A dildo is a sex toy, often explicitly phallic in appearance, intended for sexual penetration or other sexual activity during masturbation or with sex partners. Dildos can be made from a number of materials and shaped like an erect human penis. They are typically about the average length of an erect penis, 4–6 inches (10–15 cm), but some may be longer. A dildo's circumference is typically 4–5 inches (10–13 cm).
A dildo is an object usually designed for sexual penetration of the vagina, mouth, or anus, and is usually solid and phallic in shape. Penis prosthetic aids, known as "extensions", are not considered dildos. Some include penis-shaped items clearly designed for vaginal penetration, even if they are not true approximations of a penis. An anal dildo is intended for repeated anal penetration, to be distinguished from a butt plug which is flanged with the intent of remaining in place. People of all genders and sexual orientations use these devices for masturbation or other sexual activity.
Phallus-shaped vegetables and fruits, such as bananas or zucchini or other food items, such as hot dogs or other types of sausages, have been used as dildos in a form of food play. Any object of sufficient firmness and shape can be used like a dildo. [1]
Conventionally, many dildos are shaped like a human penis with varying degrees of detail, while others are made to resemble the phallus of animals. Not all, however, are fashioned to reproduce the male anatomy meticulously, and dildos come in a wide variety of shapes. They may resemble figures, or simply be practical creations which stimulate more easily than conventional designs. In Japan, many dildos are created to resemble animals or cartoon characters, such as Hello Kitty, so that they may be sold as conventional toys, thus avoiding obscenity laws. Some dildos have textured surfaces to enhance sexual pleasure, and others have macrophallic dimensions including over 12 inches (30.5 cm) long. [2]
In 2015 research was published into the average size that a sample of women preferred for their partner's penis. The research used 3D-printed plastic penises of various sizes rather than commercially sold dildos. The average result was around 6.3 inches (16 cm) in length and 4.8 inches (12 cm) in girth. [3] [4] That said, some women may prefer different sizes then the aforementioned, and the 3D printing of dildos gives the option of personalization (allowing to shape and size the dildo to the exact specific dimension that the user wants). Starting in 2012, 3D models of dildos became available for printing by individuals. The advantage of printing at home was not only personalization but also discretion. This, however, did not take off at that time, in part due to the porosity issue of the materials used (which is mainly a problem if no condom is used over the dildo). Some websites have continued to exist however. [5] Besides printing it at home, it is also possible to print it off at a fablab, makerspace, [6] or 3D printing marketplace. All of these avoid needing to purchase a personal 3D printer for printing off 3D models.
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Most dildos are intended for vaginal or anal penetration and stimulation, for masturbation on oneself or by a sexual partner. Dildos have fetishistic value as well, and may be used in other ways, such as touching one's own or another's skin in various places, often during foreplay or as an act of dominance and submission. If of appropriate sizes, they can be used as gags, for oral penetration for a sort of artificial fellatio. Dildos, particularly specially designed ones, may be used to stimulate the G-spot area.
A dildo designed for anal insertion that then remains in place is usually referred to as a butt plug. A dildo intended for repeated anal penetration (thrusting) is typically referred to as an anal dildo or simply "dildo". Anal dildos and butt plugs generally have a large base to avoid accidental complete insertion into the rectum, which may require medical removal. Some women use double-ended dildos, with different-sized shafts pointing in the same direction, for simultaneous vaginal and anal penetration, or for two partners to share a single dildo. In the latter case, the dildo acts as a sort of "see-saw", where each partner takes an end and receives stimulation.
Some dildos are designed to be worn in a harness, sometimes called a strap-on harness or strap-on dildo, or to be worn inside the vagina (then called strapless dildo or "strapless strap-on dildo" [7] [8] ), sometimes with externally-attached vibrating devices. Strap-on dildos may be double-ended, meant to be worn by users who want to experience vaginal or anal penetration while also penetrating a partner. They may also be used for anally penetrating men. If a female penetrates a male, the act is known as pegging .
Other types of dildos include those designed to be fitted to the face of one party, inflatable dildos, and dildos with suction cups attached to the base (sometimes referred to as a wall mount). Other types of harness mounts for dildos (besides strapping to the groin) include thigh mount, face mount, or furniture mounting straps.
