EP34 - THE VIBRATOR with My Mom and SIsters EXPORT

6:46PM Mar 30, 2023

Speakers:

Dawn Brodey

Peter Vogt

Keywords:

vibrator

lisa

people

women

mom

pegging

device

history

granville

thought

uterus

hysteria

feel

female

question

orgasm

true

called

book

electrified

With the picture of this phallic device held up against the neck quote, aids that every woman appreciates, made by a woman who understands a woman's needs. Interesting, interesting. This is my favorite, penetrating comfort. Oh.

I like to follow me down the rabbit hole, his story I liked

Hello, and welcome back to health history I'd like to fuck with Dawn Brodey. I'm Dawn Brodey. And you can now find hills with the cool kids in the den. That's the deluxe edition network. To hear other great podcasts in the den, follow the link in the show notes or go to deluxe edition network.com. This episode is so special to me. And I'm very glad you're here. Because if you're a regular health listener, you know that I'll help anyone, anywhere anytime. My guests are as varied as the episode topics. I've been joined by friends, colleagues, strangers, authors, neighbors, and even family, my husband and Melby and I helped Krampus and Pompeii and my dear old mom joined me for an episode on the radium girls, that then this spring, a unicorn opportunity. Mom was coming back to town and my two big sisters were coming with her. So after a little bribery, just to say whiskey and the rural Wisconsin card game called sheephead. They agreed to help with me. Now some of you may share the same communication dynamic within your own family that we do a sort of swimming with sharks get a word in if you dare sort of thing and perhaps it's because of this tendency of ours. I chose a subject that can leave even the most verbose among us suddenly tight lipped, so to speak, the history of the vibrator it's a surprising and invigorating story and I think you'll agree with me that there was no better time and no better company with which to tell it. Thanks for joining us. Let's get started

do you guys do you guys want to hear the good news or the bad news?

We love it.

The good news is we are beginning officially the pod hit Play or the bad news is we have been recording for 15 minutes I've been recording everything that's happened up to this

point I felt warmed up honestly I can't lie over all the mental

math right now

they what did we just wait

back it up? What do you say?

I actually thought about this long in advance when I realized that we were going to do this I thought oh my god, I can't tell as the youngest in the family. I have an on usual power today. Oh, this is the only one who knows how any of this equipment works. And I can edit on it. That's not really fair. On Air and Air. Oh, this is very exhilarating for me. Let me let me set the scene for people who can't see us. I am sitting at my kitchen table in my new house. I moved my my two older sisters have have come into town along with my mom and she my mother is sitting to my left she's holding yogurt he's probably asleep Is he asleep and he wants

to be tight his tie into her armpit because we're being too

it's too loud. Too loud. You're warm, but it's I'll take it next to my mom Lana, who listeners will remember was a guest already. Oh, I

don't see free don't

be afraid and you were not afraid you were wonderful people love you. I got messages saying oh your mom's so nice. Did they say that accent or your accent?

left off the bad

boy. Yeah, I'm sure Yeah. To the left of my mother is my oldest sister and she's wearing a really cute like salmon just got polka dots on it. She's a bib and pearls and is visiting from Chicago, where she lives with her husband Michael and her two gorgeous boys. Ben and Jake and I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for coming. You taught me because this is your contribution to the podcast you taught me five syllable

words your god I knew that

was gonna come. It starts not with us on an airplane together with no one to chaperone

to you What do you want to learn a five syllable and I think

Lana running across room saying

no I'm thrilled Are you kidding? This is you can't google this stuff yet so

8580

and so you're a teen and I'm not is the bottom line and I was like a five syllable word sounds like exactly the kind of thing I'm into. And and mom I do remember mom, we were on a plane she was sitting several rows away from

the back, toilet, my

sister and who is nothing but my best interests in heart always. Tell me what is this finds a little burden and hold her hand. Starting with her thumb, she went, he wanted him off Jack, you lay and then I held up my nine year old Hey, I'm Jack and Mama.

I can't now as a parent, I think about the people sitting around on the airplane who were probably sitting there very firmly, like

maybe same mother. But I really feel like that was a gateway to like, like, like smart and education holding hands. It's a real root. It's a real root cause and I thank you. sitting to the left of an is my older sister Lisa middle child.

So diplomat.

With these two, bookends, I could run the

Jesus lives in Boston with her husband and three beautiful children are amazing Zack ape, and Ellie. Now here's the thing to know about Lisa is that she people generally when they first encounter us as sisters, she kind of is the most angelic looking, and the most like, Oh, she seems the sweetest, and the nicest and the calmest because me and Anne are fucking and we're shooting whiskey and we're saying we definitely say fuck first. And there we are. Here's my undies, etc. Right while Lisa seems to she's smiling and she's not trying as hard and she's just but here's what you should know about Lisa. The worst one, right? She was the only one tell us my preach my almost the worst one, ma'am.

Well, you're you are hold honors. Lisa was the only one. I got a phone call in the middle of the night said hi, mom. How you doing? Weird. What's happened? You come pick me up. I'm at the city.

Okay, sure. What was the transgression, she

and her girlfriend picked up one of those flashing rolling light things and put it in their trunk to take off deal. It was caught red handed because it was still flashing.

I think they just couldn't. They just leaned over the street and they had an outside the car. And they drove off with it. Like so suddenly.

The officer was so cute because she pulled him out and he looks at me and he says it wasn't that bad. It was like don't go home and beat her.

Giving him that impression. I just am a very guilty conscience.

I want to give perspective for people who can't necessarily envision what kind of place a person would be living in where you would scoop up a road sign still flashing.

That was fun.

That was a good time. I

think it caused us 25 bucks. That was my disorderly conduct and

for the record because this is called the record. This is how you get held accountable for this stuff. I want you to go on there and use this as my recollection as the little sister who was very impressed with was someone a hunter maybe dad on our land, we had 85 acres out in the middle of nowhere stumbling upon a flashing road sign under a bunch of leaves in the middle of our woods and was like no never and I was like she's no

same sign. Same sign they

keep telling me they can keep it I think then they found you in the woods with it.

