Apparently there is a new film with one of my all-time favorite actresses, Maggie Gyllenhaal, in the making: Hysteria. It's a "romantic comedy about the invention of the vibrator". WTF?! Must-see-that-movie! And not only because the divine Maggie is in it (I absolutely adored her in "Secretary", such a lovely film). And Rupert Everett. And Hugh Dancy.
As an avid reader of Victorian and other historical smut (one day I'll get my little hands on a copy of "The Lustful Turk") the whole concept of vibrators being invented as "medical" instruments isn't really new to me. And of course having friends who write extensive papers on female sexuality in the Victorian era (and proof-reading said papers) significantly expanded my horizon on such matters. And there people say my tastes in reading do not benefit my education. Oh, the things I know.... (thank you D., for my extensive education on venereal diseases....)
For all of you who didn't know, vibrators were invented in the late 19th century to help doctors treating a female "ailment" called hysteria, which would nowadays just be called what it is: sexual frustration. But since women weren't allowed to have sexual desire in those days, symptoms of such could only be seen as an abberation that must be treated. Hence those noble doctors devoted a lot of time in helping these poor women by manually giving them "hysterical paroxisms" in order to relieve the symptoms. Apparently a lot of business was generated that way for doctors (of course mostly for women who could afford it (or rather their husbands)). And a tedious work it must have been, I mean, gee, the treatment was so frequent and must have bored doctors so much that they invented fricking machines to do the "work" for them! (I guess we can call them sexworkers, now that I actually find hilarious. And ironic.)
Well, while the comedy sure isn't hard to find in the subject (doctors massaging female patients' genitalia until the achieve "hysterical paroxisms" i.e. orgasms, well, yeah, I can see how that can be hilarious)...I'm still glad I'm not living in those times. Imagine everytime your magic hoo-hoo gets tingly your hubby sends you to a doctor...
No, I'm glad that I am living in times in which sexual frustration isn't called hysteria (literally "illness of the womb") and in which relief doesn't have to be sought in the form of a medical treatment. I'm sure glad that when the need arises I don't have to get a doctor's appointment...
Anyway, I'm sure looking forward to the movie (it's supposedly coming out sometime in 2011), hopefully it'll be funny but not tasteless.
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