The etymology of the word dildo was long considered unclear, [9] but the third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary concluded in 2018 that the word originates in nonsense syllables common in early-modern popular ballads (not dissimilar to the still-familiar nursery rhyme phrase "hey diddle diddle"), which came to be used as a coy euphemism for dildos. [10] The phrase "Dil Doul", referring to a man's penis, appears in the seventeenth-century folk ballad "The Maids Complaint for want of a Dil Doul". [11] The song was among the many in the library of Samuel Pepys.[ citation needed ]
Other theories that have previously circulated include that the word dildo originally referred to the phallus-shaped peg used to lock an oar in position on a dory (small boat). It would be inserted into a hole on the side of the boat, and is very similar in shape to the modern toy. The sex toy might take its name from this sailing tool, which also lends its name to the town of Dildo and the nearby Dildo Island in Newfoundland, Canada. Others suggest the word is a corruption of Italian diletto "delight". [12] [13]
According to the OED, one of the word's first appearances in English was in Thomas Nashe's The Choise of Valentines or the Merie Ballad of Nash his Dildo (c. 1593), in the sentence "Curse Eunuke dilldo, senceless, counterfet, | Who sooth maie fill, but neuer can begett" ('curse dildo, that eunuch, lacking feelings, and counterfeit, who can certainly fill [a vagina], but can never beget [children]'). [10]
An olisbos (pl. olisboi) is a classical term for a dildo, from Greek ὄλισβος, [14] i.e. a dildo that was usually made of leather.[ citation needed ] A godemiché is a dildo in the shape of a penis with scrotum.[ citation needed ]
In some modern languages, the names for dildo can be more descriptive, creative or subtle—note, for instance, the Russian фаллоимитатор (literally "phallic imitator"), Bengali ডাল্ডা (dalda), Hindi दर्शिल्दोdarśildō, Spanish consolador "consoler" and Welsh cala goeg "fake penis".
Dildos in one form or another have existed widely in history. Artifacts from the Upper Paleolithic of a type called bâton de commandement have been speculated to have been used for sexual purposes. [15] Few archaeologists consider these items as sex toys, but archaeologist Timothy Taylor put it, "Looking at the size, shape, and—some cases—explicit symbolism of the ice age batons, it seems disingenuous to avoid the most obvious and straightforward interpretation. But it has been avoided." [16] [17]
The first dildos were made of stone, tar, wood, bone, ivory, limestone, teeth, [18] and other materials that could be shaped as penises and that were firm enough to be used as penetrative sex toys. Scientists believe that a 20-centimeter siltstone phallus from the Upper Palaeolithic period 30,000 years ago, found in Hohle Fels Cave near Ulm, Germany, may have been used as a dildo. [19] Prehistoric double-headed dildos have been found which date anywhere from 13 to 19,000 years ago. Various paintings from ancient Egypt around 3000 BCE feature dildos being used in a variety of ways. In the Middle Ages, a plant called the "cantonese groin" was soaked in hot water to enlarge and harden for women to use as dildos. [18] Dildo-like breadsticks, known as olisbokollikes (sing. olisbokollix), [20] were known in Ancient Greece prior to the 5th century BC. [21] In Italy during the 15th century, dildos were made of leather, wood, or stone. [22] Chinese women in the 15th century used dildos made of lacquered wood with textured surfaces, and were sometimes buried with them. [18] Nashe's early-1590s work The Choise of Valentines mentions a dildo made from glass. [23] Dildos also appeared in 17th and 18th century Japan, in shunga. In these erotic novels, women are shown enthusiastically buying dildos, some made out of water buffalo horns. [18]
Dildos were not just used for sexual pleasure. Examples from the Eurasia Ice Age (40,000-10,000 BCE) and Roman era are speculated to have been used for defloration rituals. This is not the only example of dildos being used for ritual ceremonies, as people in 4000 BCE Pakistan used them to worship the god Shiva. [18]
Many references to dildos exist in the historical and ethnographic literature. Haberlandt, [24] for example, illustrates single and double-ended wooden dildos from late 19th century Zanzibar. With the invention of modern materials, making dildos of different shapes, sizes, colors and textures became more practical. [25]
Dildos may be seen in some examples of ancient Greek vase art. Some pieces show their use in group sex or in solitary female masturbation. [26] One vessel, of about the sixth century BCE, depicts a scene in which a woman bends over to perform oral sex on a man, while another man is about to thrust a dildo into her anus. [27]
They are mentioned several times in Aristophanes' comedy of 411 BCE, Lysistrata .
