Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy

by Hallie Lieberman

Once only whispered about in clandestine corners, vibrators have become just another accessory for the suburban soccer mom, showing up in all manner of pop culture, from sitcoms to talk shows to the pages of glossy women’s magazines. But how did these once-taboo toys become so socially acceptable? The journey of the devices to the cultural mainstream is a surprisingly stimulating one.


In Buzz, Hallie Lieberman—who holds the world’s first PhD in the history of sex toys—starts at the beginning, tracing the tale from lubricant in Ancient Greece to the very first condom in 1560 to advertisements touting devices as medical equipment in 19th-century magazines. She looks in particular from the period of major change from the 1950s through the present, when sex toys evolved from symbols of female emancipation to tools in the fight against HIV/AIDS to consumerist marital aids to today's mainstays of pop culture. The story is populated with a cast of vivid and fascinating characters including Dell Williams, founder of the first feminist sex toy store, Eve’s Garden; Betty Dodson, who pioneered “Bodysex” workshops in the 1960s to help women discover vibrators and ran Good Vibrations, a sex toy store and vibrator museum; and Gosnell Duncan, a paraplegic engineer who invented the silicone dildo and lobbied Dodson and Williams to sell them in their stores. And these personal dramas are all set against a backdrop of changing American attitudes toward sexuality, feminism, LGBTQ issues, and more.


Both educational and titillating, Buzz will make readers think quite differently about those secret items hiding in bedside drawers across the nation.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Feminism, Sexuality, Microhistory, Historical, Womens

384 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 2017

Reviews

[Chels Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find I am between two places after finishing this book. I enjoyed it and thought it was wonderful, at the same time I need to caveat of sex toys in America. And probably another disclaimer that it speaks of and researches heavily in the legal and irrelevant history of personal sex boutiques, activists, and sexton makers.

Honestly I didn’t care about the guy that got indicted for tax fraud or someone’s personal awakening at having an orgasm. I think I could’ve tolerated it if it was one or two chapters focussed on personal details of people in the sex toy industry. But because the book was done chronologically instead of maintaining each story to a chapter the same people started coming up and you would forget who they are what they had done before. I almost needed a family tree or a list of who’s who at the start of the book.

I did not like how focussed it was on America. It was heavily focused. She would mention things happening in Germany or Japan that seems so fascinating but she never got to it. Or she would say that they were getting their supplies from various countries and then not talk about it.

Rather than being stimulating I found it a disappointing tease.

It gets four stars out of five because i did have lots of interesting facts and I did learn enough and I enjoyed parts about feminism, disability rights and other equality rights that were helped by sextoys

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

i just ordered a bunch of new sex toys because masturbating is cool

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know a non fiction book is good when you immediately start repeating facts you learned to everyone you know. This book was written by a woman who sold sex toys pre 2004 in Austin Texas; a time when selling sex toys as anything but back massagers and scientific aids was illegal. Yep.

Buzz is a little bit of everything, because apparently sex toys are a super intersectional subject. Queer, disability, and women's rights in particular are deeply rooted to the history of sex toys. Early feminism discourse is connected to sex toys.

Buzz also takes a look at the sex shop industry; particularly in indie sex shop cultures roots in the liberation of marginalized people.

This is a fascinating look at some key players in the sex industry that are not cisgender men, and it's nice and short. My takeaway is that when it comes to social issues, we are still walking the same circle we always have. Conservatives and leftists are still having the same external (and internal) debates. Anyway this is a great book, read it.

[Susie Dumond · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of sex toys, written by the first person to earn a PhD in sex toy history. That's enough of a reason to check out Buzz! Lieberman has written a fantastic overview of sex toy history, especially in the U.S., along with the role sex toys have played in feminist movements, LGBTQ culture, and societal conversations around sexuality. I really enjoyed how she opened the book by explaining her interest in sex toys and the complications presented by obscenity laws. Overall, the book is very readable and engaging throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Barred Owl Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the vein of Mary Roach's Bonk, a brilliant microhistory of the sex toy that ultimately tells the story of our changing sexual mores and evolving cultural values.

Once only whispered about in clandestine corners, vibrators have become just another accessory for the suburban soccer mom. But how did these once-taboo toys become so socially acceptable? The journey of the devices to the cultural mainstream is a surprisingly stimulating one.

