 2019 has been selling sex toys both online and in some stores.[22]
Research published in a 2009 issue ofThe Journal of Sexual Medicine demonstrates that about 53% of women in the United States ages 18 to 60 have used a vibrator.[23] A 2010 study in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy found that 43.8% of heterosexual males in the United States had used vibrators. 94% of these men had done so as part of foreplay with their partner, and 82% had done so as part of sexual intercourse.[24] Among non-heterosexual men, 49.8% have used vibrators.[25]
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Vibrators have been found to be effective solutions forsexual dysfunctions such aserectile dysfunction,sexual arousal disorder, andpelvic pain, among others.[26] Notable companies developing vibrators for medical use areMV.Health, Reflexonic and Intimate Rose.
As thecoronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, people found themselves at home with an abundance of extra time. This sparked an interest in discovering and exploring one's sexuality. This caused the sex toy industry to benefit from a spike in sales from customers, some of whom were buying toys in bulk for fear that the pandemic would shut down production for an uncertain amount of time.[27] Rising interest resulted in vibrators being more mainstream and having better representation in popular culture, opening up the conversation on women's pleasure.
The possession and sale of vibrators is illegal in some jurisdictions, includingIndia, although they are sold online.[28] Until recently, many AmericanSouthern and someGreat Plains states banned the sale of vibrators completely, either directly or through laws regulating "obscene devices".[29] In 2007, a federal appeals court upheld Alabama's law prohibiting the sale of sex toys.[30] The law, theAnti-Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1998, was also upheld by theAlabama Supreme Court on September 11, 2009.[31]
In February 2008, a US federal appeals court overturned aTexas statute banning the sales of vibrators and other sexual toys, deeming such a statute as violating the right to privacy guaranteed by the14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[32] The appeals court citedLawrence v. Texas, where theU.S. Supreme Court in 2003 struck down bans on consensual sex between gay couples as unconstitutionally aiming at "enforcing a public moral code by restricting private intimate conduct".[33] Similar statutes have been struck down inColorado andKansas. As of 2009, Alabama is the only state where a law prohibiting the sale of sex toys remains on the books, though Alabama residents are permitted to buy sex toys with a doctor's note.[31][34]
An Americanbioethicist andmedical historian,Jacob M. Appel, has argued that sex toys are a "social good" and that the devices, which he refers to as "marital substitutes," play "an important role in the emotional lives of millions of Americans".[31] Appel has written:
I cannot say whether more Alabama women own vibrators than own Bibles. If I were guessing, I would suspect that a majority derive more use out of the vibrators. Certainly more pleasure. Nor does there appear to be any remotely rational basis for keeping sex toys out of the hands of married adults or single adults.[31]
Sex toys such as vibrators are used frequently in LGBTQ+ sexual relationships.
According to a paper published in 2011, a majority of men who personally identified themselves as gay or bisexual indicated that they had used at least one type of sex toy in sexual relationships as well as individually. The study indicated that 49.6% of the participants had used a vibrator.[35] In Canada, people who use sex toys are more likely to identify as LGBTQ+. They were also more likely to report participating in alternate sexual activities, like oral sex or anal sex, which are also common situations to use sex toys, such as vibrators.[36] Furthermore, vibrator use among American women is connected to several facets of sexual function (such as arousal, pain, and lubrication), suggesting more enjoyable sexual functions.[37] Men in similar studies are also reported to have heightened sexual experiences while using vibrators.
Vibrators can also be used in the process of artificial insemination for LGBTQ+ people attempting to start a biological family. Newly invented vibrators such as the POPDildo[38] cater to LGBTQ+ people, disabled people,serodiscordant couples who may need help conceiving, as well as those experiencing erectile dysfunction.
