Buzz: The Stimulating History of the Sex Toy
Hallie Lieberman
(Author)
Description
In the vein of Mary Roach's Bonk, a brilliant microhistory of the sex toy that ultimately tells the story of our changing sexual mores and evolving cultural values. Once only whispered about in clandestine corners, vibrators have become just another accessory for the suburban soccer mom. But how did these once-taboo toys become so socially acceptable? The journey of the devices to the cultural mainstream is a surprisingly stimulating one. In Buzz, Hallie Lieberman traces the tale from lubricant in Ancient Greece to the very first condom in 1560 to advertisements touting devices as medical equipment in 19th-century magazines. She looks in particular from the period of major change from the 1950s through the present, when sex toys evolved from symbols of female emancipation to tools in the fight against HIV/AIDS to consumerist marital aids to today's mainstays of pop culture. The story is populated with a cast of vivid and fascinating characters including Dell Williams, founder of the first feminist sex toy store; Betty Dodson, whose workshops helped 1960s women discover vibrators; and Gosnell Duncan, a paraplegic engineer who invented the silicone dildo. And these personal dramas are all set against a backdrop of changing American attitudes toward sexuality, feminism, LGBTQ issues, and more. Both educational and titillating, Buzz will make readers think quite differently about those secret items hiding in bedside drawers across the nation.Product Details
Price
$16.95
$15.59
Publisher
Pegasus Books
Publish Date
March 12, 2019
Pages
384
Dimensions
5.6 X 1.1 X 8.7 inches | 0.7 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781643130378
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About the Author
Hallie Lieberman obtained her Ph.D. in Sex Toy History from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 2014. She is frequently featured on podcasts such as "In Bed With Susie Bright;" Dr. Debby Herbenick's "Kinsey Confidential;" and Bitch Magazine's "Popaganda." Her writing has been published in outlets such as Bitch, Bust, and L Magazine, as well as peer-reviewed journals including Enterprise and Society. She often speaks at university sexuality events and conferences, including the University of Wisconsin Madison's "Sex Out Loud" seminar, the European Social Science History Conference, the Society for the History of Technology Conference, The Popular Culture Association's Conference, and the Western Association of Women Historians Conference. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.
Reviews
A wealth of well-researched and thoughtful social context on the development of the self-stimulation device from antiquity to today.
A fascinating account of the way sex toys have touched feminists, queer communities, and American perceptions of sexuality.
The unexpected and under-appreciated history of sex toys. A sharp commentary on contemporary society's ever changing sexual landscape and how sex is perceived, judged, accepted, and enjoyed with more variations than ever before. Provocative, illuminating, and consistently entertaining.
Lieberman's diverting book is as much a study of sexual mores -- and hypocrisy -- in the United States, as it is the story of a multi-million dollar industry. A jauntily written, illuminating history.
A lively exploration of the history of sex toys. Lieberman, who has a Ph.D. on the subject, follows the journey of erotic toys--once taboo--into the cultural mainstream, telling the story of changing social mores and attitudes.
In this penetrating text, scholar Hallie Lieberman explores how the history of the vibrator is linked to the history of women's sexual freedom.
Buzz takes readers along for the long, hard journey (sorry, sorry) that led to the creation of the modern sex toy.
A fascinating account of the way sex toys have touched feminists, queer communities, and American perceptions of sexuality.
The unexpected and under-appreciated history of sex toys. A sharp commentary on contemporary society's ever changing sexual landscape and how sex is perceived, judged, accepted, and enjoyed with more variations than ever before. Provocative, illuminating, and consistently entertaining.
Lieberman's diverting book is as much a study of sexual mores -- and hypocrisy -- in the United States, as it is the story of a multi-million dollar industry. A jauntily written, illuminating history.
A lively exploration of the history of sex toys. Lieberman, who has a Ph.D. on the subject, follows the journey of erotic toys--once taboo--into the cultural mainstream, telling the story of changing social mores and attitudes.
In this penetrating text, scholar Hallie Lieberman explores how the history of the vibrator is linked to the history of women's sexual freedom.
Buzz takes readers along for the long, hard journey (sorry, sorry) that led to the creation of the modern sex toy.