Herstory of Pleasure

As early as the late 1800s, it was medically recommended to vibrate a woman’s vagina to relieve hysteria. Women could go to the doctor to receive this “treatment”. Symptoms of hysteria included depression, insomnia, lack of sex drive, too much sex drive (f*ck that) and “extreme” emotions.

Herstorically, one of the cures for hysteria was a “hysteria-ectomy”, otherwise known as a “hysterectomy”. The Greek root “hystera” means “uterus”. Remove the uterus, remove the hysteria, right?

Fascinating. Two potential treatment for hysteria. Orgasm or hysterectomy. Orgasm in the clinical sense. They did not call it orgasm or associate it with pleasure. It was a medical treatment. Or remove the source of pleasure, creation, desire? Fascinating options.

I wish to reframe. The root of hysteria is patriarchal oppression of women through systems and energetics that require women to work harder than men for what we have and what we need. Let us please meet this by honoring women’s pleasure. Pleasure is our birthright.