Passion And Power Analysis

Passion and Power: The Technology of Orgasm The documentary, “Passion and Power: The Technology of Orgasm,” discusses the invention of the vibrator and its relationship to women, a topic that is still quite taboo in this age. The film begins with historian, Rachel Maines’ discovery of electric vibrator ads in 20th century women’s magazines and then tracing the origin of the vibrator to Victorian doctors. Apparently, physicians utilized vibrating devices to treat women with “hysteria,” a common health complaint among the women of that day. A women was diagnosed with hysteria if she displayed emotional or mental distress. Medical experts up until the 20th century considered the disease to be the womb rebelling against sexual deprivation. To put it simply, many women were sexually frustrated. The solution? Massaging the genitals to provoke “hysterical paroxysm” also known as, an orgasm. Before the invention of the electric vibrator, inducing hysterical paroxysm required skillfulness and lengthy amount of time to get the job done. However, when the portable vibrator was introduced, the process

This was during the dawn of the sexual revolution from the feminist movement, legalizing abortions and the birth control pill. Another important woman that was featured in this documentary was Betty Dodson, who essentially brought back the now sex toy. Dodson discussed how she experienced powerful orgasms when her lover used a barber’s scalp massager on her clitoris. She was so inspired that she began a movement to teach women how to achieve an orgasm with vibrators alone or with a partner. In spite of this movement, a handful of states prohibit the sale of genital stimulation devices. In Texas it is illegal to sell vibrators or even own more than three at a time although it is legal to advertise and sell Viagra. This double standard goes back to what was addressed earlier, that a man’s pleasure is above a