Conservatives Have Discovered Masturbation, And They Are NOT Happy About It
Sky News and the Herald Sun have started a rampage against sex toys.
News Corp is kicking up a stink about masturbation, in a continued mix-up between moral duty and moral panic.
Last Thursday, Sky News discussed an Instagram post on ABC Health where biologist Dr Naomi Koh Belic discussed the health benefits of self-pleasure: including stress relief, improved sleep, UTI prevention, and heightened self-esteem. She also highlighted that half of penis owners stroke it out on the reg, yet less than a quarter of people with vulvas do the same.
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Enraged by the inclusive language and caption “when was the last time you nutted one out”, the outlet asked Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes for her thoughts for some reason, and forced the national broadcaster to address the perceived scandal.
“There is nothing highly sexualised or offensive about this content. It has been available for more than five weeks on ABC Health’s Instagram page and reposted by ABC Queer,” a statement by the ABC read.
On Equal Masturbation Day last month, the masturbation gap in Australia was still at 43 percent, however, a survey by sex toy brand Womanizer finding that men are masturbating less in comparison to 2021, while women are masturbating more year-on-year.
It followed a Herald Sun article the week prior that lambasted school consent education providers for promoting “pornography and explicit sexual material” online, in the eyes of the publication and Christian school leaders.
In the firing line was Chanel Contos’ group Teach Us Consent for posting a sex toys infographic, Consent Labs explaining kinks and squirting on an Instagram story, and The Man Cave interviewing sex worker The Pigeon King — none of which were going to make the national school curriculum anyway.
“An open dialogue about masturbation should be encouraged not only at school, but also at home,” said Womanizer in a statement.
“It is [not] surprising that more than half of all participants are left alone with their questions on masturbation, and had to approach it through trial and error and their own curiosity. In addition, 20 per cent of the respondents have learned about sex by watching porn — a source that often enough enforces outdated gender roles and the male gaze.”
Sex communication and education has become more accessible through social media, and help people of all ages navigate tricky conversations around pleasure, consent, as well as sexual health and empowerment. Maintaining outdated taboos around sex steeps the act in shame and judgement, with ramifications that can last a lifetime, and are incredibly difficult to unlearn.
Photo Credit: Gwen Mamanoleas/Unsplash