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Hannah Berk_SST Portfolio 2019.pdf (14.79 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

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The stigmatization of vaginal masturbation and its effect on sexual pleasure

Berk, Hannah I
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1562416438374433

Abstract Details

2019, BA, Oberlin College, Art.
Starting in ancient times and continuing for the next several centuries vaginal and penile masturbation were viewed as unnatural in the religious sense as well as unhealthy. Physicians such as Galen and Hippocrates decided that masturbation caused physical damage including spinal cord deterioration. Until the mid-20th-century there was heavy punishment for those who masturbated, these punishments ranged from clitoridectomy and circumcision to straight jackets. It was not until 1948 when Alfred Kinsey published a study titled, “Sexual Behavior In The Human Male," that feelings towards masturbating started to shift. The study found that masturbation does not cause ill health. Although this case created a large amount of backlash, it paved the way for the slow progression towards the acceptance of masturbation for males. While masturbation is more accepted today, studies still show that it is more talked about among men than women and that more men masturbate than women. Studies also show an increase in sexual pleasure during intercourse for women amongst those who masturbate. Orgasming during sex for women is not always easy but usually becomes easier through masturbation. Men have a far easier time orgasming during sex and separately, masturbation is less stigmatized for them. Therefore, I have theorized that as the stigmatization of vaginal masturbation increases, orgasms during sex decrease. In my thesis exhibition, I created a comfortable and private space where viewers could learn about vaginal masturbation. Through making two installations that provided space for multiple viewers, I also stimulated conversation.
Nanette Yannuzzi-Macias (Advisor)
40 p.
Fine Arts; Gender Studies
vaginal masturbation; stigmatization; sexual pleasure; orgasm; vaginal pleasure; vaginal art; vaginal representation

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Berk, H. I. (2019). The stigmatization of vaginal masturbation and its effect on sexual pleasure [Undergraduate thesis, Oberlin College]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1562416438374433

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Berk, Hannah. The stigmatization of vaginal masturbation and its effect on sexual pleasure. 2019. Oberlin College, Undergraduate thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1562416438374433.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Berk, Hannah. "The stigmatization of vaginal masturbation and its effect on sexual pleasure." Undergraduate thesis, Oberlin College, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1562416438374433

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

oberlin1562416438374433
595
© 2019, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License The stigmatization of vaginal masturbation and its effect on sexual pleasure by Hannah I Berk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Oberlin College Honors Theses and OhioLINK.