Bollywood movies, despite whatever self-professed Twitter liberals say is a great way to mainstream taboo topics. Not everyone has access to carefully-curated Twitter threads or forums about sexual agency, but they do watch movies.
Pink helped explain the concept of consent, Padman helped drive a conversation about sanitary napkins and menstruation. And now, after the smashing success of Veere Di Wedding, the conversation has moved to female masturbation, a thoroughly sticky topic in a country where sex education is taboo and even biology teachers start sweating when discussing cross-pollination.
In fact, we as a society are so afraid of female sexuality that some of us go as far as mutilating the clitoris, the only organ that exists in the human body for the sole purpose of sexual stimulation.
In a conservative country like ours, discussing sexual agency of a woman is akin to trying to launch a rocket from a launchpad designed for a zeppelin, but it’s good that we are all talking about that epic scene featuring Swara Bhasker because female masturbation isn’t just a self-serving pleasure activity but one that is loaded with numerous health benefits.
On the flipside, there are a farrago of urban myths masquerading as facts about masturbation. Modern science is thoroughly sure that masturbation doesn’t cause blindness, colour blindness, hair growth on the palm of the hand, mental health problems, fatigue and tiredness. None of that is true, although to be fair, you’d feel a tad tired if you spent all day in the sack.
On the other hand, masturbation does have some well-documented health benefits:
It makes you happy – literally
Women have unlike most men, different ways to orgasm. There is the G-spot (a sensitive wall on the anterior wall of the vagina), the clitoris (which contains 8000 nerve-endings compared to 4000 for the penis), and even anal stimulation (which might not be for everyone).
The thing is that when a woman masturbates and reaches her climax, a host of feel-good chemicals are released.
As Dr Lauren Streicher, an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Northwestern University points out, in the Huffington Post, “We know that pleasure makes people feel good. It's really that simple. Orgasms release the endorphins dopamine and oxytocin, which can improve your mood and create a natural high. Who needs drugs when you can make your own?”
It helps you sleep
Another delightful side-effect of masturbation for women is the fact that it helps get some shut-eye. Masturbating helps you sleep the same way exercise makes you feel better.
The reasons for this is the release of what pop-culture calls the ‘cuddle hormone’ aka oxytocin. Masturbation or sex boosts one’s oxytocin levels and lowers cortisol (a stress-hormone).
Dr Rachel Needle, co-director of Modern Sex Therapy Institutes tells CNN: “For women, oestrogen levels increase after sex, which can enhance a woman's REM cycle for a deeper sleep. In men, the hormone prolactin is secreted after orgasm and has been tied to sleepiness.”
Makes you comfortable of your body
Another important thing about masturbation is the fact that it makes women comfortable with their body, which is particularly important in a society hell-bent on dissecting the way women look and heaps on tonnes of issues pertaining to insecurity and body image. These insecurities can carry over when a woman has sex leading to an awkard time.
On the other hand, masturbation can lead to increased self-confidence and makes one comfortable with their own body as they find their way around all the bases.
Dr Marget Redelman OAM, a doctor and a medical sex therapist wrote for TheHealthsite.com, “Sexologists advise masturbation as a learning step for women who have not yet learned to have orgasms. Solo masturbation gives the privacy, security and unlimited time in an unpressured space which allows a woman to learn about her very special individual sexual arousal and orgasm response pattern.”
Gives you better skin
Model and actress Amber Rose had once claimed that masturbation is the key to a glowing skin: “I wish I had the time to masturbate every day in reality, but I don’t," she says. "I say a lot of those things on [The Amber Rose Show] because I am very sex-positive. I do say those things in a way where I am very serious, but it’s also a joke."
There might however be some grain of truth in that claim. New York City dermatologist Doris Day, MD told Women’s Health Mag: “An orgasm is so good for your skin. It’s partly hormonal, partly vascular, and partly neurological."
You don’t have to worry about an STD or getting pregnant
Perhaps the greatest tangible health benefit of masturbation is the fact that it’s by a country mile, the safest sexual activity out there. There is absolutely no chance of getting an STD when you masturbate. Of course, one ought to keep in mind that it’s feasible to get an STD if one shares a sex toy or masturbates with someone else.
So, what are you waiting for? Here are some tips from our good friends at TheHealthsite.com on how to masturbate.
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