The Use of Vibrators in American Society - Research Paper Example

? Vibrators in American society Vibrators in American society are a hot topic for discussion following the extensive proliferation of the devices over the years and decades since the 20th century. The vibrator has continually been used for sexual pleasure and other diverse uses such as massage, which prompts the need to look into how Americans use vibrators, with extensive focus on vibrators as sexual partners. Focus on use as a sexual partner is based on studies done on the topic and will provide evidence to back findings. Vibrators in American society may mainly be perceived for use concerning sexual pleasure but this is not entirely true. This is following their use in different activities that are not of a sexual nature such as massage, where they are used to ease out tension in different parts of the body. Terming vibrators as massage devices is commonly regarded as a euphemism for having vibrators for sex toys as it is the most usual word applied by those that are found with the said devices. The above is rampant in American societies that do not condone the use of vibrators for sexual pleasure let alone being in possession of the same for massage purposes, while in highly religious American societies; this is shunned upon and termed as evil. Looking at families, the use of this device is common but usually occurs without other people as the use of vibrators is termed as confidential and not public knowledge, which is the same way in which issues of sex are treated. When children come across these devices they are told that these are massagers and are even shown how they work, but not in a sexual manner. In addition to the use of vibrators as massagers, the American society is quite innovative in that it has found novel ways for their use in massage. This can be seen in the case of voice coaches using vibrators to massage the throats of singers in an attempt to release tension in the vocal cords for better voice projection (NewsBite, 2013). As a result, these sex partners or sex toys have more uses than just sexual pleasure despite their procurement from sex shops. Another look at vibrators indicates that these devices may be more popular than marriage in the American society based on different studies conducted on Americans. One such study was conducted by Indiana University, where the prevalence of vibrators is higher than the popularity of men. This is especially so amongst women who were found to prefer the use of this device rather than engaging in actual sexual activities with real life men. The above is especially fascinating considering that the studies show a majority of women in the American society as having used a vibrator at one time or the other in their entire life time (Selim, 2009). Further analysis in marriages indicated that women who were married still used the same devices and a comparison of married women at 51% of the entire American female population against 53% of all women that have used the device either in marriage or not shows the popularity of the vibrator. To eliminate gender bias by looking only at the female population, a look at the male population indicates that a large number of men have also used vibrators. The number ranges anything between 40% to 50% of men aged between 18 and 60 and these are just the ones that have used a vibrator at one time of their lives whether individually or with partners (Selim, 2009). The above is also the case for women who used vibrators as sexual partners, where some used them with partners and other just alone. Vibrators over the years have been deemed as an important part of sexual experience in light of their usage by the American society, especially based on early mechanization and electrification of the device. Analysis on the use of vibrators from the early 1900s is indicative of this fact, where there original use was to treat hysteria and other elusive disorders by physicians in the privacy and convenience of their own clinics (Maines, 2001). It is from this that the mechanical use of vibrators for sexual pleasure became known and was then used in beauty parlors and then became commercially available. The above information brings about the origin of the use of vibrators, whereas mentioned earlier; vibrators were used in homes with sex partners as a daring part of sexual discovery. It is from this time that they were used as part of sex by couples and sex partners to juice up their sex lives together and heighten their sexual feelings (Maines, 2001). Based on modern studies, there is also evidence that the use of vibrators in sex amount to sexual health and sexual satisfaction due to a number of factors revealed by their use. Use of vibrators in sex allows for self-examination and as per studies, those that use these devices had higher chances of visiting a gynecologist and even conducted self-tests. From the perspective of sexual satisfaction, the use of vibrators in the presence of sex partners have more room for sexual discovery, where it enhances sexual desire in women, all thanks to vibrators as sex toys or sex partners. Besides these, vibrators as sex partners have also been attributed to factors of intensive sexual functionality, where the main aspects are desire, lubrication and achievement of orgasms (Indiana University, 2009). Studies are indicative that some women, since there is exclusive date looking into women and vibrators, are incapable of achieving orgasms with their partners, while others do not even find sexual activities with partners satisfying or enjoyable at all. It is because of this that vibrators come into use, where they are either used with the help of the partner to stimulate orgasms for sexual satisfaction or women just do it by themselves. This is especially the case for those that do not find men appealing as sex partners and amongst gay men with no interests in finding partners. It is from this that they are also termed as a healthy alternative to sexual intercourse following their safety in regard to safe sex and ease of cleaning (Herbenick et al, 2009). In addition, there are aspects of side effects of the use of vibrators as sexual partners, where there are few cases, and those that occurred took place for a short moment and were rare. However, these side effects vary from one person to the next and could be immediate or delayed especially when relating to the sex life of the individuals after extended use of these devices. American women reported numbness, irritation, inflammation and tears as a consequence of vigorous use of vibrators (Saad, 2012). This is in addition to their extended use and lowering their desire for physical human contact of a sexual nature. This is just one long term consequences as found in the American society, but vibrators replacing actual humans as sexual partners can be termed as considerably safe considering that these negative impacts occur as a result of abuse or over use. In conclusion, vibrators in the American society can be termed as both beneficial and non-beneficial based on their use, as sex partner with more focus on advantages over disadvantages. This is following the health benefits that accompany their use especially in sexual health due to self-exams and gynecological visits, which are in addition to enjoyable sex habits. Aside from this, there are minimal side effects since the pleasure outweighs pain and other uses of these devices, in which case these uses are not entirely sexual in spite of having a close association to sex. References Indiana University (2009). Vibrator Use Common, Linked To Sexual Health. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/06/090629100643.htm Voice coach uses sex toys to help his students sing :: NewsBite. (2013, March 24). First for fun and quirky News, Bite size! :: NewsBite. Retrieved August 5, 2013, from http://newsbite.it/index-id-weird%20news-zk-15360.html Maines, R. P. (2001). The technology of orgasm: "hysteria," the vibrator, and women's sexual satisfaction (Johns Hopkins Paperbacks ed.). Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press. Selim, C. (2009). Vibrators More Popular Than Marriage | BettyConfidential. BettyConfidential | Live Gorgeously. Retrieved from http://bettyconfidential.com/ar/ld/a/vibrators-more-popular-than-marriage.html Saad, G. (2012). Use of Vibrators Among American Women. Psychology today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/homo-consumericus/201201/use-vibrators-among-american-women Herbenick, D., Reece, M., Sanders, S., Dodge, B., Ghassemi, A., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2009). Prevalence And Characteristics Of Vibrator Use By Women In The United States: Results From A Nationally Representative Study.Journal of Sexual Medicine, 6(7), 1857-1866. Read More