The PGspot: Self-Love Season: Celebrating Masturbation May

In this special Masturbation May episode, we journey through the rich (and often misunderstood) history of self-pleasure.  From historical attitudes toward erotic autonomy to the invention of the first vibrator, we explore how solo sex has evolved - and how it's been shaped by science, stigma, and shifting societal norms. We'll examine the lasting impact of Puritanical values on modern views of masturbation, and take a comparative look at how different cultures around the world understand and engage with self-pleasure.  It's time to challenge shame, reclaim pleasure, and recognize masturbation as a vital part of human sexuality and wellness. 

I would love to hear your feedback about today's episode, as well as any questions or topics that you would like addressed in future episodes. Although "Fanmail" doesn't allow for me to respond back directly, I am happy to address any questions in upcoming episodes. Thank you for listening and taking the time to message The PGspot through Fanmail!

If you want to learn more about sexual health, sexual dysfunction, or how to improve your sex life, follow me on Instagram at @thepgspot or check out my website at doctorpattyj.com for blogs and resources related to sex positivity and real talk about sexuality. As as always, stay curious, stay empowered, and stay you.

Episode Transcript

Patty (00:08):
Welcome to the PG spot, where our goal is to take the X
out of sex by breaking down thebarriers that prevent open
communication about sexualhealth.
I'm Dr.
Patty Jalomo, a dual certifiednurse practitioner, pelvic floor
therapist, and certified sexualcounselor.
I'm here to provide expertinsights, debunk myths, and
empower you to embrace yoursexual wellbeing.

(00:29):
Whether you're looking foranswers or simply curious, join
us as we open up theconversation around sex,
intimacy and everything inbetween.
I want to take this opportunityto acknowledge that some
content may not be appropriatefor all listeners.
I'm a huge proponent of honestand accurate information
regarding sexuality.
But I'm also mindful that thisshould be age appropriate.

(00:50):
Therefore, if you are under 18,this may not be the podcast for
you.
Additionally, some of thelanguage used in this podcast
may be offensive to somelisteners.
Please take these things intoconsideration before going
forward with your consensualparticipation in this podcast.
The opinions expressed bymyself or my guests are just

(01:11):
that, and these opinions areneither expected or required to
be shared by all listeners.
The information that isprovided is for educational and
entertainment purposes only, andshould not be mistaken for
individual medical advice if youdo find the information that we
cover in the PG spot.
Helpful.
Interesting or informative.
Please rate and review thepodcast wherever you're

(01:33):
listening from.
If you think this informationis important, I would love for
you to share it with yourfriends or family.
This is a great way to get theinformation out to more people.
So thank you for listening andlet's get on with the show.
Hey everyone.
Guess what?
It's masturbation may.
So of course, we have to havean episode devoted solely to

(01:53):
solo sex.
In this episode, we're going totake a deep dive into the
history of self-pleasure,including the invention of the
first vibrator, how Puritanculture has influenced views on
masturbation and a comparativelook at how different cultures
and societies approachmasturbation and sexuality.
We have a lot to cover in thisepisode, so let's get into it.
To start, I want to introduceyou to Dr.

(02:16):
Joseph Mortimer G ranville, aBritish physician.
Dr.
Granville is most oftencredited with inventing the
first electromechanical vibratoraround 1880.
This device, which he calledthe Percuteur, was originally
intended to treat muscle achesand other neuromuscular
conditions, but according tohim, it was not invented for

(02:37):
sexual purposes.
During the Victorian era,physicians commonly diagnosed
women with hysteria, which is acatchall term for symptoms like
anxiety, irritability, sexualfrustration.
And this makes sense because atthat time, sex was seen more as
a means of procreation and notsomething focused on providing

(02:57):
female pleasure.
In her 1999 book, theTechnology of Orgasm author
Rachel P Maines claimed thatphysicians used manual pelvic
massage to induce hystericalparoxysm.
What these women wereexperiencing when going to the
doctor was orgasm.
So of course word got out andmore and more women were showing

(03:19):
up at their physician's officelooking for this miracle cure.
The belief is that this manualpelvic massage was labor
intensive for doctors, or insimpler terms, their hand just
got tired.
So devices like Gran ville's.
Electro mechanical vibratorwere later adapted by some
physicians for this purpose.
Now, there isn't one singleconfirmed physician who was

(03:42):
historically recognized as thefirst one to use manual pelvic
massage in the treatment offemale hysteria.
And this is largely because thelink between orgasm and medical
treatment was likely morediscreet.
And there is a lack ofhistorical evidence to document
such practices in a specificway.
Thus historians may argue thistheory.
But it definitely makes for aninteresting trivia question.

