Let's here it for masturbation!

Sticky: A (Self) Love Story -- A Brief History of the Vibrator

I am so pleased to report that the documentary about masturbation I was interviewed for in 2008 has finally been released this month...and it's fantastic! Masturbation is literally a sticky topic, and Director Nicholas Tana had a difficult time finding support to complete Sticky: A (Self) Love Story because it is still such a taboo topic. The above video is a clip from the documentary where I'm talking about the bizarre history of the vibrator in our country. You can watch the unedited 72-minute version through DVD on Amazon or streaming online.

Why should we care about learning more about masturbation? Well, it is something that is natural, pleasurable, and helps us learn about ourselves, and generally does not cause harm to anyone, yet it is something that is riddled with shame and embarrassment. This film presents various religious views on self-pleasuring, tons of interview excerpts with experts related to the sex field, and even more entertaining clips from pop culture. The story is woven around Nicholas Tana's own shaming experience around masturbation as a child, and explicitly shows how devastating this shaming can be. It ends with a discussion about the future of technology and masturbation and the entertaining exploration of who in the film is willing to admit that they masturbate!

Just because the topic of masturbation causes so many people to experience shame, fear, and embarrassment, doesn't mean we all should. Isn't it about time we shift the taboo around this topic and start thinking outside the box?

~Dr. Jenn Gunsaullus, San Diego Sexologist, Sex Sociologist, Sexuality Speaker