Sometimes the birds and the bees need time alone
Jill McDavitt
Issue date: 9/30/04 Section: Opinion
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Beat the meat, jerk off, play with yourself, explore the deep south, clean your rifle. I'm sure you all have heard these expressions quite a few times before. You've heard guys mention that they're long overdue, you've heard the myths about developing hairy palms or going blind, and you've seen it manifested on the big screen with Jason Biggs and one very abused pastry.
Men masturbate. They admit it. They talk about it. And they enjoy it. But ask a woman if she flies solo and the scenario becomes quite a bit different. When asking a few females if they masturbate, I got one of two responses. Half of them gave a firm "No, never!" as they avert their eyes. The other half gave a nervous laugh and said "yes", but quickly assured me that it was rare and they hadn't done it in awhile.
What is the cause of this discrepancy between men and women? Why don't girls masturbate as often as boys when the tendency to pleasure oneself is innate? After developing the appropriate motor skills, even babies as young as six months old touch their genitals.
The positive outcomes of exploring the nether regions are countless from reducing stress, to being sexual while remaining abstinent, from discovering what turns you on to subsiding aggression. It can even indirectly prevent disease by stimulating the immune system and circulating hormones. And let's face it- it feels GOOD! Maybe it's not that women aren't doing it, it's that they're too ashamed to admit it.
To understand why both sexes are engaging in natural behavior, but women are too uncomfortable to acknowledge it, let's look at the sexual society we live in. Here's a classic situation: A man has sex with three women in one month. He doesn't know them very well at all. He got lucky. He's a pimp. He's a player. His actions are celebrated. A female engages in the same activities and she is a slut. She has no self-respect. Men don't think she is worthy of value and would only be interested in her if he wanted to become number 4.
Men masturbate. They admit it. They talk about it. And they enjoy it. But ask a woman if she flies solo and the scenario becomes quite a bit different. When asking a few females if they masturbate, I got one of two responses. Half of them gave a firm "No, never!" as they avert their eyes. The other half gave a nervous laugh and said "yes", but quickly assured me that it was rare and they hadn't done it in awhile.
What is the cause of this discrepancy between men and women? Why don't girls masturbate as often as boys when the tendency to pleasure oneself is innate? After developing the appropriate motor skills, even babies as young as six months old touch their genitals.
The positive outcomes of exploring the nether regions are countless from reducing stress, to being sexual while remaining abstinent, from discovering what turns you on to subsiding aggression. It can even indirectly prevent disease by stimulating the immune system and circulating hormones. And let's face it- it feels GOOD! Maybe it's not that women aren't doing it, it's that they're too ashamed to admit it.
To understand why both sexes are engaging in natural behavior, but women are too uncomfortable to acknowledge it, let's look at the sexual society we live in. Here's a classic situation: A man has sex with three women in one month. He doesn't know them very well at all. He got lucky. He's a pimp. He's a player. His actions are celebrated. A female engages in the same activities and she is a slut. She has no self-respect. Men don't think she is worthy of value and would only be interested in her if he wanted to become number 4.