Herodas' short comic play, Mime VI , written in the 3rd century BCE, is about a woman called Metro, anxious to discover from a friend where she recently acquired a dildo.
She eventually discovers the maker to be a man called Kerdon, who hides his trade by the front of being a cobbler, and leaves to seek him out. Metro and Kerdon are main characters in the next play in the sequence, Mime VII, when she visits his shop.
Page duBois, a classicist and feminist theorist, suggests that dildos were present in Greek art because the ancient Greek male imagination found it difficult to conceive of sex taking place without penetration. Therefore, female masturbation or sex between women required an artificial phallus to be used. [26] Greek dildos were often made out of leather stuffed with wool in order to give it varying degrees of thickness and firmness. They were often lubricated with olive oil, and used for sexual practice and other activities. The Greeks were also one of the first groups to use the term "toy" in reference to a dildo. [18]
The Talmud's Avodah Zarah Tractate [30] records the interpretation which Rav Yosef bar Hiyya gave to the Biblical reference of King Asa of Judah having "(...) deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as Queen Mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down and burned it in the Kidron Valley". [31] According to Rav Yosef, Maakah had installed "a kind of male organ" on her Asherah image "in order to fulfill her desire", and was "mating with it every day". Rav Yosef's words are quoted by Rashi in his own interpretation of 2 Chronicles 15:16. Whether or not Rav Yosef was right in attributing this practice to the Biblical Queen, his speaking of it indicates that Jews in 3rd Century Mesopotamia were familiar with such devices.
In the early 1590s, the English playwright Thomas Nashe wrote a poem known as The Choise of Valentines , Nashe's Dildo or The Merrie Ballad of Nashe his Dildo. This was not printed at the time, due to its obscenity [32] but it was still widely circulated and made Nashe's name notorious. [23] The poem describes a visit to a brothel by a man called Tomalin; he is searching for his sweetheart, Francis, who has become a prostitute. The only way he can see her is to hire her. However, she resorts to using a glass dildo as he finds himself unable to perform sexually to her satisfaction. [33]
Dildos are humorously mentioned in Act IV, scene iv of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale . This play and Ben Jonson's play The Alchemist (1610) are typically cited as the first use of the word in publication (Nashe's Merrie Ballad was not published until 1899). [32]
John Wilmot, the seventeenth-century English libertine, published his poem Signor Dildo in 1673. During the Parliamentary session of that year, objections were raised to the proposed marriage of James, Duke of York, brother of the King and heir to the throne, to Mary of Modena, an Italian Catholic princess. An address was presented to King Charles on 3 November, foreseeing the dangerous consequences of marriage to a Catholic, and urging him to put a stop to any planned wedding '...to the unspeakable Joy and Comfort of all Your loyal Subjects." Wilmot's response was Signior Dildo (You ladies all of merry England) [Note 1] , a mock address anticipating the 'solid' advantages of a Catholic marriage, namely the wholesale importation of Italian dildos, to the unspeakable joy and comfort of all the ladies of England:
This ballad was subsequently added to by other authors, and became so popular that Signor became a term for a dildo. [34] In the epilogue to The Mistaken Husband (1674), by John Dryden, an actress complains:
Signor Dildo was set to music by Michael Nyman for the 2004 biopic, The Libertine.
Many other works of bawdy and satirical English literature of the period deal with the subject. Dildoides: A Burlesque Poem (London, 1706), attributed to Samuel Butler, is a mock lament to a collection of dildos that had been seized and publicly burnt by the authorities. Examples of anonymous works include The Bauble, a tale (London, 1721) and Monsieur Thing's Origin: or Seignor D---o's Adventures in London, (London, 1722). [35] In 1746, Henry Fielding wrote The Female Husband: or the surprising history of Mrs Mary, alias Mr. George Hamilton, in which a woman poses as a man uses a dildo. This was a fictionalized account of the story of Mary Hamilton. [36] The 1748 chapbook A Spy on Mother Midnight depicts an innocent country girl who travels with a dildo and a copy of Rochester's dildo poem in her luggage. [37]
The collection of the Science Museum, London includes several dildos made from wood, cloth or ivory, [38] [39] [40] including one ivory example possibly made in France in the 18th century. [41]
Dildos are obliquely referred to in Saul Bellow's novel The Adventures of Augie March (1953): "....he had brought me along to a bachelor's stag where two naked acrobatic girls did stunts with false tools". [42] A dildo called Steely Dan III from Yokohama appears in the William S. Burroughs novel The Naked Lunch (1959). [43] [44] The rock band Steely Dan took their name from it.
