Chastity belt
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A chastity belt or Florentine belt is an instrument for partial deprivation of self-control, which is mainly used today in BDSM practices. It should prevent sexual intercourse or masturbation of the wearer. The typical construction consists of a steel belt around the waist in conjunction with a steel strap through the crotch and a lock. Different designs for use in men (see penis cage ) are also common.
history
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The chastity belt was mentioned in Padua around 1400 . It is uncertain whether he should only guarantee the abstinence of the wife in the absence of the husband. It is more likely that it was also a sex toy . It is possible that the chastity belt was also used as a punishment and torture tool. The chastity belt is said to have been introduced or even mass-produced around 1500.
The assumption that the chastity belt should ensure the abstinence of women over a long period of time, for example while the man was on crusades , contradicts hygienic findings, since the materials of the time chafed the skin and urine and menstrual blood due to the imprecise anatomical adaptation could have collected in the belt. This would have led to painful infections of the skin or the vagina, which in earlier times would have been life-threatening due to the limited medical options.
There is no clear evidence that the chastity belt was already known in the Middle Ages . It is believed that it is a myth that was invented and circulated in the Baroque period in order to paint the image of the "Dark Ages". Other stories tell that the chastity belt was invented by the Doges of Venice to effectively collect tax debts from prostitutes .
Anton Pachinger , an Austrian collector of antiques, claimed to have found a leather and iron belt on a skeleton of a young woman in a cemetery in 1889; the find has been lost and the authenticity cannot be proven today. The supposedly medieval exhibits occasionally shown in museums have all turned out to be products from the 19th century. These were worn by maids in England , among others, to protect against rape . Similar devices are known from the 19th century, which were intended for use in children and adolescents and which were intended to prevent masturbation, which at that time was regarded as pathological.
present
Today the chastity belt is more important as a tool in erotic role-playing games , especially in the BDSM area.
The chastity belt is made of modern materials such as acrylic or, more expensive, of stainless steel. It adapts to the wearer's anatomy with millimeter precision, as many manufacturers offer custom-made products. Special upholstery and meticulous intimate hygiene are absolutely necessary in order to keep damage to health (chafing, pressure ulcers , infections) as low as possible during prolonged wear .
Some chastity belts made of NiRo steel have the option of screwing on a dildo, which then protrudes from the body at approximately right angles like an erect penis.
literature
- Albrecht Classen: The Medieval Chastity Belt. A Myth-Making Process. New York et al. a .: Palgrave, Macmillan 2007.
- Eva Larrass: The chastity belt, fantasy and reality. In: weapons and costume studies. Volume 34, 1992, pp. 1-12.
- Alexander Schulz: The band of Venus: the history of the chastity belt. Isny 1984.
- Lexicon of Popular Errors, Vol. 2, p. 173.
Web links
- Literature on chastity belts in the catalog of the German National Library
- Entry in the BDSM lexicon of Datenschlag
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chastity 2012 on the website Susanne in Silk ( Memento from December 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