No, no, no, we this is gonna make up a story really quickly. Right? They just know I'm actually trying to replace what happened we had it not well hidden the neighbor that called or the person that we took it was in front of a house and a guy saw us doing it and he called the cops well they'll tell you so that's how we got caught because somebody was looking out their window at the time that we were taken to nightfall road Yeah, so we had it in my car and I think we realized that someone taught us like I was like

looking and has a purpose of the size

to be we wanted to take it we wanted to take it totally we wanted it however you know to know that you're like being watched you're like we don't get to keep this now right was really what I think I couldn't show stopping so rather than put it back I think we dropped it off like this area that we knew we can go back and get it to here. And I actually don't know if the police cracked us and like had Just show them where it was. I don't even know if not a hunter founder but in any case what happened was Dad used it as a as like a sawhorse in the garage. And that's why I was sort of like see was it $5

Lana Adams are glorious mother. What are the What a joy to be the mother of these three? The primes how happy you are with

I am my hardest verse.

That's a weird renew that is your very clever first is always your favorite. Well, I

like the song says someone I'm near. She just blinked twice

at me good for you.

If you need help blink twice to me.

That's how lucky I am. They're all the

ladies, here's my bride to these microphones. In addition to dishing, like FurReal about all of our previous transaction aggressions is to discuss the history of something. Before we get into the history of the chain, I know you're cleansing, I can feel it under the table. Cohen, we're talking about the history of the vibrator. And I would like to tell my listeners how this subject came up. I think it's a very fascinating history in general. But also, as my mother, Lana Adams is a previous guest, she had given me an extensive list of possible subjects that she wants to quickly rejected, which I promptly and I ridiculed out loud. You didn't hear it? I was like, dumb. Each one. No, that's not true. They were all actually great course. And she didn't put vibrator on the list. To be fair, no. But what she did ask questions about origin of sexuality and gender roles and gender norms. And I thought that was very fascinating. And and I knew that it would be very titillating. For us to talk about the history of this particular device, the vibrator and my whole thing in life but especially in health, is that all history is not only interesting, but really revealing. About about the times and the place and the people with whom you are discoursing about this particular history and and no taboo and that's the thing with the history of the vibrator is surrounded with that makes me feel

cleaner already.

Thank you. What's the context? You're right, because there's a lot of like, even a bottle of wine is like it sits on a shelf. You're like, Oh, that's pretty. Yeah. But when you know the context, you're like, where was it grown? What was the weather the people that owned it? The why the soil is special is utterly what makes it fascinating the history of that context. I love it.

In my opinion, you can take any thing from history and reveal a lot about the book. It's why we I learned so much about America when I researched baseball, why you can learn just lipstick why Where did lipstick come from these singular things and sometimes in health, we fuck the big stuff, world wars and presidents but sometimes I like being able to come to the to the G spots. But thank you, it's also rented. Thank you, mom. It's also about sexism, and prudishness are so wrapped up in the history of the thing and how we told the history and didn't tell the history and why it was taboo and where it was taboo. And I wanted to talk with you guys about a subject that was not only titillating, but had to do with subjects of sexism, and prudishness. Because they are two, like huge concepts that I feel like I really didn't get until I was long out of the household in which we all we three grew up in under your tutelage. Totally. I remember thinking because we are a very female empowered household. I have these two sit there are no brothers. Mom has several sisters. Women ruled virtually every room I walked into throughout my formative years, right? I mean, and not only that, were Lutheran, right? So you'd see females in the pulpit or running church stuff. And the

brothers were so like your brothers weren't like, like exclusionary women, your brothers were an example. Treat women so that's a really good point, Don, we were kind of in a bubble and just didn't know it. And we also had boy

friends to work that we would four wheelers and you guys were hunted and hundreds of bands sleep and like fair it was it was really like a almost almost like puberty and coming of age was when it was like we're like different and there's like we're supposed to date or something. And so how you get pregnant, how you avoid getting pregnant and what sex is no big deal. We can talk about that without blinking an eye. What feels good and how to have sex Nez somebody else's problem, you know, I mean, like, you'll figure it out feels like fairly normal, especially for the time but certainly like in general. Like I don't think maybe your parents are the best people to talk to you about Know what feels good? Either party? Nobody know. You had a couple of playgirlz. I remember I stumbled upon it an opportune moment. And that is

utterly untrue.

Fact. Yeah, it's possible. I remember him impossible. We didn't have the internet yet whatever. In any event, the for the same reason I think things like the vibrator are like uncomfortable and tricky to talk about in tables like this is the same reason it's been difficult for historians and educational professionals and even medical professionals. If you didn't talk about it, you didn't write it down. Because we're talking about how you get pregnant, how you don't get pregnant and what sex is. But when it comes to what feels good, and how to do and what you like,

I think most people get educated through porn now. Am I wrong? I don't think so.

No, I think you're right, Lisa. Exactly.

Is that the best way to learn?

I think he showed me that you go to the porn store.