(04:05):
By the early 19 hundreds,vibrators became widely
available to consumers and weremarketed in women's magazines as
health and beauty aids.
And this was decades beforeelectric irons or vacuum
cleaners were even common inhomes.
So speaking of interestingtrivia content, let's talk about
the connection betweencornflakes and masturbation.

(04:27):
John Harvey Kellogg, who was a19th century physician and
nutritionist, had a strongopposition to the practice of
masturbation.
He was a devout Seventh DayAdventist, and he believed that
masturbation, which he referredto as self-abuse.
Was morally and physicallyharmful.
He believed that it caused awide range of ailments,

(04:48):
including things like epilepsy,poor digestion, mood disorders,
and even early death.
These views were common amongmany 19th century doctors.
Kellogg believed that a blanddiet could reduce sexual urges,
including the desire tomasturbate, and he promoted
dietary and lifestylerecommendations to discourage
it.
He felt that foods that wereplain low in fat and meat free

(05:12):
were necessary to preventstimulating libido, and
essentially he encouragedremoving any of these things
from the diet.
As part of the dietaryphilosophy, Kellogg co-invented
Corn Flakes with his brotherWill Keith Kellogg.
The flakes were intended as abland, wholesome breakfast to
reduce sexual excitement andpromote physical and moral

(05:32):
wellbeing while his brotherlater commercialized them into
the Kellogg cereal brand.
John Harvey Kellogg was morefocused on the health and moral
reform aspects, so focusing onthese aspects.
John Harvey Kellogg also ran asanitarium.
Called the Battle CreekSanitarium.
This is where he advocated forand performed extreme anti

(05:53):
masturbation measures,especially in children and
adolescents.
For boys.
He recommended circumcisionoften without anesthesia because
he believed that pain woulddeter future masturbation.
He also claimed that it wouldreduce sexual desire and make
sex less pleasurable.
For girls, he recommendedapplying caustic chemicals like

(06:13):
carbolic acid, which is phenolto the clitoris to discourage,
touching and reduce sexualsensitivity.
He also suggested usingphysical restraints at night
such as straight jackets orgenital cages to prevent
children from touchingthemselves while they were
sleeping.
These methods reflected hisintense belief that sexual
activity outside of procreation,especially masturbation, was

(06:36):
harmful to mental and physicalhealth.
So the link between Kellogg andmasturbation is that his health
and dietary innovations,especially cornflakes, were
originally motivated by hisdesire to curb what he viewed as
harmful sexual behaviors.
The measures that herecommended to discourage it
were extreme, even by 19thcentury standards, and now would

(06:58):
widely be condemned asunethical and abusive.
So think about that the nexttime you have a bowl of frosted
flakes, but Puritan culture hashad a deep and lasting impact on
the way shame aroundmasturbation and sexuality is
experienced and expressed inmodern Western society,
especially in America.
This influence can be tracedthrough several historical and

(07:20):
cultural layers, particularly inthe US where Puritan values
were foundational, despitedistinctively being the opposite
of what our forefathers andoriginal writers of the
Constitution had in mind.
The original founders of thecountry and the writers of the
Constitution were trying to getaway from the religious
constraints that were prevalentin Europe.

(07:40):
Due to the interference ofchurch into government and law,
predominantly by the RomanCatholic Empire.
Puritans, a Protestant sectprominent in the 17th century.
Colonial America held strictviews about morality, bodily
discipline, and sexual behavior.
They believed that sex was onlyfor marriage and procreation
pleasure, especially outside ofthis context, was seen as

(08:03):
potentially sinful.
They felt that the body was avessel for sin and desires,
particularly sexual ones.
Had to be controlled.
They believed that the onlyreason for sex was for
procreation.
Therefore, masturbation was anintentional waste of seed and
was viewed as morally corruptand selfish.

(08:25):
It's interesting that even inthese times, female sexuality
was virtually ignored.
I mean, a female doesn't have aseed to waste, but that was a
prevailing reason thatmasturbation was felt to be a
disconnection from God's purposeof sex.
And still to this day, in somestates, anal and oral sex are
against the law and arepunishable, although.

