Masturbating has always seemed to be acceptable for boys, but less commonly discussed among girls. Is it normal for girls to masturbate and are there any health consequences? I am a girl who accidentally discovered how to masturbate when I was quite young and continued it on and off afterwards, should I be worried about this? Will this affect my future sexual experience? Hi there, and thanks for bringing up this really important topic.
Longreads Needs Your Help
Get the Longreads Weekly Email
There was a time when people believed masturbating would leave them blind, hairy-palmed, and STD-riddled okay, the last one was me — I was a kid in the nineties. The ancient Sumerians were down with it — for both men and women — but two centuries of moralists ruined masturbation for everyone. This made me feel all those things that have since become stereotypical themes when it comes to women and masturbation: shame, guilt, like there was something wrong with me. It sucked for me, but it sucks less for girls who get to watch Sex Education. But I know exactly what I want.
Watch Next
Parents are generally unprepared for how much a child will touch, grab, pull, poke and probe their own genitals. And the reason they are unprepared is that it happens far sooner than most expect. The problem with all of this is that most adults lack the proper context to address the issue in any kind of reasonable way. Kids exploring their own bodies is tangled up in millennia of baggage and hang-ups about sex. That puts parents on edge, and when parents on edge they may resort to shame or anger to stop a practice they consider abnormal or even immoral.
Fun fact: Masturbation can be awesome! In fact, a lot of teens do it, and enjoying it doesn't make you weird. So, why masturbate? Which is why, if you're wondering how it is that you get aroused or what arousal feels like, masturbation is a great way to dip your toe into learning about new parts of your body. And when I say new parts, I'm talking about more than just your genitals. Your bod has various erogenous zones, which are areas of your body that are more sensitive than others. Think: your ears, neck, inner thighs, nipples Beyond learning about your body, you'll also get a little insight into what settings get you in the mood.