True. None of this is absolutely true. But they say porn is responsible for so many important evolutions of media and also some misconceptions. Absolutely. Right. So I will tell you that the history of the device the vibrator is much older than most of the discourse about the vibrator, of course, because it has been taboo for about as long as it's existed. So let me tell you first my sources for the history that we're about to find together. There is a great book by the author, Rachel Mainz, called the technology of orgasm. And she has a PhD among many other degrees in the history of technology. And she realized that this was kind of an important area that had not been explored, so to speak. And so is she she wrote a book and it was very titillating. And people enjoyed it. It was highly, highly rated. It inspired a play that I remember seeing in the early aughts called in the next room or the vibrator play. And it was a dramatization based on some of the historical facts from Rachel Maine's his book and then a movie that came out in 2011. Called hysteria, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and the dashing Hugh Dorsey. I know, gray area. These but these historical sources reveal that Rachel means sort of discusses in her historical source that then these fictional stories based their their plotlines on was that in the Victorian era, in the 1880s, doctors were using a newly electrified vibrating device to bring women to orgasm, to cure them of their hysteria. It's brilliant. And there's like, of course, the complications of like a very vast ignorance of the female sexuality when a line out the door is a bag. You just put up and treat hysteria here and

when I was really sick, but I feel so much

and there's things and both sides because it's Victorian, and part two, the guilt. They're both so pent up in ignorant female sexuality that the women, many of them it is alleged, are as ignorant of what's happening here as the doctor who's like, you're welcome. See, see you next week. She's like, this is really I mean, I really want some like toast I wanna go for a walk. I know this is amazing. And so these These show the the Lions of women down the block, just waiting for their turn to come at the hands of this handsome young

Darcy less petticoats than they would normally

erect. Now here like most great, like devouring history like this, that makes you go, Oh, my God, how dumb like, really? That's two things. One is there was a lot of study done. That contradicted our friend Rachel means his research and their primary thrust of their counter argument to her. Thank you. And was she was that it was was that it? Was she over exaggerated? That sure a couple of doctors are bringing some ladies to orgasm with a vibrating thing, but that perhaps we over exaggerated these lines of women down the door and everyone being late. But that is generally a source that I have there. I also watched several documentaries could not encourage you to watch them more. They are brief and very educational. One in particular, I'll tell you I'm making it to four minutes long. It's from this tiny Museum in northern Minnesota International Falls which is often one of the coldest places on earth they for whatever reason have a bunch of old turn of the century vibrators up there that like you carried around in a suitcase they have it on display I don't know why. I mean I do know why because there's you're an International Falls and there's what else are you gonna do?

I need a billboard and Then they're all set. But they got one. They're like this

one has mercury in it. I mean, it's really. But she's like, we don't know why it didn't there. We think they kind of like they'll watch it. Maybe it was interesting to watch. I watched the documentary. And if you are a stone's throw of international fall training, I will put a link to it in the show notes, you can find them. So, my plan for the filming of this episode on vibrators with my mother, and my two older sisters may have already been demonstrated. Although you're not doing it at the moment, you're actually paying very close attention. You'd never shut the fuck up generally. And I know you're doing actually a great job, but much like I do with my daughter when I need her to focus. She's gonna you're gonna knock on my head. I'm going to put you in a corner, duct taped to it. No. We're gonna make it a game. That makes everybody this is the game that I have in this episode six questions about the history of the vibrator. That's two questions per person.

Did you research you probably look things that I

didn't do. Well, we are all

looking at each other in my browser history

of an touches her phone Lisa Sharon ditch

take her out.

Don't actually Google she has totally already done it. Me. Oh, phones are gone to hear that. That was the sound of a phone being confidently thrust. Good for you. Lisa, however, is like throw your phone. I need mine. I have children who might need me.

I don't know how to work.

I turned it off and I can't turn it back on. Oh, the stakes are high for this game.

I'm so sorry. Okay, we're good.

Whoever wins. I'm gonna win. He gets to sleep in the Murphy bed. Oh, oh, whoever.

You Well, you gotta win. I

will throw your say yes. On the floor. She's out for us. You bears. I'm sorry. I love you. I'm sorry.

The other two have to sleep in the pool. Oh out of floaty. But you do get your own vibrator. There's no losing in this game. Because you're each getting two questions mom as our matriarch. Oh, you decide if you want to go first or whom you would like to go? I want

to go first and get

you get one. Yeah, okay. I'll go fast. She's like I know nothing about this topic. It'll be no one thing about a vibrator. We're on rabbit mode

all right. The vibrators first intended and approved use was not for pleasure, but medically to cure women of hysteria. That's true. Well, that's I didn't say it was true or false. I'm gonna say Yes, sir. Hy S T E R. I got one. Fellowship. Is that true about their true or false coming later this hysteria was a vague disease that had been diagnosed in women for centuries and was bafflingly, broad, and indefinite. Okay, here's the question, which of these symptoms would not be considered part of a diagnosis for hysteria? Okay, I'm gonna name six. Which one is not? Okay. One shortness of breath. Okay to anxiety. Three loss of appetite for sexually forward behavior. Five, thinking man five, fluid retention. Sick. There were seven actually six demon possession. And seven being funny.

Oh my God being

funny. Probably. They're,

they're all part of being their diagnosis.

Oh, seven ridiculous things would be like, oop, sounds like you're Oh might need some treatment. You're like I would you mind having sex with me tonight? They'd be like, Oh,

can I just say something? I think that list of seven might describe you well, like Oh,

what an honor shortness of breath. I just demonstrated anxiety. I've been drinking all morning. Last night. I never have soft intention check. All of these Listen, essentially, anything that a woman did a normal woman did was considered at any point and they could anyone who looked at it just thought that isn't quite right. They could be sent away for there was a medical journal that said hysteria could include quote, a tendency to cause trouble for others. Lisa

please back to me.

The yearbook. It was like Lisa most likely to be hysterical. So maybe

that would be the length. Did anyone

ever come at you with a vibrator and like a look of concern? We gotta wait Do girls. But here's the thing like you as mom said it was bet like if you were Oh, you can be Kennedy, for example, causing problems for the family or threatening and inheritance or otherwise it would just be me. Me You're exactly right. Lisa, you could be lobotomized as a cure for stereo institutionalize, institutionalized, sterilized,

check my god you could be lobotomized. Yes.

That was a Kennedy which one not forget her name.