After each use, sex toys must be cleaned using unscented soap and warm water. Many products help keep vibrators clean, like specialty soaps and portable UV sterilizing cases for cleaning on the go.[39] When sharing toys, it is especially important to keep them as sanitary as possible.Condoms can be used as a precaution to cover toys when using them on partners to prevent the spread of STIs and other infections.[40] Physicians can offer advice on proper vibrator care and use, including sex counselors,OB/GYNs, urologists, oncologists, and specialists in conditions leading to sexual dysfunction.[40]
The historical fiction filmHysteria features a reworked history of the vibrator, focusing on Joseph Mortimer Granville's invention and the treatment of female hysteria through the medical administration of orgasm.[41] Its historical accuracy has been criticized on the grounds that Granville's vibrator was for male pain relief.[42]
In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) is a play bySarah Ruhl. It concerns theearly history of the vibrator, advancing the (dubious) Maines hypothesis (that doctors used it as a clinical device to bring women to orgasm as treatment for "hysteria").[43]
In the 1980s and 1990s, vibrators became increasingly visible in mainstream public culture, especially after a landmark August 1998 episode of theHBO showSex and the City, in which the character Charlotte becomes addicted to arabbit vibrator. Appearing in a regular segment on the popular US television seriesThe Oprah Winfrey Show in March 2009,[44]Dr. Laura Berman recommended that mothers teach their 15- or 16-year-old daughters the concept of pleasure by getting them a clitoral vibrator. Today, CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Safeway, Target, and Walmart are among major national US chain retailers that include vibrators on store shelves.[45]Sunday Night Sex Show was a live call-in Canadian television show that ran from 1996 to 2005, in which callers could ask questions to sex educatorSue Johanson. Johanson was also featured onLate Night with Conan O'Brien,[46] giving the audience a tour of her sex toy bag that included bullet vibrators, discreet vibrators disguised as key chains, and even a vibrating rubber ducky. In season one ofMad Men,Peggy Olson is assigned to work on the marketing campaign for a type of vibrating underwear[47][48] intended to help the user lose weight called the Electrosizer, which she later renamed the Rejuvinator. The show cites this device as providing "the pleasure of a man without the man."[49] InGrace and Frankie, which premiered in 2015, the two title characters form a business designing and selling vibrators for seniors.
Historian of technologyRachel Maines, in her bookThe Technology of Orgasm,[50] argued that the development of the vibrator in the late 19th century was in large part due to the need for an easier way to perform genital massage on women. Doctors would often perform the massage to cause "hysterical paroxysm" (orgasm), which was historically a treatment for the once common medical diagnosis offemale hysteria.
Maines writes that this treatment had been recommended since classical antiquity in Europe – including in theHippocratic corpus and byGalen – and continued to be used into the medieval and modern periods.[51] The treatment was not seen as sexual by physicians due to the absence of penetration[52] and was viewed by them as a difficult and tedious task.[53] Maines writes that the first use of the vibrator at the Salpêtrière was on hysterical women but notes that Joseph Mortimer Granville denied that he had, or ever would have, used his invention for this purpose;[16] additionally, Maines states that the true use of these medical vibrators, and the vibrators marketed for home use in the early 20th century, was not openly stated but proceeded under "social camouflage".[54] One example of suggestive advertising given is a 1908 advert inNational Home Journal for the Bebout hand-powered mechanical vibrator, containing the text "Gentle, soothing, invigorating, and refreshing. Invented by a woman who knows a woman's needs."[55]
Maine's conjecture was popularized into a feature film.[56] Historians disagree with Maines about the historical prevalence of genital massage as a treatment for female hysteria and over the extent to which early vibrating massagers were used for this purpose. Stimulation to orgasm as a standard treatment for female hysteria in ancient and medieval Europe has been disputed as a distortion of sources.[57] The cases of this treatment in the 19th and early 20th centuries (and the use of vibrators to perform it), if performed at all, would have been confined to a limited group.[58] Maines has said her widely reported theory should be treated as a hypothesis rather than a fact.[59] In 2018,Hallie Lieberman and Eric Schatzberg published a peer-reviewed article that found "no evidence" to support Maines's claims in the book's citations. They called the wide acceptance of Maines's work "a fundamental failure of academic quality control".[60] In 2020, Lieberman continued to press her case in theNew York Times.[61]
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