Historical Usage of Chastity Belts and Devices
– Chastity belts were historically designed for women to protect them from rape or sexual temptation.
– The first detailed mention of chastity belts in the West is in Konrad Kyeser von Eichstätt’s ‘Bellifortis’ (1405).
– Renaissance chastity belts had padded linings and needed to be changed frequently to prevent infection and wounds.
– References to chastity belts can be found in the writings of Gregory the Great, Alcuin of York, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Nicholas Gorranus.
– The authenticity of some alleged medieval chastity belts has been called into question.
– Chastity devices have been used throughout history for various purposes, including controlling women’s sexuality and as a form of punishment or control.
– Some historical accounts suggest that chastity devices were also used by men.
– The use of chastity devices declined in the modern era.
Modern Usage of Chastity Belts and Devices
– Modern chastity belts are predominantly used in the BDSM community.
– They can be worn by both men and women.
– Chastity belts can be used as a means of surrendering control over sexual behavior or as a method of preventing infidelity or masturbation.
– There is a wide range of chastity belt designs available, from simple leather or plastic toys to high-security stainless steel devices.
– The internet has increased the accessibility and popularity of chastity devices.
– Chastity devices are often used in consensual BDSM relationships and can be used for sexual play or as a long-term method of control.
– Cock-and-ball trap devices are popular among male chastity devices.
– Full belt style devices are typically more secure.
Chastity Belts and Devices in Films and TV
– Chastity belts have been featured in films and TV shows, such as ‘Robin Hood: Men in Tights,’ ‘The Cage,’ ‘Meet the Spartans,’ and ‘The Love Guru.’
– These portrayals often depict chastity belts as decorative or humorous.
Medical and Protective Use of Chastity Belts
– In the past, chastity belts were used to prevent masturbation in women and girls.
– Some working women in the 19th century may have used chastity belts for protection against sexual assault.
– Masturbation was widely regarded as harmful in Western medicine until the 1930s.
– Designs for anti-masturbation devices were filed in the US Patent Office.
– Chastity belts were not worn continuously due to sanitary and hygiene reasons.
Other Occurrences and References to Chastity Belts
– Various occurrences and references to chastity belts include California State Senator John G. Schmitz receiving a chastity belt as a gift, the production and sale of anti-rape corsets during racial riots in West Java, a diamond and pearl-encrusted chastity belt being delivered as a wedding gift, a woman’s steel chastity belt triggering a security alarm at Athens airport, and the hand-wrought iron chastity belts made by Lucio Valentinis.
– The Confraternity of the Cord of Saint Thomas, erotic sexual denial, modesty, and sexual abstinence are related concepts.
– Various books, dictionaries, and museums provide information on chastity belts, including ‘Material Culture in America: Understanding Everyday Life,’ ‘Human Sexuality: From Cells to Society,’ the Merriam-Webster dictionary, ‘Insatiable Wives: Women Who Stray and the Men Who Love Them,’ the Semmelweis Museum, the British Museum, ‘The Girdle of Chastity: A Medico-Historical Study,’ and ‘Masturbation: the history of a great terror.’
– The Houston Chronicle published an article questioning the authenticity of chastity belts as purely medieval myths.Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chastity_belt