In Buzz, Hallie Lieberman provides a riveting history that tells the story of sex toys from ancient phalluses to 21st century vibrating rabbits. She focuses on the period from the 1950s through the present, when sex toys evolved from symbols of female emancipation to tools in the fight against HIV/AIDS to consumerist marital aids and finally to mainstays of today's pop culture. Lieberman's history is populated by vivid and fascinating characters, including Ted Marche, an entrepreneurial ventriloquist and dildo maker; Duane Coleglazier, the gay ice cream truck driver who founded the first boutique sex-toy store; Dell Williams, ex-communist advertising maven who created the feminist sex toy store; Betty Dodson, whose workshops helped 1960s women discover vibrators; and Gosnell Duncan, a paraplegic engineer who invented the silicone dildo. And these personal dramas are all set against a backdrop of changing American attitudes toward sexuality, feminism, LGBTQ issues, and more.

Both educational and titillating, Buzz will make readers think quite differently about those secret items hiding in bedside drawers across the nation.

16 pages of color images

[The Geeky Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first person to receive a PhD in the history of sex toys, Hallie Lieberman has written a fascinating book that tells you everything you wanted to know on the subject, and more. For example, did you know that until as recently as 2008, it was illegal to sell sex toys in Texas? Obscenity laws there (and elsewhere) set the stage for decades-worth of headaches and careful maneuvering for anyone involved in selling them. Regardless of the specific topic—whether it's about manufacturing, advertising, or selling—there is always a story to tell on how things were done, and how they evolved over the years.

If you enjoy learning the history of how commonplace items came to be, this is an interesting read.

I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of Pegasus Books via Netgalley.

[Cade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Lieberman has written a thorough, readable, and just awesome history of sex toys. I really appreciated her discussion of queer issues and disability issues within the sex toy world. Previous books I've read on similar topics barely covered queer issues and didn't even talk about disability issues.

[Aljoša · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.4/5.
I've found this book in Hannah Witton's video and wow.
I've learned a lot, but the main problem/point can be summed up in these two lines:

"Why is Viagra covered by insurance but not vibrators? Because erections are considered medically necessary for normal sexual functioning but female orgasms are not." and that is the sad truth."

And tbh, I can't wait to get a sex toy.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at the history of sex toys, though it focuses primarily on their history in America rather than worldwide. I was fascinated to discover that dildos sprang from prosthetic penises that had been developed for men who were disabled.

Lieberman touches on legal issues surrounding the marketing and distribution of sex toys in the past, which are fascinating - particularly as some of the issues are still unresolved in certain conservative states. A lot of focus is given (as it should be) to sex-positivity pioneer Betty Dodson, as well as some other prominent feminist figures who were less inclined to celebrate the development of dildos and vibrators, seeing them as another tool of the patriarchy rather than a means to sexual liberation.

Lieberman does provide some analysis of modern-day sex toy stores and their intersectionality (and/or lack thereof) with feminist philosophy. I think I went in expecting a slightly more academic take than what I got, but the information was still fascinating and valuable for anyone who is interested in the history of human sexuality.

I received access to this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. While I appreciate the access, I did find that this particular galley copy was riddled with typos and grammatical errors, which slowed down my reading pretty thoroughly. I understand a few formatting/grammar/etc. issues in a manuscript, but I've never encountered 2-3 errors per page before now. That aspect definitely hampered my enjoyment of this title.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great and enjoyable book to read.
The time line ran smoothly through the history of the toys. Each chapter had just enough to keep you interested.
Even the cover had a fun feeling texture.
Would recommend and pass this book along.
Look forward to another from Hallie

[Jessi Trimble · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't expect a book about sex toys to be so dry and tedious. Far from a comprehensive history of the sex toy, Buzz quickly turns into a play-by-play account of the arms race between sex toy manufacturers (and, later, sex shop owners) in the United States. Much of Lieberman's research seems to be based on the firsthand accounts of folks in the trenches of the industry in the 70s and 80s--sex educators (including the amazing Betty Dodson), heirs to sex-toy empires, and feminist shop owners--but she includes far too many biographical details about her subjects than appropriate for the scope of this particular book. Buzz suffers from lackluster writing, a general lack of focus (Lieberman lurches from chapter to chapter with no overarching narrative and little continuity), and an odd ambivalence toward academic tone. Overall a disappointing read on a sorely underresearched topic.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was certainly an interesting read. The history was enlightening, I never would have guessed so much was illegal until so recently. Worth a read.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and very well researched. Ending was abrupt and it could have been edited down a little.