In 2017, dark web privacy researcher Sarah Jamie Lewis connected a vibrator (using reverse engineering) to Tor, the anonymity network, in a proof of concept demonstrating the applicability of privacy technology after the fact. [45]
The possession and sale of dildos is illegal in some jurisdictions, such as India. [46] Until recently, many southern states and some Great Plains states in the United States banned the sale of dildos completely, either directly or through laws regulating "obscene devices". [47] In 2007, a federal appeals court upheld Alabama's law prohibiting the sale of sex toys. [48] The law, the Anti-Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1998, was also upheld by the Supreme Court of Alabama on September 11, 2009. [49] There are even instances where dildos have been seized and burned at customs. [18]
In February 2008, a United States federal appeals court overturned a Texas statute banning the sales of dildos and other sexual toys, deeming such a statute as violating the Constitution's 14th Amendment on the right to privacy. [50] The appeals court cited Lawrence v. Texas , where the Supreme Court of the United States in 2003 struck down bans on consensual sex between gay couples, as unconstitutionally aiming at "enforcing a public moral code by restricting private intimate conduct." Similar statutes have been struck down in Kansas and Colorado. Alabama is the only state where a law prohibiting the sale of sex toys remains on the books. [51]
Some Conservative Christians believe that the use of sex toys is immoral. The Southern Baptist preacher Dan Ireland has been an outspoken critic of such devices and has fought to ban them on religious and ethical grounds. [49] Ireland led an effort to outlaw dildos and other sex toys in Alabama to "...protect the public against themselves." [52] Other Christian religious leaders such as Evangelical Lutheran Church of America pastor Heidi Johnson, who founded a student group on sexuality at Duke Divinity School, have a positive view of sex toys in Christian sexuality. [53]
Anal sex or anal intercourse is generally the insertion and thrusting of the erect penis into a person's anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure. Other forms of anal sex include anal fingering, the use of sex toys, anilingus, pegging, as well as electrostimulation and erotic torture such as figging. Although anal sex most commonly means penile–anal penetration, sources sometimes use anal intercourse to exclusively denote penile–anal penetration, and anal sex to denote any form of anal sexual activity, especially between pairings as opposed to anal masturbation.
Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer sex or protected sex to indicate that some safe sex practices do not eliminate STI risks. It is also sometimes used colloquially to describe methods aimed at preventing pregnancy that may or may not also lower STI risks.
A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate sexual pleasure, such as a dildo, artificial vagina or vibrator. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals, and may be vibrating or non-vibrating. The term sex toy can also include BDSM apparatus and sex furniture such as sex swings; however, it is not applied to items such as birth control, pornography, or condoms. Alternative terms for sex toy include adult toy and the dated euphemism marital aid. Marital aid also has a broader meaning and is applied to drugs and herbs marketed to enhance or prolong sex.
A butt plug is a sex toy that is designed to be inserted into the rectum for sexual pleasure. They are similar to a dildo in some ways but tend to be shorter and have a flanged end to prevent the device from being lost inside the rectum.
A sex position is a positioning of the bodies that people use to engage in sexual intercourse or other sexual activities. Sexual acts are generally described by the positions the participants adopt in order to perform those acts. Though sexual intercourse generally involves penetration of the body of one person by another, sex positions commonly involve non-penetrative sexual activities.
Double penetration is a term that usually refers to a vaginal and anal sex act involving one penis penetrating a vagina while another penetrates the anus. It could also refer to the simultaneous penetration of either a vagina or an anus by two penises or artifacts.
A Sybian, or Sybian saddle, is a type of masturbation device, consisting of a hollow saddle-like seat containing two electric motors, motor speed controller boards, gearing, pulleys, and a platform on cranked axles such that a ridge on the top of the unit can be made to vibrate through a range of speeds as set using a wired external hand controller, and an upward-pointing shaft set on an angle through the ridge can be made to rotate at speeds of up to several hundred revolutions per minute, again by use of the wired remote control. Flexible molded attachments are usually supplied, fitting over the vibrating ridge and shaft which mostly have integrated dildos on their top. In use, the rider inserts the dildo into a body orifice for internal stimulation while applying pressure on the vibrating ridge with their external erogenous parts.
