BA, Oberlin College, 2019, Art

Starting in ancient times and continuing for the next several centuries vaginal and penile masturbation were viewed as unnatural in the religious sense as well as unhealthy. Physicians such as Galen and Hippocrates decided that masturbation caused physical damage including spinal cord deterioration. Until the mid-20th-century there was heavy punishment for those who masturbated, these punishments ranged from clitoridectomy and circumcision to straight jackets. It was not until 1948 when Alfred Kinsey published a study titled, “Sexual Behavior In The Human Male," that feelings towards masturbating started to shift. The study found that masturbation does not cause ill health. Although this case created a large amount of backlash, it paved the way for the slow progression towards the acceptance of masturbation for males. While masturbation is more accepted today, studies still show that it is more talked about among men than women and that more men masturbate than women. Studies also show an increase in sexual pleasure during intercourse for women amongst those who masturbate. Orgasming during sex for women is not always easy but usually becomes easier through masturbation. Men have a far easier time orgasming during sex and separately, masturbation is less stigmatized for them. Therefore, I have theorized that as the stigmatization of vaginal masturbation increases, orgasms during sex decrease. In my thesis exhibition, I created a comfortable and private space where viewers could learn about vaginal masturbation. Through making two installations that provided space for multiple viewers, I also stimulated conversation.

Committee: Nanette Yannuzzi-Macias (Advisor) Subjects: Fine Arts; Gender Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2011, American Culture Studies/Popular Culture

Women's masturbation has the potential to disrupt the patriarchal constructions of sexuality by presenting an alternative wherein women can control their own pleasure independently of relationships with men. Considering the power of film as an influential and widely-consumed medium, and given the persistent cultural climate against women's self-stimulation and sexual satisfaction in general, diverse onscreen portrayals of autoeroticism have the ability to foster feminist resistance to hegemonic discourses and potentially change attitudes regarding what is culturally considered to be normal sexual behavior. The selected depictions of female masturbation discussed in this analysis often implicitly or even explicitly address themes of power and sexuality, repression, transformation, and many other issues wrapped up in autoeroticism, suggesting that both real life masturbation and its onscreen representations are volatile and potentially revolutionary. These portrayals are examined based on their distinct intentions, audiences, and contexts in order to understand the films' reflection of and influence on women's sexuality within a patriarchal society. A comprehensive analysis of this manner calls for the reconsideration of traditionally oppressive constructions of sexuality and the re-examination of established film theory, including reevaluating spectatorship and gaze theory. Not every representation is equally feminist or sex-positive on its face, but all depictions of women's autoeroticism offer an opportunity to construct subversive readings and identify redeemable aspects, even if it is only a reminder that women can and do masturbate at all.

Committee: Kim Coates Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Ellen Berry Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Film Studies; Gender; Gender Studies; Womens Studies