The History of Sex Toys: From Ancient Times to Modern Pleasure
52.3% of us now regularly enjoy what sex toys have to offer, either during solo pursuits or with a partner that we trust. This is great news, but it has taken a long time to get here. In fact, when you delve into the rich history of sex toys, you’ll find that it’s filled with ups, downs, and developments that stretch back as far as 28,000 years. That makes this one of the oldest industries in the world, which is hardly surprising considering that sex has always mattered a great deal for wellbeing and general satisfaction.
Luckily, we’re now at a point where you can buy a sex toy to serve almost any sexual desire from trusted retailers like Cupid Boutique sex shop, North York. But, it hasn’t always been that way, and, to help you truly appreciate your next sex toy purchase, we’re going to consider exactly what sex toys of the past looked like, and how they morphed into the great products of today.
28,000 Years Ago: Sex Toys and…Splinters?
While it’s hard to say exactly when the first dildo was designed, we do know that the oldest recovered phallic model dates back to the Paleolithic era (around 28,000 years ago) and was made of siltstone. While it’s unclear whether such an object would have been used for religion or pleasure, the use of sex toys was certainly apparent in Roman and Greek times, when they were directly referenced in pictures and literature.
This might be great news for the Romans and Greeks, but given that dildos of the time were largely made from wood and stone, we’re not quite sure how comfortable their pleasure could have been. It could’ve been worse, though. According to early documentation, Egyptians at the same time were using camel dung dildos coated in resin. No, thank you!
Sex Toys As Taboo: The Medieval Years
While the use of sex toys was an open and beneficial thing that was even thought to cure ‘hysteria’ by the Romans and Greeks, the sex toy industry took an unfortunate step back during the Medieval Ages, when strict religious and societal beliefs stated that self-pleasure was sinful.
On the plus side, the growing use of genital massage as a treatment for hysteria during this period was paving the way for the first battery-operated vibrator. Intended for solely medical use, the first vibrator’s release in 1899 was a huge step towards pleasure once more. The first rubber dildos were also introduced at this time for the same reasons, bringing sex toys back out in the open, albeit it for ‘medical’ reasons.
The Long-Awaited Sexual Revolution: 1960 and Beyond
Our poor closeted sex toys were finally saved from taboo in the 1960s, when sexual revolution across the land meant that there was finally a call for the mass production of dildos and vibrators. This was a major period of change for the sex toy industry and led to the introduction of a lot of things we still use today, including the use of nylon and silicone, as well as the safe and trusted purchase of sex toys via established adult stores.
Technological advancements also paved a path of change during the 20th century, with battery-operated and rechargeable toys leading to a more convenient, subtle kind of sex toy. This made sex toys more appealing to the masses and was a precursor for the $34 billion sex toy industry that we enjoy today.
Making Modern Love With Sex Toy Advancements
Nowadays, sex toys offer so much more than camel dung dildos, and they keep on getting better. Just a few of the best things that modern sex toys have to offer right now include –
- Inclusivity: Sex toys are now designed with inclusivity and body customizations in mind across a range of shapes, sizes, and textures depending on user preferences.
- Connectivity: Sex toys that connect to mobile apps via Bluetooth make it possible for a partner to remotely control your pleasure, adding a whole new couple-centric focus to toys that were once solely designed for solo pleasure.
- What about AI?: As in any industry, the full use of AI for sex toys is still unclear. But, with virtual reality already paving the way for long-distance intimacy, it’s thought that AI could create entirely personalized sex toy experiences using biometric sensors in the near future.
There's never been a more exciting time to enjoy the full extent of what sex toys have to offer. Explore the full depths of sex toy pleasure with Cupid Boutique’s complete range of sex toys, North York.