[Maher Razouk · Rating 5 out of 5]

الألعاب الجنسية
.
.
في عام 2008، التحقت ببرنامج الدكتوراه في جامعة ويسكونسن ماديسون. كانت نيتي دراسة تاريخ الألعاب الجنسية. لم تكن المهمة سهلة. لقد تجاهل الأكاديميون تقريبًا الألعاب الجنسية كموضوع للدراسة. بدون خريطة طريق، يجب أن أجد طريقي الخاص.

أول شيء تعلمته هو أن الألعاب الجنسية كانت قديمة. قبل ثلاثين ألف سنة، كان أسلافنا منحنيين على قضبان منحوتة يبلغ طولها ثماني بوصات من حجر الغرين. ومن الواضح أنه قبل أن يخترع البشر الكت��بة أو العجلة، كنا قد اخترعنا قضبانا اصطناعية. وكما قال الجراح جوزيف ريتشاردسون بارك في عام 1912: "فيما يتعلق بالقضيب الاصطناعي، فهو تقريبًا قديم قدم القضيب الطبيعي". ولكن هل كانت هذه المصنوعات قضبان اصطناعية بالمعنى الحديث؟

علماء الآثار منقسمون حول هذه النقطة. تم صنعها من العظام، أو العاج، أو الحجر الجيري، أو حجر الغرين، أو حتى الأسنان، وقد تم تصنيف هذه العناصر تقليديًا على أنها أدوات لتقويم السهام أو الرمح، أو أدوات لتشكيل الصوان، أو أدوات لأداء طقوس. واحدة من أقدم هذه الأشياء تم العثور عليها في كهف فيلس في جنوب غرب ألمانيا، والذي يبلغ عمره حوالي 28000 سنة، تظهر فيها خدوش تشير إلى أنه كان من الممكن استخدامها لصنع الأدوات. ولكن نظرًا لعدم وجود سبب يدفع أسلافنا إلى استخدام قضبان حجرية لتشكيل الصوان، فمن المحتمل جدًا أنها استخدمت كألعاب جنسية. يعتقد عالم الآثار تيموثي تايلور أن الهراوات القضيبية الموجودة في أوراسيا - يعود تاريخها إلى فترة العصر الجليدي التي تعود إلى 40 ألف عام. حتى 10000 قبل الميلاد - كان من الممكن استخدامها كألعاب جنسية لأنها "تقع ضمن نطاق حجم القضبان الاصطناعية الحديثة". ويتكهن آخرون بأن قضبانا اصطناعية ربما تم استخدامها لأداء مراسم "طقوس فض البكارة" على الشابات. ولم يتم العثور على قضبان اصطناعية قديمة في أوراسيا فقط. بل أيضاً عُثر على قضبان اصطناعية مماثلة في باكستان ؛ يعود تاريخها إلى 4000 قبل الميلاد، والتي ربما كانت تستخدم في احتفالات عبادة الإله شيفا.
.
Hallie Lieberman
Buzz
Translated By #Maher_Razouk

[Nadienne Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Yes, I learned a lot of information that I can catalogue away in the vast recesses of my mind. And, yes, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read it.

However, if I have a critique, it's that the subtitle is somewhat wrong/misleading. This is, in actuality, a "Stimulating History" of the Sex Toy Industry in the United States of America. There is some brief mention here and there of historical items, artifacts, and paintings; however, the bulk of this book details the rise of sex toy manufacturers, distributors, and sellers within the United States. It's still a good read and I very much enjoyed it (as I stated), but I was looking more for the "history of sex toy."

I'm also further saddened with just how very regressive and backwards of a world we still inhabit. As someone who considers himself to be at the forefront of progressive thought, it disappoints me to no end that the values of the early 20th century seem utterly inescapable...and that it's entirely driven by the unrelenting fear possessed by cis-het white men (which, sadly, I have the misfortune of being - without all of their ridiculous views and hang-ups, of course).

