A History of Sex Toys
Sex toys have not always been as commonly accepted as they are today, so it is not easy to find evidence of the extent to which sex toy usage was part of every day life over the ages, but there is no doubt that sex toys are not a new phenomenon.
Origins
The first documented use of sex toys dates bake to Ancient Greece, where a dildo-like object known as an ‘olisbos’ was known to have been used. The olisbos was made from stone, leather or occasionally wood and was reported to have been used primarily by single women. It is difficult to ascertain whether its use was indeed restricted to single women as dildos are today enjoyed by both men and women and by both single people and couples, despite the common misconception that it is just single women.
Renaissance Italy
Leaping forwards in time to Renaissance Italy, the olisbos of Ancient Greece was developed into the ‘diletto’, whose name was derived from the Italian for ‘delight’. Whilst still very rudimentary compared to the dildos available today, and lubricated with olive oil, these models were becoming increasingly ‘crafted’ and help grow the popularity of sex toys.
Victorian Era
Perhaps the greatest breakthrough in our short history of the sex toy was during the mid-nineteenth century, when the world was first introduced to the rubber dildo. Rubber dildos introduced a new level of comfort and were much more realistic than any of its predecessors.
It was also during this time that the first vibrators were introduced to the world. The first vibrators were prescribed as a treatment for a condition known as ‘hysteria’. Derived from the Greek word for uterus, it was believed that ‘hysteria’ was a psychiatric condition caused by disturbances in the uterus.
Women were not regarded as sexual objects in their own right and using a vibrator for your own sexual pleasure would have been considered scandalous at the time, so the early vibrators were marketed as personal massagers.
20th Century
It was in the early part of the 20th Century that vibrators really made their mark when they appeared in early erotic cinema. Despite a steady growth, the advertisements of sex toys saw a decline from the 1940s.
Current Day
The sex toy industry has witnessed a rebirth in the last 20 or so years and the traditional attitudes towards sex toys have shifted. Sex toys are now a universally accepted part of our sexual life and popular TV shows such as ‘Sex in the City’ continue to break down the taboos surrounding sex toys.
As the quality of products increases and the professionalism of the industry is established, sex toys can be purchased from a wide range of outlets, with internet sex toy stores such as cheeky-toys.co.uk being a popular choice for the consumer.