(08:46):
These laws are rarely, if everenforced.
What is even more unbelievablethat some of these laws even
determine what types of sex canhappen between married couples,
so as American societydeveloped, Puritan ideals
evolved, but remained embedded.
As we can see in the 19thcentury.
Protestant health reformerslike John Harvey Kellogg, who

(09:08):
took up the cause of purity andself-control, as well as in the
Victorian era sexual repressionwhere modesty, discipline, and
the moral dangers ofmasturbation were major themes.
Additionally, early medical andeducational materials in the US
echoed these ideas and treatedsexual desire as something
shameful or dangerous, evenafter medical science debunked

(09:32):
the supposed health dangers ofmasturbation.
Moral judgment still lingered,especially in religious
communities and schoolinfluenced by puritan descended
ideologies.
Sex education often emphasizedabstinence, sin and shame,
reinforcing secrecy and guiltrather than understanding and
acceptance.
Even today, sex education isfocused on prevention of

(09:55):
pregnancy and sexuallytransmitted diseases.
Not so much on pleasureintimacy or connection.
Today, the effects of thisheritage show up in various ways
such as guilt or anxiety aboutmasturbation, especially among
people raised in conservative orreligious homes, sexual
repression or dysfunction,stemming from being taught that

(10:17):
desire is wrong or shameful.
The persistence of abstinenceonly education in parts of the
US, which is often justified bymoral, not scientific arguments.
The effects of Puritan cultureand conservative religious
beliefs also result in struggleswith body image and
self-acceptance, which arelinked to ideas that the body is
inherently sinful.

(10:38):
There is an avert shaming offemale sexuality in much more of
a harsh way, as opposed to howmen are sexually shamed.
There is a disconnect betweenprivate behavior and public
morality where people hide ordeny their sexual needs due to
fear of judgment.
And finally, we see silencingopen conversations about
pleasure, consent, or sexualhealth, which is one of the main

(11:00):
reasons that I'm doing thispodcast.
So Puritanism has embedded adeep suspicion, a pleasure,
strict moral codes, and thebelief that sexuality must be
controlled.
Though modern society is moreliberal in many ways, those
underlying values still shapeattitudes, laws and education,
especially here in the us.
So let's compare how differentcultures and societies approach

(11:24):
masturbation and sexuality.
In the Western culture,predominantly here in the US and
the uk, they maintain more of apuritanical legacy.
So some dominant traits inthese cultures are things like
shame, guilt, privacy, moralframing and judgment regarding
sexual expression.
In these cultures, we see thatsex often is tied to marriage,

(11:46):
love or reproduction.
Although this is shifting withmoral values and a push towards
more sex positivity,masturbation has been
traditionally stigmatized,especially in religious and
educational context.
But again, as we continue to bemore open about sexual
expression, this stigmatizationis decreasing.
And then the recent changesthat are facilitating this

(12:07):
include more open discussions inmedia and more progressive sex
education in some regions,however, remnants of shame and
moral conflict persist,especially in very conservative
areas.
The Japanese culture oftenfosters a sense of cultural
duality, meaning publiclyconservative while privately
permissive.
So in these cultures, sexualcontent including masturbation,

(12:30):
may be widely available anddiscussed in media.
However, social norms reallydiscourage open discussion and
especially informal or familysettings.
And while masturbation isn'theavily moralized, emotional
restraint is still very muchvalued.
In the Netherlands, there's inmore of an open and educational
culture.
This area is known for its sexpositive culture and

(12:50):
comprehensive sex education.
Here masturbation is treated asa normal part of development,
and it is discussed more openlyin school curricula.
Additionally, parents oftentake an open factual approach to
sexuality and data shows thatthis results in both lower teen
pregnancy and higher levels ofsexual satisfaction and informed

(13:10):
consent.
So, maybe we could learnsomething from the Netherlands.
In Sweden and Scandinavia, theytend to be more progressive and
body positive.
Like the Netherlands, sexeducation includes positive
messaging about masturbation andpleasure.
Nudity and body talk are lesstaboo, and there is an emphasis
on mutual respect, consent, andwellbeing, not shame in these