If anything this book has inspired further reading into 20th century radical feminism and the women who championed it. They are, and always shall be, true heroes in mine eyes. :)

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for a feminist primer into the history of sex toys, this is it. The book is a little less about the history of sex toys and more about the cultural impact / relationship with the Second Wave feminist movement. I think if you're looking for a more nuanced, historical book about sex and culture, this isn't it (as the author has a definite slant / agenda - and explains why in relatable terms - this book is very much a personal endeavor for her), but if you're looking for a fun little look at sex culture, you couldn't do much worse.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman in Texas was arrested in a sting operation for selling a vibrator to a pair of cops posing as a married couple. This woman was a conservative Christian who played the organ at her church and had four children in a happy marriage, and her life was destroyed because she had the audacity to sell vibrators, in the late 90s. This story and others like it is all the reason the reader needs to understand the importance of this book.

Vibrators, dildos, and sex toys in general operate in a complicated place in the culture because, even though the sex toy industry makes upwards of $15 billion a year, and even though dildos and vibrators are common occurrences in films, television, and stand-up comedy gags, the culture at large is still struggling with some kind of guilt or shame from using them. Hallie Lieberman's Buzz is an effort to understand how sex toys have impacted the culture, what their origins are, how the industry of sex toys has developed and changed, and how the economics and feminist philosophies about vibrators have been, chaotic isn't the right word, perhaps unpredictable.

I won't lie that there are some problems with this book. There is more emphasis payed upon the shady dealings of a few sex-shop owners or mega-retailers than it did upon the actual history of sex toys. And along with this there is some conflict with the fact that the history of the book really only deals with the 20th century.

Still despite this Lieberman's book is a delight because of the way it constantly stops to help the reader understand the social significance that vibrators have assumed over time. Vibrators have been, and continue to be, a philosophical and physical tool for women to liberate themselves from relying only upon men for personal satisfaction. Rather than simply rely on a partner's penis (or tongue) a woman with a vibrator can find real personal and physical satisfaction with which she can build her life. Lieberman notes it repeatedly throughout the text that the real fear of vibrators were that they would replace men. And while that may be true in some individual cases, Lieberman achieves her goal of arguing that, rather than replacing men, vibrators helped women form realistic emotional bonds with men once their physical pleasure had been satisfied.

Buzz is a book about women, and a few men, who found something profound in vibrators. They weren't just hunks of dirty plastic, or cold electric motors. Vibrators were personal to the woman discovering herself through them. Buzz is a reminder that masturbation isn't just about physical release, it's about personal discovery, and that discovery couldn't have taken place without a few visionary women, and one ventriloquist.


If the reader would like to read my full review they can follow the link below to my site White Tower Musings. Thank you for reading.

https://jsjammersmith.wordpress.com/2...

[L.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating history about sex toys in America and their role in legal, feminist, and disabled persons movements. Incredibly well researched and plenty of citations. What I enjoyed most about this book was that it was a discussion about sex and sexuality without the conversation being sexual or clinical.

[Eric Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a deeply researched and very well written history of sex toys in the United States from the 1960s to the present. Lieberman, who has a Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin-Madison, appears to have interviewed almost every key player in the field, including several who have since passed away. She has mined obscure archives and rare documents, local newspapers and scholarly books, weaving it all together in a compelling story filled with vivid portraits of the key innovators in the sex-toy business. These innovators range from Betty Dodson, whose feminist workshops taught women to masturbate with vibrators, to Reuben Sturman, a shady millionaire and tax cheat who had an empire of adult bookstores. She tells a sophisticated and nuanced story that connects sex toys to broader currents in American culture. She shows that sex toys once represented, at least to some feminists, a powerful weapon against the patriarchy. Men, both gay and straight, also promoted sex toys as tools of sexual liberation. And indeed sex toys are now widely acknowledged in popular culture. But Lieberman shows that, despite this acceptance, sex toys have lost much of their radical potential, becoming acceptable primarily for use within heterosexual relationships.