There was a Kennedy that was the bottom ice, but it was

her she was she had some mental illness and they didn't know what to do. And she died. Yeah, what's going on? Just John Kennedy Sr.

and I'm not being a dude, just demonstrate that stuff back in the time they would be a CEO of a company

anyway, mom, penis mom, there was no way to get that one wrong. I was being funny by adding being funny to that list. But it's also true. Yeah, anything was because it's a little too gregarious. You're you're putting your your you're doing a little too much

a lot of calm, trying to be funny.

I mean, but think about it. Women were were property was

like so and rich or poor, though. Exactly.

Like when you think about the statute, I think. Yeah, that's really bad

and hysteria was was, you know, such an easy way. But what it but specifically it was a diagnosis of a disease that of course, needed a cure, and we have that cure. And it is a prison and asylum, an institution a prescription of some sort, that you now have no. Control over. You see that listing? That's crazy. And so when it comes to the diagnosis of hysteria, completely unjust, the cures for hysteria, completely unjust, the vibrator. I suspect women in history were like, there we go. I'm gonna bring this bullshit disease

weird, subjective list of traits who that's the thing. It's not totally not. That's not quantifiable.

No. But it's but it's also a hunting license question. And,

and this is a true or false question. You get the easy she wants me to be sure true or false. Bringing a woman to orgasm as part of a serious medical cure for hysteria, dates as far back as classical antiquity. True or False? True. 100%. True. Well done. Well done. It is included in the Hippocratic corpus. That's Hippocrates is medical book. It's also mentioned by the Greeks and the Romans. It dates back as far as 1900 BCE. And the interesting thing about that I found is that of course, the Greeks and the Romans were much less prudish about sexuality than we are. And were at the time that the vibrator was well were they were more ignorant about the human body, right, and certainly the female human body, we are still dealing then as we were in the time the vibrator came around, kind of at the end of it, the idea of the four humors. So you're the whole human medical situation is a balance of wet and dry and hot and cold. And it's why when someone is dying, you bleed them. Right? We lost a lot of important people, including George Washington, because we were like, I know we gotta get some of this blood leeches on that man. Yeah, but they're, but they're their definition of history. I have undergone an emergency hysterectomy, and operation called that because it is the removal of your uterus. And so hysteria and hysterectomy. They're related of course, because they all pertained to a woman's uterus and what was happening there was tied to hysteria. So playdough attached in this ancient in this ancient text, Plato said, it is the uterus that is responsible for the unpredictability of women, but he thought that literally the uterus when unoccupied, wandered around your body. And that that was the problem is that your uterus was getting up there close to your heart. And that's why you were having emotional problems because your uterus had gone up too high. Or if your brain had gone all the way up to your brain, or you were suffering Where was your uterus wandering off and the cure of course is get a baby in there. Or to get your parents to get you married off so that your uterus can be doing what your uterus is supposed to be doing it don't got time to go theories to go wandering around. So

interesting just to think oh my gosh,

this one Roman medical professional wrote that the uterus was a quote, sad and unfortunate creature when it does not join with a male or bear a child. So here's the cure, self serving at all. No, and this isn't so bad here mysterious secure that explains so much. But like better than like, institutionalized, like if you're the young lady who's like, I just thought I could tell a joke. I wanted to act it out. Can everyone pump the brakes a little? They would do smelling salts where they would put something lovely smelling like lavender and wonderful down there by your groin, and then something icky smelling up by your nose, thereby drawing your uterus down, down uterus, come on. It's good, smells good down here, doesn't it and thus getting your uterus back where it belongs. Now this is the good news by 1637 much more sophisticated physician 1637 Hmm. He was like you fucking idiots. These idiots. These ancient morons, the uterus does not wander around the body of dummies. What happens is

when she makes really good news, you know you're in for some really bad

to the uterus stays exactly where it is all the time you dummies. But what's happened the fluid, you know the fluids that are there, those wander around. Those are the ones wandering around the body, getting up around your heart, and getting and getting in your brain. And this is so stupid. This is in the medical journal. It says this is especially true. They're tied up in there. Yeah. This is especially true of those more lascivious females inclined to very passionate, those women who are most eager to experience physical pleasure. If she is of this type. She cannot ever be relieved by any aid except that of her parents who are advised to find her a husband. Having done so the man strong and vigorous intercourse will alleviate her frenzy.

Oh my

Lord. That's crazy. And this is about the time where do you stop people? Like that's a fucking great idea, John. You know, I hadn't really thought about that. And you know, because we are all such, you know, individuals of medical science. What if you don't have a husband though? Oh, what if there was a way that we could get these fluids from a female's uterus to come out? Like you bleed someone? And they were like, ejaculation

and this guy goes, Yeah, you could do that. And it does. They seem to respond. I'll give you I'll give you that you tried doing it. They really light up. And it does seem to make a big difference. feel great about it. They always come back. Exactly. And this is as luck would have it. Right at the time. We start electrifying things garden. Exactly. So we have some medical centers, Shelley's literally doing manual fingering these women to climax and they do feel so much better. And there is a certain amount of fluid release and they're like, Wow, we're really but honest to God. Their hands get tired. Mom, I'm not kidding.

There's like there's 100 women outside my door. And I've calluses Are you freaking kidding me right now?

Their hands got tired. Oh, my God, and they were ingenue there is

is lazy because we're gonna talk there then

make money on this. No, they

still made money.

Electronic Yeah.

God bless him. So Lisa, we have mom has one and has one. This is your first question. You got one. Oh, the question. Back Lisa, this is this is your question. Lisa. Are you ready? Sure. The vibrator was one of the first five devices to be electrified in the turn of the century. What were the other four? You do get a point for each one you get and if you miss it if you if you say you're done it can pass on I got it

by the way so you know I'm gonna say the body was one of those other five

the what I will give you I will give you an out there are devices there are all like devices that you would have being electric the first five tying household think household devices what are the first five that we electrify all the vibrators one what are the other four?

