The Kinsey Reports were the best-selling books at the time. Kinsey paved the way for a more liberal attitude towards sexuality. But in 1971, the book "Sexfront" by German social scientist Günter Amend was still classified as harmful to minors. He had written in his sex education book: "There are no masturbation guidelines. Masturbate as often - as much or as little - as you want and as long as you enjoy it."
The agitation against masturbation has a long tradition.
- As early as the 17th and 18th centuries, religion and medicine railed against having fun with oneself. For an entire century, everyone was so firmly convinced that masturbation caused serious damage to the mind and body that there was, believe it or not, not a single dissenting voice.
- The whole thing reached its peak in the 19th century. Whereas until then incantations and advice had been sufficient to protect mainly adults from the consequences of masturbation, physical and surgical measures were now used on children. Doctors came up with bizarre treatment methods, from amputating the clitoris to putting metal rings with spikes around the penis. Oh yes, and all here in Germany!
- "Onanism" was declared to be the cause of mental illness, and a range of other physical damage was added, including spinal cord atrophy. But parents were also punished if they observed their children engaging in lewd acts. Corporal punishment, tied hands and small bags filled with pebbles on the back against lying outstretched may suffice as examples.*
And today? Everything is different today. Or is it?
In the short version of an advertisement (see below), the electronics store chain Media Markt made it look as if a pubescent boy was giving himself pleasure under the comforter with seemingly unambiguous hand movements. However, Media Markt showed in the long version of the commercial that this is not the case at all. Instead of his best piece, the boy is holding an antediluvian joystick. The outrage among viewers was huge, so Media Markt withdrew the short version of the commercial from circulation altogether and only broadcast the long version later in the evening - when the little ones are already in bed. Religious groups are also continuing to stir up public opinion against masturbation. In the USA, young people are joining together to form anti-masturbation clubs. And here, too, I meet women for whom this form of sex is not okay because it excludes their partner when practiced alone. And then a commercial from Switzerland comes along and reminds us once again that having fun with yourself is perhaps not as socially acceptable as it might seem at first glance.
What is it about masturbation that still causes such outrage today? After all, it is a form of sexuality practiced by 90% of adolescent boys and 50% of girls.
Masturbation is good for your health
So show no, do yes. Young people in this country are almost encouraged to engage with themselves and discover themselves for sex education reasons. "From the urge to pleasure to the compulsion to pleasure" is what Hamburg sex researcher Gunter Schmidt calls it.
And so masturbation is now a recognized form of sex in Germany that any woman or man can indulge in alone or with a partner. It is no longer considered an "inferior substitute" for sex with a partner. It is even said to be healthy. Train masturbation
- prostate
- potency
- muscles
- hormones
- and the brain.
The brain? Cool, I have to sign off here for a moment. I actually wanted to do some brain jogging today, but that just fell through. Mmmmmmmmmmmasturbation - here I am again. Exercised my muscles AND my brain. And all in a matter of minutes. Now I can even save myself the walk. And while we're on the subject of men:
Regular ejaculation improves the quality of sperm
This is particularly important when you're trying to conceive. During this time, you could also have sex with your partner. This is even better for family planning. After eight to ten days, sperm has passed its best-before date. If you also stumble across statements such as "Dying residual sperm damage even freshly produced, top-fit sperm due to their toxic decay products", next time before you have oral sex, ask how long it has been since your last masturbation. You don't want to accidentally ingest these toxic decay products ;-)
Do it if you want to, but not because you're supposed to
American sex researcher Robert Pollack says: "It's certainly no coincidence that when we let our arms hang loose while standing, our hands are right in front of our penis". That's an interesting point of view. But it is practical, I have to admit. And of course masturbation is a great thing. We learn
- something about our own preferences
- to stimulate ourselves properly
- and we have more fun during sex with our loved one if we can say or show which touches give us pleasure.
Women in particular are discovering their own bodies and are no longer dependent on a man to show them how they can feel pleasure. But I think it's bold to fly the flag and shout "Do it yourself - otherwise you won't enjoy life". If you feel like it, do it and if you don't, you shouldn't feel forced to do it just because it's healthy, common or relaxing. The great thing about our time is that we are free to make our own decisions and do what we want. And we shouldn't let anyone talk us into it!
Masturbation is liberating
Ultimately, everyone has to decide for themselves whether they allow themselves the right to take care of their own pleasure. Masturbation is an essential part of discovering your own needs. And so I can only agree with Woody Allen: "I'm such a fantastic lover because I practice with myself every day."
After all, if I don't know what I like myself, how is someone else supposed to find out?
This also includes getting to grips with your own private parts. Women can integrate their vulva and vagina into their body image by looking at and feeling them. And I can only encourage men not to limit themselves to the penis, but also to feel how sensitive their nipples, scrotum, perineum and anus are. How soft is my skin, how firm are my muscles and how does it feel when I stroke my whole body? Unusual at first, this opens up completely new perspectives!
Anja Drews - qualified sex educator for ORION
A commercial with a difference
Sex is everywhere, sex is public and there are no more taboos. You might think. But the fact that this is not the case and that there are still taboos can be seen in a recent TV commercial in Switzerland
*Source of publication: Anja Drews. Sexual biographies of older women as a basis for sexual education, Grin Verlag 2017.