Article by Isabelle Goodwin

The biggest myth about masturbation among women is that they don't. A survey of British respondents found that 91% masturbate, and 36% do a couple times a week. So why aren’t we talking about it more often? Even if almost all of us engage in self-pleasure, the stigma surrounding masturbation has clouded a lot of people’s judgements and has turned it into a taboo topic that women don’t discuss.

However, if we keep mum about masturbation, then all the misinformation regarding self-pleasure will stay afloat. Instead of seeing masturbation as an important self-care practice, a lot of women may feel shame because of all the fabricated information regarding self-pleasure. To help celebrate the importance of self-pleasure in women’s lives, let us educate ourselves by unlearning the following myths about female masturbation.

Women Don’t Watch Porn

Masturbation and pornography aren’t only for men. According to a recent study on the female consumption of pornography, women enjoy watching porn videos because they help women achieve sexual gratification and exercise their sexual fantasies.

Furthermore, porn has become a source of education and experimentation for women. A lot of women have stated that they learned how to express their female sexuality and fulfil their sexual desires by watching these videos. Most importantly, porn has a very functional purpose of aiding women in achieving orgasm by providing visual pleasure during masturbation.

You Can't Orgasm from Masturbation

Most of the time, penetration isn’t enough. According to a guide on bullet vibrators, 75% of women actually don’t achieve orgasm from intercourse! Even if they have sexual partners, a large amount of women need clitoral stimulation to climax, which is why devices like vibrators and other sex toys have risen in popularity over the years.

The best part about masturbation is that it will make you realise that you do not need to depend on a sexual partner for pleasure. You can successfully reach orgasm on your own by stimulating your clitoris using your fingers or by using vibrators and other sex toys.

Your Virginity Can Be Affected by Masturbation

Masturbation cannot affect virginity because virginity is simply a cultural construct that was created to uphold the idea of chastity. This harmful belief has made a lot of people think that women are sexual objects whose worth and dignity are dependent on their virginity, when in fact women are worth so much more than that.

Moreover, a lot of people associate virginity with the vaginal corona, or hymen, which can wear away due to a wide variety of reasons. For example, basic physical activities can contribute to the disruption of the hymen. The hymen’s shape and flexibility can also differ as women age.

Masturbation can Cause Infertility

Masturbation is a sexual activity that will not affect your ability to conceive. This act of self-pleasure will not influence the condition of egg cells, so it would not cause difficulties with fertilisation or conception. Furthermore, it would also not serve as a hindrance in the implantation of a fertilised cell.

However, you should be mindful that sexually transmitted infections may affect your fertility. To avoid the risk of getting infections, you must practise proper hygiene by keeping your sex toys clean after every use.

You Can Get Sick from Masturbation

People believe that you can contract plenty of diseases through masturbation. There is some truth to this myth, but it is only limited to sexual transmitted infections and possible allergic reactions from sex toys. Remember that as long as you practise proper hygiene, you won’t be able to contract infections from your sex toys.

Aside from those, masturbation won’t cause any kind of illness. Most of the illnesses associated with masturbation are not backed up by actual science. Instead, they stem from rumours that were created to prevent women from engaging in sexual acts.

Don’t let myths and theories scare you away from fulfilling your own sexual needs and desires. Masturbation is a completely safe act, so you have the green light to explore your own body however you want!

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