So funny. Do you listen to the test Tesla's right yeah, this could be part of

if you will, you know what they can help you it's fine. We can prove they're not cutthroat bitches that they're all

we all love it. No, seriously, they're being quieter because they're on microphone right now but they would have blurted out all the answers are flickering. I'm just thinking

I will give you I'll give you I will give you this clue they are they are household I mean

toaster. Really like something cost it's pretty important. Toast is pretty high

bar. I mean it is true. I will think about things that we were already using that used other power that the electricity just

right like you got to think of like the turn of the century. What would they were using?

Like you probably had stuff that was farmyard lit liver livery things?

Yeah. What was the light bulb on it? That's the obvious one but

light bulb is not on there.

I know. That's why I'm like so fast

man on there. That's what they did they get how they charge their phones. Right? And did say one that was correct. toaster, correct?

Toast that's not a stove. Toaster.

Only Well there's one other sort of

cooking like a water boiler. Oh,

like curling tea kettle Correct. Correct. You got vibrator toaster tea kettle you got two more

for your hair curling or you

know, well I would say something more utilitarian.

I'll give you a clue. Emma and grandma had them in their attic pop Iron Fan Fan is another one. Oh sewing machine sewing machine

makes a lot of seamstress

Central Casting electrified devices in the turn of the century sewing machine fan I felt

stupid but I thought we all had to figure that out. It was good to cuddle female

centric which is really everything you want to mode you're sure you're extraneous personnel in the family so you're going to out mode your women first right?

Industry eventually was like well if you can do it with one I could do it with the whole factory right now there was prior to the electrified vibrator get this there was a steam powered I'm not getting table rom steam, tabletop vibrator. It was it was those are. Those are for your stereo like, emergencies. That's when you're like buddy, I've been telling jokes all night. Oh, my cancer, I got shortness of breath. I need you to take me to the tabletops or I'm gonna be hysterical all day. So we've had this steam power thing. Now we have the turn of the century we've electrified it to save our poor doctors the manual suffering that they were going through with the father of the vibrator, the guy who really invented the first one is Joseph more of Mortimer Granville, he is in the UK. He studies in Scotland, but he's generally in the UK. They called it Granville hammer. Sounds a little high. And it was originally though get this I told you about how we've had this. You know in time, you know, ancient times we knew that an orgasm was like a cure for hysteria because of you. This original vibrator though, that Dr. Mortimer brings to us in the 1880s is first and in his mind. His plan is to alleviate aches and pains in the male body for muscles and constipation and various things like he wasn't necessarily Yeah. And in fact, this is one of the reasons that people countered, Rachel means his book was because this Granville doctor who's put handsome Hugh Darcy in the movie, he was not that handsome. He's kind of a pencil topper. But he think he's Granville hair that he even says in his book. I really for the record, don't put these on women's genitals. Oh, geez.

Whatever you do, whatever.

All the pharmaceutical ads right now that are like, this is really good for you, but it might cause weight loss. Exactly. Watch out. Wait, your doctor will take you off it and I'm every time I'm like, Are you fucking? Like that is clearly just

tising a line of people now. You might have too many dates. If you start getting too many dates. I want you to wait like a four hour erection. Oh, it makes you look younger. It makes you look skinny. We're gonna. But you know, for Dr. Granville to be fair, he says he didn't want to do it on the ladies. He didn't think you should put these on ladies because he didn't want to get quote, hoodwinked by the vagaries of the hysterical state. There's an outside chance these slots like because what I read and they

say to get ready to get dirt and I didn't want more time hysteria,

he says that it shouldn't be used on hysterical women because he did not want to be quote, hoodwinked by the vagaries of the hysterical state. And this is where people's,

there's a lot of pleasure there. And if you like it too much, it's probably not okay.

And like whether or not he's jerking off lines of women like they say in the movie in the play. What we do know I bet he wants it. He probably was. I'm sure there were a hand that's when insurance

was invented. Yeah, actually, that was when insurance came to alive. They were like you to us and then just get jacked

up from the insurance was finally worth the fucking money. First time they were buying like, be like, let me understand. Granville is hammer and you give him $25 is a great day. America isn't really gonna make it. It's gonna be me. I live in the dream. I give you a point Lisa. I know was a group effort, but I feel like we might not have that you're in the spirit of generosity and false for the next one. You're gonna, I don't know. I don't know how it's gonna pan out right now everyone's winning. Let's just be happy.

This podcast is part of the deluxe edition network. To find other great shows on the network, head over to deluxe edition network.com. That's deluxe edition network.com.

Beds video kingdom, because the movies won't talk about themselves. So Andy crawls through this river a shit. He comes out visits a dozen banks, and no one's like, I'm a little concerned about the guy in the suit. Right? It smells like

shit. You mean the guy that literally washed himself in a river full of shit.

That's completely the Mallrats thing on which takes like three or four days to wash out. Last time I scratched my head. I smell like big puts dick for a week. Video kingdom. Listen, wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, hey, while my family takes a rare breath in conversation. Let me take this opportunity to ask you to please. Wherever you listen. rate review, subscribe, share the all that happy podcast stuff. We're having a blast here in the annals of history. And we literally could not do it without you for my mom's steak.

In review, you each have one point. That sorry. Oh, fair. I see. I had a feeling this is when it terms. This is when

they like Lisa really earned a point there. But it could just be my instincts. are you advocating for taking the point back? No, I

would be never that. Okay. Well, this is round two, you have one more chance maybe we're less kind and generous even.

With that we've got mom's second question. Okay. How long did take from the medical device Granville hammer to the vibrator being marketed to the public. Now he invented it and 1883 and of course I'm talking about the marketing that is not suggesting it is a sexual device that is the really like this is for a beauty aid a massage or personal right the first time from his invention to a being marketed to the public and it's multiple choice. Oh, that's great. Okay, that's fair. Is it? Five years later? That would be 1888 before the turn of the century? Was it 10 years later? It'd be 1902 after the railroad but before World War One, or was it 50 years later? 1933 We needed something like prohibition I

guess going the longer I'm thinking of the flappers and when women were probably starting to feel more liberated, be more liberated, but the 3d is, I'd say 50 years.