(13:32):
areas.
Religious influence onsexuality is minimal.
Many African and Middle Easterncountries, sexuality still
carries a strong sense of taboo.
Religious and culturalconservatism, which is often
Islamic or Christian, stillheavily influences views on
sexuality In these cultures,masturbation is often seen as
morally or spiritually wrong,and even is sometimes legally

(13:55):
penalized.
The open discussion ofsexuality is rare, and
unfortunately in some cases itis often dangerous because of
this.
Young people often lack accessto accurate sex education.
I see this a lot in my practicein pelvic floor therapy.
Patients from these culturesmay still be virgins until
marriage and often have no realeducation about what to expect

(14:17):
on their wedding night.
This can lead to severalconditions that I will speak
more about in future episodes,um, diagnoses, such as
Dyspareunia and vaginismus.
In India, there may be tensionbetween ancient openness and
modern conservatism.
Historically texts like theKama Sutra celebrated sexuality.
While modern Indian societyoften reflects Victorian era

(14:39):
British moral codes layered overreligious traditions.
Again, these attitudes canpresent future problems where
shame plays a large role inphysical sexual function.
Masturbation is stigmatized inmany areas of Indian culture and
can be seen as weak orshameful, especially for men.
Additionally, sex education islimited, though urban youth are

(15:00):
increasingly turning to onlineresources.
This in itself can causeproblems as porn is a horrible
source of sex education.
In Latin America, there is astrong influence from Catholic
teachings, which generallydiscourages masturbation and
premarital sex.
The machismo culture of LatinAmericans may encourage male
sexual expression, but oftenshames women.

(15:22):
Masturbation may be normalizedprivately, but it is not openly
discussed, and sexuality isoften wrapped in
contraindications.
Celebration of sensualityversus religious moralism.
So in closing, attitudestowards masturbation and
sexuality are shaped by acomplex mix of religion,

(15:43):
colonial history, gender roles,education and media exposure.
Cultures that view sexualitythrough a lens of health,
consent and personal agency tendto foster less shame and more
wellbeing than knows that, viewit through sin, control, or
secrecy.
And really that's what thispodcast aims to achieve,
fostering less shame and morewellbeing by creating a context

(16:06):
of sex positivity andencouraging open discussion.
So let's end with a common mythabout sexuality.
This is something that I hearoften from clients that I
counsel on sexual health.
It's not uncommon for a partnerto be concerned about not being
able to give their partner anorgasm.
This is problematic in severalways.

(16:28):
First and foremost, an orgasmis not something that someone
can give you.
Um, the truth is you areresponsible for your own orgasm.
This is typically more of aproblem for vulva owners, as we
discussed in episode one.
There are very distinctdifferences between experiencing
orgasm as a penis owner asopposed to a vulva owner.
And to put it simply, penisowners are typically more apt to

(16:50):
orgasm with intercourse,whereas vulva owners are more
likely to orgasm outercourse.
That's not to say that it's notpossible to to have an orgasm
in other ways, but the majorityof vulva owners need that
clitoral stimulation, which maynot occur just in penis and
vagina sex.
But the key is this.
A vulva owner needs to not onlyknow what kind of stimulation

(17:12):
is needed, but also where andwith how much pressure.
The only way to know this is tobecome familiar with your body,
and the only way to becomefamiliar with your body is to be
curious and to explore.
Once you know what you need andhow you need it, you can then
communicate that to yourpartner.
And this goes both ways.
You know, our partners are notmind readers, and there's no way

(17:33):
for them to know what ispleasurable unless this is
something that is communicated.
This is truly the key.
So the next time you complainthat your partner didn't give
you an orgasm, consider how wellyou've communicated your needs
to them.
Think of it this way.
If you're comfortable enough tobe intimate with someone, why
wouldn't you be comfortableenough with them to communicate
what your needs are?

(17:54):
So in honor of masturbation,may get curious, explore, and
communicate your needs to yourpartner so that you can be
having the best sex possible.
That's it for today's episode.
Thanks for listening, and besure to rate and review the
podcast on whatever platformyou're listening from and share

(18:15):
it with your friends.
That's a great way to helpreach new listeners and make
this a more sex positive world.
Also, I'd love your feedbackand questions, so send me a
message.
It's at [e-mail],and that's doctor spelled out,
D-O-C-T-O-R-P-A-T-T- y j.com.
Until next time, stay curious,stay empowered, and stay you.