Anything that vibrates.
Also a device, usually phallic in shape, used for sexual pleasure. Primarily used by the female (although males have been know to buy one for themselves) as a solo masturbatory device, although it can bring a new twist to your sex life.
The first vibrator was invented in 1869 and was steam-powered. In those days the vibrator was used to treat "female hysteria and infertility." The treatments were always performed in a doctor's office, due to the enormous size of the paleolithic vibrator. The doctor would perform the arduous task himself, attempting to drain the "bad humours" from the vagina. One session would usually last the better part of an hour.
Later the vibrator became the second device to be powered by electricity (the sewing machine was the first). Electricity made the vibrator a much smaller device and they were soon sold to the home sector. The first commercial vibrators came in boxes with pictures of women running the device across their backs and stroking their wrists. Never underestimate the power of denial. It wasn't until the pornographic picture shows of the 1920's that the vibrator was considered a taboo device. Until this time the public image of the vibrator was:
- An instrument to treat female hysteria and infertility, and
- A device to massage your back and wrists, as the pictures on the box illustrate.
These picture shows exhibited
women using the vibrator for the purposes of
sexual pleasure. While everyone already knew that this was the true use of the vibrator, the picture shows brought its secret purpose into the open. At this time
women were not viewed as
sexual creatures by the majority of the population and the vibrator sunk into disrepute.
Only recently, in the age of sexual awareness, has the vibrator made a comeback. There now exists a company that is reputed to make the "Harley Davidson" of vibrators. They are available on special order, and arrive in a box that has pictures of women using the vibrator to massage their backs and stroke their wrists.