You're in to see 50 years that's incorrect. It's a it was a shorter time be 10 years it took 10 years she people wanted it right away but manufacturing had to kind of you know what I mean?

I feel like I was thinking earlier only because I thought as soon as they did they were like we should tell

people about people

having it marketed as a sexual device, and this is this is exactly what isn't advertised

so they still sell them as this is where history has a real like, what was going on there and it's one of my favorites because it's kind of going back to like sensibilities of like anything that has to do with sex. What was written down and said overtly and what people were thinking and feeling your historical record can be vastly disproportionate because you're like nobody knew and you're like No Nobody advertised so what was the wink and nod and being able to say that this is a personal massager is the same is the same reason people it is as answered it's still you can see these and they show a woman Oh, that feels nice on my neck. Yeah, yeah, but that's

in flight they don't do this anymore. But those in flight magazines they have personal massage and you look at your like super his neck and

Oh, I'm so sure I'd probably feel good there too. But it's but the an amenity or the vagueness or the obscurity about what this device might do for you being vague was a double when the person marketing the product is now insulated from prosecution because of course there was quick prosecution you can't just say put this in your pussy like Hey, ladies want to come? You can still still exactly 2023 You're like don't think I'd still made me sit back. So we know you have to write so it gives the advertiser a certain amount of installation and the purchase or to be like, wait I got it for my Ouch. Loose. So we have to really get at the same time. You almost can't overestimate actual sexual ignorance. Because sometimes we look through a historical lens like with this like of course they knew. And that isn't always your best approach either because I remember certain mothers who shall not be named not homosexuality didn't believe in gay and I don't mean didn't believe in it like it's evil. She didn't believe it was like she thought it was Elton she thought it was like a jackalope. Like sure you got a picture of it.

Urban. Yeah, that was my attitude. That's so bizarre who would think a man would marry me and oh my god.

Exactly. That's it. It's just that's what every month.

Anything that was morally it was just like, yeah, it

was but also people know, that's what I'm saying. It wasn't a moral judgment. It was it was why Liberace people were not pretending they didn't know Liberace was gay. They didn't know gay, they didn't see gay

season. 70s also was very fluid time. I feel like you were seeing fashions and you'd see David Bowie. Do you see all these beautiful sort of gender neutral, wonderful liberated things? I think it was a little bit more

well, and it's also when you think about like, I don't believe a man wants to marry man, I've simply never heard of that it sounds made up to me. It makes it in the same way that a female orgasm or females wanting sex and having ideas of what makes them feel good, was as silly and imaginary concept as any other sort of new concept of sexuality. So you could it again, I know there were individuals and corporations that were fully aware that this device is a sexual aid and that it goes on your genitals to bring you to orgasm. That's why we want it that's what you're making money on. And we have to believe that there were also many people who were innocently buying and selling a personal massager. What percentage? Yeah, no, but you just can't say all or nothing. But here are some of the arguably coded language that accompanied the early advertisements in the early 1900s. This is a brand new device we don't maybe people have never heard of Granville hammer, than they probably have never heard of a female orgasm. With the picture of this phallic device held up against the neck or otherwise, sort of like you're saying, quote, aids that every woman appreciates.

Quality. Thank you.

Well try it on your stomach. Hey, if you really actually haven't brought it off your neck yet, let me give you a hot tip closer. Because if you put it on your stomach someone's gonna be like Hey, not like so. Right made by a woman who understands a woman's needs this is my favorite. Penetrating comfort. Oh these are all these are all pre 19 810 Or this paper

and yet, if someone took you to court, you'd be like it goes deep into your muscle tissue like it's no coded in that you could get

is that a five words? Semi silver pen? Training? No, sorry, doesn't

qualify. But you talked about pornography earlier Lisa and the history of pornography by the 1920s there was enough pornography that was using vibrators that people were like oh my god that's exactly what I just saw on this magazine. Oh

my god penetrating means something now I didn't know about

they had either been fully aware the whole time but pornography outed them for what these devices actually was really or whether they were actually innocent the whole time and went to pornography started using it they were like no you ruined my neck massager is not going to be able to keep up with demand. Yeah, okay, but that means mom's willing at 1.0 I see I got my roll not gonna bode well for because now you and Lisa each have a question left.

I hope we can we love your bed.

In the 1960s We're moving up in time in the 1960s the vibrator underwent some major improvements. It was no more plugin wireless. Yeah. Because keep in mind everything up to this point was plugged into the mother love and wall and also the meters you'd be like Marge is running that teapot five times. She's toasting so much brand new. Solar powered by my five dresses finished by now with the amount of cheese.

I try my hair without hours and hours.

Solely goes wire is in the 1960s, which means you're now MK warrantable Of course, which is exhilarating. And it is improved. It has maltase speeds, it's made of a one piece construction. So here's your question 19

are having a hard time picturing

60 women's rights, civil civil rights movement?

Night. Here's your question. In 1973, a US state passed the obscene device law in 70, which banned the sale or advertisement of any device that stimulated human genital organs. SciPy what state? Probably Florida, I'll give you I'll give you a final answer chance you can think this through if you want, right, it's

probably not obvious. I bet it is.

Here's my favorite. Where do you know it wasn't Wisconsin, Illinois. Wisconsin's like but don't worry.

California was not. So say say the question were time

1973 A US state passed the obscene device law which banned the sale or advertisement of any device that stimulated human genital

organs. I would think of southern state I'm

thinking Georgia or something and I'm feel bad because I thought nice to pick

up people. But you know what they're thinking they're like, that's probably us. Okay,

can I ask you a question? Who was didn't Tennessee just vote in to ban like, literally in the news today and just as a woman if you're a dude, right, so I'm gonna guess Tennessee. They

weren't always conservative. Huh? Huh.