[MÉYO · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had NO idea about the long-standing war on vibrators and dildos in America, (the home of the free)! Written by a former itinerant sex toy saleswoman, she recounts the inordinate amount of time her business mentor spent teaching her how to avoid arrest and how to spot undercover FBI agents. Alarmed at the perils of what she thought was an innocent sales gig, she went on to earn a PhD and produced this well researched book that goes into the long history of sex toys and their acceptance/rejection in societies/countries over the shifting sands of time. Most notable is her focus of the burgeoning sex toy industry in the violent but prudish American culture, where the author notes it’s still easier to buy a gun than a vibrator in many states/counties. I have deep appreciation for the brave men and women who had to risk imprisonment and financial ruin in order to bring sex education, sex implements and sexual satisfaction to people who are fed up with absurd obscenity laws that trample on freedom of expression within one’s own bedroom.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

acho o conceito do livro sensacional iconico perfeito maravilhoso mas a autora se perde contando a historia em alguns momentos e foca muuuito em uns detalhes que são completamente irrelevantes, meio chatos e que viram massantes quando vc ta lendo... acho meio trisre tbm o fato de so focar na historia nos eua! comeca muito bem explicando as origens e falando sobre tudo mas depois foca demais nos eua... overall é muito bom o conteudo mas acho que foi facil de me perder por conta das partes chatinhas

[Mell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and researched (25% of my Kindle copy is reserved for footnotes and citations) AND a good read. I like that author Hallie Lieberman is uber diverse in writing sex history that includes LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and more. And I cannot believe that Alabama bans sex toys in the modern era. The book was published in 2017! Alabama should stop wasting time prosecuting vibrator sales and work on solving problems like poverty, racism or violence against women.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the topic was interesting and the author certainly did her research the writing is a little disjointed and jumps around a lot, which was hard to follow. I had to go back and reread sections several times because the author started talking about a future thing or different topic in the middle of a topic and then jumped right back to the first topic after the tangent.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a fascinating read. I never had any idea that the sex toy industry was so interesting. It is so relevant with the story about the casting couch. A very empowering book for women. A must read for all women.

[Kds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alternately revelatory, enraging*, and hilarious Buzz: The Stimulating History of the Sex Toy. takes its readers on a fascinating journey. Reading the long history of phallic devices, considering the reasoning between behind different

*because sexism

[Ashley Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched history of the sex toy in the US. Lieberman explores sex toys as gag gifts, instruments of sexual liberation, and prosthetics for individuals with disabilities. Wonderfully interesting and entertaining.

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers not only vibrators and sex toys history (in the US only though), but is permeated with information on femist and lgbt movements in the 60s- 80s. It's fun to read and has tons of reference material for those who really want to study the subject.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for feminists.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy (Hardcover)
by Hallie Lieberman (Goodreads Author)




Also see:
https://www.wunc.org/show/embodied-ra...
Unpacking the past and discovering the future of vibrators
By Kaia Findlay, Anita Rao
Published April 5, 2024 at 1:01 PM EDT LISTEN • 48:58
sample of article:
Vibrators have been around since the 19th century. Before they were marketed primarily as sex toys, they were sold as general health devices … and now they’ve become a tool for sexual health research.
The story you may have heard about the invention of the vibrator in the 1880s (keywords: hysteria, doctor-patient stimulation, tired wrists) is actually only that: a story. The real history is a little less titillating … but much more reflective of political and cultural attitudes towards sex.

Host Anita Rao unpacks the “vibrator myth” with sex historian Hallie Lieberman. Hallie is the author of “Buzz: The Stimulating History of the Sex Toy.”

Anita also talks with Anna Lee, co-founder and head of engineering at Lioness, a sexual wellness company with a “smart” vibrator that uses biofeedback data to track arousal and orgasm. Anna describes how the Lioness vibrator contributes to sexual health data for people with vaginas.

Special thanks to the listeners who contributed their thoughts to this episode!

Three Types of Orgasm
(no, we don’t all climax the same!)
with descriptions from Anna Lee

1. The Ocean Wave
During orgasm, the pelvic floor muscles rhythmically contract and relax.

“The most common [orgasm type] and the one that's cited the most often in research … You'll see a squeeze, relax, squeeze, relax, that's the same height of force, and then the same drop in force.”

2. The Avalanche
In the lead-up to orgasm the pelvic floor muscles are very tense, then they steadily relax during orgasm.

“You're still having that rhythmic squeeze and relax, but it goes down in force over time. So you see the slope downwards.”

3. The Volcano
The pelvic floor muscles hold a lower tension and then more “explosively” tense and release during orgasm.

“We call it the classic movie-esque kind of orgasm, how it's usually portrayed in movies or shows … What we see is that there's less of a rhythmic contraction, but you see this huge explosion of force up and then a huge drop in force, like a spike in the data.”