Sexual penetration is the insertion of a body part or other object into a body orifice, such as the mouth, vagina or anus, as part of human sexual activity or sexual behavior in non-human animals.
Frot or frotting is a gay sexual practice that usually involves direct penis-to-penis contact. The term was popularized by gay male activists who disparaged the practice of anal sex, but has since evolved to encompass a variety of preferences for the act, which may or may not imply particular attitudes towards other sexual activities. This can also be used as some type of foreplay.
Anal masturbation is an autoerotic practice in which a person masturbates by sexually stimulating their own anus and rectum. Common methods of anal masturbation include manual stimulation of the anal opening and the insertion of an object or objects. Items inserted may be sex toys such as anal beads, butt plugs, dildos, vibrators, or specially designed prostate massagers or enemas.
Fingering is sexual stimulation of the vulva or vagina by using the fingers. Vaginal fingering is legally and medically called digital penetration or digital penetration of the vagina. The term "digital" takes its significance from the English word 'digit', which refers to a finger, thumb, or toe. Fingering may also include the use of fingers to stimulate the anus.
A strap-on dildo is a dildo designed to be worn, usually with a harness, during sexual activity. Harnesses and dildos are made in a wide variety of styles, with variations in how the harness fits the wearer, how the dildo attaches to the harness, as well as various features intended to facilitate stimulation of the wearer or a sexual partner. Strap-on dildos are most frequently used by lesbian women, but can be used by people of any gender or sexuality.
A vibrator, sometimes described as a massager, is a sex toy that is used on the body to produce pleasurable sexual stimulation. There are many different shapes and models of vibrators. Most modern vibrators contain an electric-powered device which pulsates or throbs. Vibrators can be used for both solo play and partnered play by one or more people. Devices exist to be used by couples to stimulate the genitals of both partners. They can be applied to erogenous zones, such as the vulva, vagina, penis, scrotum, or anus, for sexual stimulation, for the release of sexual frustration and to achieve orgasm. Vibrators may be recommended by sex therapists for women who have difficulty reaching orgasm through masturbation or intercourse.
A G-spot vibrator is a sex toy with female and male varieties. The female version of the device is built to massage the G-spot, described as a bean-shaped area of the vagina. Some women report that it is an erogenous zone which, when stimulated, can lead to strong sexual arousal, powerful orgasms and female ejaculation. The male version of the G-spot vibrator is used for massaging the prostate for both sexual and health-related reasons.
A double penetration dildo or double dildo is a type of sex toy used for double penetration, the simultaneous entry of two body orifices at the same time, belonging to either one or two people. It is a dildo designed in the form of two penetrative stimulators that are either separate or fixed on a single shaft. Some double penetration dildos include a vibrating motor that allows them to be used as double penetration vibrators.
Non-penetrative sex or outercourse is sexual activity that usually does not include sexual penetration. It generally excludes the penetrative aspects of vaginal, anal, or oral sex, but includes various forms of sexual and non-sexual activity, such as frottage, manual sex, mutual masturbation, kissing, or cuddling. Some forms of non-penetrative sex, particularly when termed outercourse, include penetrative aspects, such as penetration that may result from forms of fingering or oral sex.
Pegging generally refers to a sexual activity that involves a woman wearing a strap-on dildo while performing anal penetration on a man, although the term can also be used to describe it regardless of gender roles.
Penis envy is a stage in Sigmund Freud's theory of female psychosexual development, in which young girls experience anxiety upon realization that they do not have a penis. Freud considered this realization a defining moment in a series of transitions toward a mature female sexuality. In Freudian theory, the penis envy stage begins the transition from attachment to the mother to competition with the mother for the attention and affection of the father. The young boy's realization that women do not have a penis is thought to result in castration anxiety.
An artificial vagina is a device designed to imitate the vagina as well as sometimes the vulva. To achieve this, it will generally be made of a soft material, lubricated, and occasionally heated.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to human sexuality:
The Maids Complaint / For want of a Dil doul. / This Girl long time had in a sickness been, / Which many maids do call the sickness green: / I wish she may some comfort find poor Soul / And have her belly fill'd with a Dil doul.
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