I know this is tough. It is tough. Yeah. Would you say this is a hard question? Yes. Very well said. I've been waiting for a long time you can imagine I had to really sit on that one. So to speak.

That's our dad. I'm just gonna pick on Georgia just because and I love Georgia.

I think Georgia loves you too. And I think that there'll be comforted to know it was not them. Okay.

Lisa maybe gets an alternate guests to get to Tennessee just because I knew guess. Here's

the I guess. No,

I said Arkansas.

Oh, that's wrong dance around. It was Texas. No. Oh, well, and you know, list exactly.

They feel like they've slavery,

liberty, focus on the past. I thought Have you guys ever seen an episode of Yellowstone? Yeah, no, think about what they used to stimulate bull genitals. Yeah, that was an episode. I mean, this is what I'm telling you. The ironmaster was really good. I love

Harrison Ford is like the flashback guy.

Yeah, he's like the I think the irony of Texas saying you can't have a device banning banning, by the way, not big fans of banning in general, unless it's a book or a week. Actually,

because they know what happens. You stimulate a genitals and he will ejaculate it gives him whatever. And we don't want women doing that. That's just I don't

know why Texas would feel like that way because I feel like Texas. Freedom. Like they say they're so to me. That's like, well, this

seems really and I'm 73 But listen, Lisa, you had it too. He was on the books until 2008. Pick it off. Listen, but I mean, when I say on the books, I mean enforced there was you could they change that they kind of amended it between 1973 and 2008, where you could have up to six but no more than six vibrators in your home. And then you think well this is one of those silly was like kissing a guy with a mustache. You know what I mean? There's like this law. A woman was arrested and taken to jail for being not vague enough during a passion party. One of those you know selling Were you having like a Tupperware party for sex toys. She was arrested by an undercover cop, because she was suggesting you could have more than six in your house. In 2007. Ted Cruz as recently as 2007 defended the law because it was repealed in 2008. In 2007, he defended the law saying that a vibrator? Was it the same as hiring a prostitute?

So personal freedoms are important to who you're not

the only one who has seen the irony here. Now as of today, if you can believe this, right when you think at least it was 2008. I mean, that was a while ago, if you have more than six years, and there's only one at a time that's with that attitude. As of today, Alabama, is the only state where their anti obscenity anti sex device laws are still in effect. According to Wikipedia, I've looked a little into it. I don't know who's gotten arrested lately, but their laws still stand you can buy a sex toy in Alabama. I swear to God, you need a doctor's note.

So did I mention Alabama? Was that my answer? What was my Georgia

I was so close.

You're keeping score out there. This brings my sister Lisa got this If you get this right girl you win the game might be true false. Oh my God. It's not true false but it is multiple choice

screwed then you're screwed You're screwed I

feel very supportive here.

I'm glad to know I kind of dubious

only three choices she's got this.

Two people can fit in the height of Ben tree if you want to, but not with all three of you three of us but only one vibrator at a time

in the height event where we take the master and you

well that let's not get out of hand. It may not surprise you to know that the sale of vibrators skyrocketed during the COVID lockdown. One company Fun Factory had their largest sale increase ever. And not just at the beginning of the COVID lockdown, but specifically the week that the stimulus checks went out.

Not to be possibly true.

It's 100% No way.

stimulus or stimuli

check. You go to Amazon back down for stealing. How

are we gonna be here literally go? Well, you're like we're gonna be here for like a few days or like here's your question. Wow. By what percentage? Did their sales increase to

get hard questions? Okay, smart. Very cool.

A 100% B 200% or three 300%

We're gonna go for the 300 All I'm picturing is like amazon.com probably went through the roof anyway. Oh my god.

You don't have to go right door and buy

exactly word. I think I have 300%

I'm gonna double 300% points because I double down on it. Right before trying to take Lisa's point I knew she

can have it. You're in Vegas. Wait, we're not

ours. But if we were I double down on her and that means I get half a point in Vegas. That's what that means.

We'll see. It's Lisa's points she can do with them. She will be on gambling 300% and use it like women. Yeah, and obviously women are buying a lot of these. Well guess what? Our friends at the Fun Factory. In 2022 they did a survey of almost 1000 of their customers to be like, Oh no, these are you What do you do on these things? Right? They people answer. So it's a it's a it's a broad survey of people who have purchased their things and are answering honestly, anonymously and anonymously. Which is why we know so it was there it was their 25th anniversary and they were like we want to do a survey right what else to do? Exactly. 59% really didn't get into it. I don't have all of the answers all the questions, but 59% of them identified as heterosexual. Whether they were male or female 19% were bisexual 9% were pansexual and 5%. Were homosexual. What is pansexual? Han means multi.

So it's my wonder why so it is different than I

think that pan because bisexual is I enjoy set boy or girl I think pan is I like trans I like fluid. Yeah, I like me I like it's more like I don't want to

guys gender as being Gotcha.

Um, and and they also attributed some of their increase to they were tracking fantasies people's general fate which you can track very easily on porn searches to figure out what are people looking for? What are they in DC so easily

and how would I decide to track pegging?

You're like what are all these pervert in all of a sudden, recently as of 2022 Anyway, the top 10 fantasy includes pegging. So Lisa as the winner, I want you to explain to Mom What pegging is when I got to know this. What is pegging and Mom, do you know what pegging so

pegging to me means like, cribbage you stick a thing into a hole. Okay, it's

peg and that's our brand for our subject. So that's a great

place to actually say this.

Again. It is a fantasy is

taking. pegging, meaning not using it involves pegging

it is I will give you this pegging is specifically

using a device of non Well, human.

I pegged you it means I've identified you know, you've been pigeon holed pigeon, trying to figure out because you asked us to define it and I actually have no Mom

What's your guess? What's pegging mean? In 2022 pegged

it means I've got you defined as a specific thing.

