Women’s sexual health - body image and sexual confidence

"Seeking sexual satisfaction is a basic desire, and masturbation is our first natural sexual activity. It's the way we discover our eroticism, the way we learn to respond sexually, the way we learn to love ourselves and to build self-esteem."
-Betty Dodson, renowned artist, author and sex educator

Self-Assurance in Bed

Sexual satisfaction has slowly been associated with masturbation over the years. The role of masturbation had been more emphasized as men and women accept that learning about their own sexual responses which will give them the confidence to put more spice in their lovemaking with a partner.

This is especially true for many women who can only experience their most powerful and body-wracking orgasms through the endless spasms left by masturbation. As the common adage goes, knowledge of oneself is the beginning of orgasm, err, wisdom. Medical circles around the world had observed that women generally use what they have learned from pleasuring themselves to teach their partners and in turn, put more life of their sex lives. Masturbation became the most convenient way of having frequent orgasms, with or without a partner.

Given the history of masturbation, from a social disgrace to an accepted natural way of life, modern men should make use of this powerful tool without qualms. There are many instances in the past that could only make us grateful that we are in this era, able to fully reap the rewards of pleasuring oneself.

In fact, in the year 1716, anonymous pamphlet was first distributed in London calling against the "heinous sin" of "self-pollution". These are filled with dire warnings and testimonials that supposedly prove that masturbation leads to impotence, gonorrhea, epilepsy and a wasting of the faculties.  Because marketing wasn’t a lost term at that time, the pamphlet went as far as to recommend the remedy of a bottle of "Strengthening Tincture" at 10 shillings and a bag of "Prolific Powder" at 12 shillings.

In 1760, physician Samuel-Auguste Tissot published L'Onanisme which cited case studies of male masturbators in Lausanne, Switzerland. He argued that semen was an "essential oil" that when lost, would cause "a perceptible reduction of strength, of memory and even of reason; blurred vision, all the nervous disorders, all types of gout and rheumatism, weakening of the organs of generation, blood in the urine, disturbance of the appetite, headaches and a great number of other disorders." It was even presented as a scholarly and scientific work during his time!

In the Victorian Era, boys' pants were especially made so that the genitals could not be accessed through the pockets and desks were constructed such that schoolchildren are prevented to cross their legs in class. Worse for the girls, they are forbidden to ride horses and bicycles because these activities were too similar to masturbation. Because of these rigid structures, it has actually been hypothesized by some that the sexual repression during the Victorian Era was one of the causes that led to the World War One.

Well if that was the case, then let’s bury the wars and make love, literally. Although there are still some who can’t fully accept masturbation yet, the fact is, most of us masturbate at some point in our lives. For those of us who feel a sense of guilt over the act, lets review if its really us or our parents and the people surrounding us, who make us feel that its is shameful or abnormal to please our self. Masturbation is a great outlet for you, but ultimately, it is you who will decide who to follow and listen to.