In most societies, female masturbation is still a taboo subject. While an increasing number of women are open to discussing the topic, many still feel sentiments of shame and deviate away from the conversation. Through my personal experience, masturbation among women is so rarely discussed that I did not even know the proper term “masturbation” until high school. Deconstructing the stigmas attached to masturbation is important especially because the act only makes people human, and it also provides several health benefits to those who do it regularly.
One of the major ways masturbation helps one’s mental and physical health is by helping the individual relax. Women’s Health Network reports, “Masturbation can help prevent insomnia naturally through hormonal and tension release.” Living a fast paced life can be tiring. In contemporary American society, many are juggling going to school, studying at a university, having a job, and family responsibilities. While this common busy lifestyle has driven the development of an entire industry as coloring books for adults and yoga is becoming more popular to help individuals relax, many are unaware that masturbation can really help one ease their body as WebMD says, “Masturbating increases blood flow throughout your body and releases feel-good brain chemicals called endorphins.” Relaxing through this natural way is nothing that human beings should feel ashamed of doing or feel afraid to discuss.
It is also important to eliminate certain misconceptions about masturbation. PsychCentral lists, discusses, and clears up some common misinformation people may believe to be true about masturbation. Two of the common questions listed on the website are, “Does masturbation cause blindness?” and “Will eating Kellogg’s corn flakes make me stop doing it?” The answer to both of these questions is obviously no. While these questions may seem silly to some, they are legitimate questions people have because the subject matter is not discussed enough.
Understanding that masturbation is safe is important for yourself and important in the greater scheme of eradicating the negative stigma that it still carries in most societies.
The way women masturbate and how often each individual does it will vary from person to person. There really is no one way to masturbate and people do it based on their preferences. Women’s Health Magazine even published an article on the different techniques one can try out.
Altogether, masturbation is something that needs to be discussed more and incorporated into the sex education curriculum in public schools. When these types of important topics are overlooked or not discussed because they are still taboo, many will go on to believe fake facts and continue to unnecessarily feel guilty or awkward about something that only makes us human.