I am has a lot of theories thing in a hole.

So with that, and except that this is about No, I don't sexuality, so I'm gonna guess it means I've pegged you getting fucked by something that is pegging human

I have a dartboard and I have a bunch of different No, no pegging. Like I think I've pegged meaning. I've I've got a girl. I got a boy. I gotta try. Oh, you

mean keeping track? Oh, you're saying a pegging is like sticking a pin to like, like a bingo card, but I don't know. But about I would think a dauber looks a lot more like a vibrator in a bingo card scenario. I'll just go ahead and let you know that your way off has nothing to do with the thing and holes for sure.

It's actually I mean, I feel like that's that's not recto isn't that's eight Yeah.

Oh, Mom got it right the bottle or listen

to your mom, good. Lana.

Lana backwards is what? Oh, nevermind angel. I know that I remember as a nine year old getting yelled at in the car because we were doing backwards day and I would never go backwards and is my lease is named backwards is Aysel. And Lana's backwards is anal and I didn't think it was a thing and you want to open the door and tried to

push her into traffic.

Thrive. She was like you know what, this is my call.

I'd like listeners you've probably ascertained this for yourself. The only time that an has leaned into the microphone in the last 17 hours that we've been recording is to point out that my mother's name backwards. No. I got it right. Yeah, Mom, don't don't let

her shame you don't know what pegging is, well, it's enough

to fill in the gaps

it's I'd be glad to. So pegging specifically is when a man receives a strap on from behind generally from his female partner specific so I believe and I have no doubt the internet and listeners will correct me if I'm wrong. But I'm also do my research. I'm not an idiot. While one can put a vibrator in their anus to sexual pleasure in a variety of ways and be called variety of things. My understand that what what makes pegging pegging is that it is a female wearing a phallus that is pegging her husband. So when a fella says pegging, he is suggesting I am heterosexual. And I want this to be done on me by a female partner.

What was the context of Peggy I need to go because

this was our friends at the fun factor. They had their whose sales increased 300% tagging showed up in the survey. Hey, when Pegging In 2022 was in the top 10 American sexual fantasies. One of the things that I felt and I saw you guys sort of like react to to was this, like, come on, I can't believe that these men wouldn't know they were getting these women often that the women in line wouldn't be like, Yeah, I'm waiting in line to like, get an orgasm, and especially the stuff that like Texas, and Alabama having these like arcane laws on the books that like we kind of didn't get like, Oh, please. But look around right now. There are a lot of legal sex workers legal, FDA approved commercial banking happening, sex devices that are filtered out of your social media, that will not be allowed to be shown on Instagram, because it's a dildo. And you will see acts of violence as we've seen and death, devastation and cruelty comes through with no issue and they'll say don't worry about it. Come on, you can see whatever you want. But I promise you they are filtering out dildos and self pleasure that isn't even necessarily explicit or illegal in any way. Because we still harbor these ideas of put it away hide it don't speak of it. pretend it doesn't exist. And it is.

Unique crudeness.

We take turns it was like in when the bikini first came out, America was like the last one to adopt it. We were scandalized. By it. It was huge in Europe and huge everywhere. Topless beaches, France and Italy. They know exactly these prudish Americans will never get it. But then come the 70s and 80s. were suddenly leading the way and kind of how so in the West, generally, a lot of these sorts of things. Take turns good for you, Lisa. But we generally do feel still like sex is for reproduction, or selling watches. It's not for making you feel good and confident about your second step

because I'm really fascinated by that. So the you're right, we advertise stuff. That's taboo

booth and we don't owe much

to gun violence. No problem.

Currently, not overtly, but non sexual pleasure, especially for females.

There's a great documentary called Miss representation, which is all about the female body in advertising throughout history. That's fascinating documentary you And it talks about how like, you know, selling lipstick and the ad is just like a beaten up woman like with a necktie pulled around, but her lips look flawless. And it's like this lipstick kind of you know, but if it comes to a woman experiencing pleasure on her own terms, that is usually where the taboo starts. So let me part with this.

What we

are learning I haven't I have a feeling I'm only getting a position as to how to say,

oh my god, what

we put in our bodies, what whole? And with whom is the basis of so much personal and political and historical strife? Maybe we can help temper that a bit by just giving everyone a little more grace. As my dear old mom once told me, sometimes nobody can make you feel as good as you can.

Oh,

amen. Let's play sheep. I love you guys so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It is not easy to sit down in front of a microphone. Even though you guys didn't fucking shut the fuck

up. And then now we want to do it every time we

say so fun. It was so fun. It's you. You actually do forget it there. Hey, but I still want to talk to you people. Okay, so we're gonna stop not we're gonna not not talk right.

Oh, amen. Anne. May we not not talk? May we never, not talk. Oh, heartfelt thank you again to mom and Lisa for agreeing to sit down in front of these scary microphones with a sort of scary subject and just so beautifully and elegantly make it a blast. I am so lucky to have them as my family. And not to get too mushy you guys, but I'm lucky to have you to our Hilfe family is growing every episode because you're clicking and sharing and maybe saying Do you know what I heard on this podcast while you're in line places? I mean, it matters. It makes a difference. I five and we're gonna keep it up. All right, next episode, we're taking a turn from the vibrator right into the balls. The tennis balls. That is I'm joined by comedian and the co host of the podcast to woke boys. Jeff Zenna. sec to discuss the history of tennis. You'll love it. Get it? Love score Anyway, okay, you know what I work on. In the meantime, our theme song was composed and performed by the incomparable cat Perkins. A reminder that you can find my sources, links to the books, documentaries and articles I referenced in the summary of this episode, or by emailing us hilft podcast@gmail.com or messaging us on social media at hilft podcast. This has been Hilfe history I'd like to fuck with Dawn Brodey I'm Dawn Brodey reminding you that history is a party and every buddy's coming