- On the podcast "Maintenance Phase," author Aubrey Gordon and journalist Michael Hobbes debunked the popularized story of the vibrator.
- Gordon said the story led people to wrongly believe doctors invented vibrators solely to give women orgasms and treat their "hysteria."
The first-ever vibrators, created in the 1880s, were used to help men get erections.
On the "Vibrators" episode of the
Gordon said the vibrator was originally a multifunctional wellness tool, used for erectile dysfunction, constipation, diabetes, and muscle aches.
She went on to explain how Hallie Lieberman, historian of
"This is where we get the story about doctors using their hands for genital massage, their hands cramping up and vibrators becoming a labor-saving device," Gordon said during the episode.
But in 2017, Lieberman said she fact-checked the original story and $4, Gordon said.
By then, the 2001 book that popularized the story, Rachel Maines' "The Technology of
Doctors used vibrators for various conditions, including erectile dysfunction
Doctors, including vibrator creator Joseph Mortimer Granville, used the device to treat diabetes, constipation, aches, and pains, said Gordon. They were also used for men's
Lieberman, the researcher, found vibrators "were used and applied to men's perineum, to restore sexual vigor. So, not only were they not being used to provide pleasure to women, they were being used to give dudes boners basically," Gordon said.
Advertisements at the time said things like, "Relax, have a massage," and "An enjoyable, helpful means to slim trim hips, small waist, flat abdomen, shapely legs, a streamlined figure, and physical well-being," Gordon said.