While you may be having the time of your life using your dildo and experiencing great penetration, you may feel privileged, and rightly so! You have access to a variety of sex toys online at your fingertips, and can scroll through them in the privacy of your house – thanks to technology and online sex stores! Be it vibrators, butt plugs, cock rings, or a dildo belt, you will find sex toys and sex toy accessories to satisfy all your needs!
Sex has been around since the creation of mankind, and pleasure is synonymous with sex (ideally)! There are bound to be innovations around sex and pleasure, considering that it has been around for the longest time. It was only natural for humans to create and discover ways to enhance pleasure and make it more accessible – because who doesn’t enjoy pleasure?
Everyone enjoys pleasure and has the right to it, however, not everyone has the access to it. Women’s pleasure has been taboo for the longest of times, and so, their sexual wellness and mental health have been neglected throughout – owing to the orgasm gap that exists even today! The number of orgasms people are having is a measure of good and healthy sex life. Considering the gender inequality, it doesn’t come as a surprise that women are having considerably fewer orgasms than men in heterosexual relationships. Women reported having orgasms a lot more often when masturbating, compared to sex. That goes on to show how men neglect women’s pleasure. Moreover, society has attached a stigma to self-pleasure and women exploring their sexuality! Although sex toys in India may be a lot easier to purchase compared to 10 years ago, even today, they do arrive with a label judging the woman’s character, if not a taboo!
However, women are slowly taking control of their sexual health and detaching from the stigma attached to women pleasuring themselves. Being oppressed for generations and across various and most sections, women have been denied most of their basic rights. But women being women, we always found a way to sneak in some of the taboo objects – books, clothes, and even sex toys! You may be wondering – sex toys, in the past, really? They may not be as cute and technologically equipped as they are now, but trust us, the history of sex toys goes way back!
Let us look at women breaking the taboos for ages, through the history of one of the most popular sex toys for vulva owners – dildo in India and across the world:
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- How and When was the term ‘dildo’ coined?
While dildos have been around for much longer, the word ‘dildo’ was only coined recently in the 14th century AD (yes, that’s fairly recent, compared to the long history of dildos). Some theories indicate that the word originally referred to a phallus-shaped sailing tool that would be inserted in a hole at the side of a small boat to lock the oars in position.
As per other theories, the word ‘dildo’ is derived from the Italian word ‘diletto’ meaning ‘delight’ (because they knew what a delight it is, to have a dildo). - History of the Delightful Dildo in India
Most of us will agree when we say that India has had a complicated and rather ironic relationship with sex and pleasure. Being the land of Kamasutra – one of the widely accepted and renowned works of human sexual behavior and pleasure, India is quite the definition of hypocrisy when it comes to practicing sex and pleasure for real! While sex toys in India may not be sold openly and may be considered an issue, they have been around for ages.
The Kamasutra was compiled between 400 BCE to 200 CE and it discusses a range of subjects, with around 20% of the text being dedicated to the pleasures of sex and the use of sex toys!The Kamasutra mentions various ways to satisfy the woman and please her ‘yoni’ (vagina). It suggests that you start by rubbing the vulva with your fingers and hands to arouse her – we absolutely agree, clit stim is the way to go! This ancient text also suggests that only after the woman is aroused and feels pleasure, should she be penetrated – again, we agree, arousal and pleasure = wet and lubricated vagina = better and easier sex!
The Kamasutra details how using ‘apadravya’ or things around or instead of the penis increases sexual pleasure for the vulva-owner. These Apadravyas should be made of gold, silver, copper, iron, ivory, buffalo’s horn, various kinds of wood, tin, or lead. They should be soft, cool, provocative of sexual vigor, and should be well fitted to serve the intended purpose. The text also says that they may be altered, modified, or made according to the preference or natural liking of each individual. - The Oldest Dildo
Dildos’ long and old existence is known to us by texts, scriptures, carvings, and paintings. However, a German archeologist actually discovered a real dildo made of stone during one of his excavations at Hohle Fels Cave. Carved and polished to make a rounded head, long, 8-inch DIY sex toy. This dildo is believed to be around 30,000 years old, belonging to the ice age or old stone age, and is the oldest man-made phallus and sex tool to date!
- Double-headed Dildos
What’s better than one dildo – A Dildo with two heads? The people in prehistoric times sure knew how to have fun and experiment! Archeologists have found quite a few double-headed dildos which are around 13,000 to 19,000 years old. - Dildos used in the Best of Ways
Considering how Cleopatra apparently used a hollow gourd filled with buzzing bees to replicate a vibrator, it’s safe to say that the Egyptians were creative and bold when it came to sexual pleasure and finding ways to achieve it. Dildos featured in Egyptian paintings as early as 3000 BCE, being used in a variety of positions and ways. - Dildos were delicious and biodegradable too!
Who would have thought you could keep your sex toy and eat it too? The Greeks! If you lived in ancient Greece and had no access to magical wands and phallic objects to satisfy your needs and provide pleasure, you too would have done what they did – make your own dildos with what you have plenty of!
This DIY dildo is made of one of the most unusual materials – not silver, not brass, not ceramic, and not glass. This dildo was made out of bread, and it is believed that Greek soldiers gave these phallic replacements to their wives before they left for war.‘Olisbokollikes’ were breadsticks shaped and baked like phallic objects for penetration. And guess what they paired it with as a lube? None other than olive oil! Moreover, there was also a gluten-free version for these breadsticks called ‘olisboi’.
While this combination may sound delectable, we would urge you to not try it out. Since the Greeks had no access to all the toys that you have access to, we don’t blame them! But you are more privileged and aware that bread particles and olive oil can disrupt the healthy environment of your vagina and cause infections, so if you are craving some penetration, it’s best to buy a dildo online! - Dildos in China
Being one of the top manufacturers of sex toys currently, it would be odd to not find any ancient sex toys in China. Sex toys from as early as 220 CE were discovered in China during excavations. In fact, even tombs of wealthy aristocrats revealed jade buttplugs and bronze dildos. Moreover, the bronze dildo had a ring attached to it, this dildo with a belt-like ring was perhaps one of the first strap-ons! China has always been creative when it comes to sex toys – considering this bronze dildo had intricate detailing and was made from fine material. - Plant-Based Dildos
For all the plant-based, vegan, environment-friendly people – this one is sure to fascinate you! In the medieval ages, a biodegradable, plant-based dildo was often used for self-pleasure (sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?) It was derived from a plant called ‘Cantonese groin’ which was soaked in hot water where it could enlarge and expand and eventually harden and was then used for penetration. While it may be tough to find a Cantonese groin around, and even tougher to trust its safety, you can browse through a range of body-safe, tested dildos here! - Dildos in ancient texts
The mention of dildos in various ancient texts backs the fact that dildos are not a modern invention. While it’s mentioned in the ancient Indian text – Kamasutra has been detailed above, the use and existence of dildos made one of its first publication appearances in Shakespeare’s ‘Winter’s Tale’ and Ben Jonson’s ‘The Alchemist’. ‘Arabian Nights’ also mentions penis-shaped objects such as fruits and vegetables being used for penetration and sexual pleasure. - Dildos to Vibrators
With time, dildos were modified to have a buzzing sensation and the power of vibration from the 18th century onwards, to cure ‘female hysteria’ which then paved the way for vibrators!
(Read: 11 Fun Facts You Never Knew About Vibrators)
- How and When was the term ‘dildo’ coined?
Now that you know all about the history of Dildos, it’s time to experience one yourself – no we don’t mean bronze or stone dildos, or phallic-shaped breadsticks, we mean a modern-day, body-safe dildo, if you don’t already have one, it’s never too late to buy!
