There’s a popular story, which often does the rounds, that 19th-century doctors used vibrators to treat ‘hysteria’ in women.

Turns out this could be a myth. If you look back at pre-1900s adverts, the massager in question was probably used in the same way that neck and shoulder massagers are used now.

Were women appropriating this device for other purposes? Most likely. but luckily we’ve come a long way since then.

Were doctors using it on women in the same way? Probably not – the average doctor was male and generally unaware of the ‘mythical’ female orgasm.

According to BBC, the vibrator was originally used all over the body to treat practically everything, including insomnia, paralysis, neuralgia, epilepsy, consumption, sciatica, lumbago, gout, deafness, vomiting, constipation, haemorrhoids and sore throats.

Hysteria was also on that list but was treated through back and neck massage.

The vibrator was invented by the same people who, when doctors realised that a massage wasn’t the cure-all they thought it was, had an excess of stock they needed to get rid of.

There was a whole industry devoted to making these devices: there had been the hand-cranked version, which evolved into steam-powered models, which in turn evolved into electrically powered devices. But now, there were fewer doctors keen to buy them.

One company made a bold move in 1903, releasing an advert for the Hygeia sexual appliance for men and women.

This was the beginning of the vibrator as we know it today. In the 1950s, the vibrator as a sex toy started showing up in advertising as it became more common and openly sold.

It took a while for the taboo to subside, but over the years sex toys have become as commonplace as sex itself. Check out the range on Désir Online, if you’re still living in the dark ages and don’t believe me.

Nowadays technology and society have advanced to a point where sex toys are widely available, and sex positivity reigns supreme. You also no longer have to track down a seedy store to get your hands on one, you simply visit Désir Online, make your selection and pay.

Désir Online is an adult store led by an incredible team of progressive entrepreneurs who, in 2012, recognised the need to provide customers access to the most luxurious and sophisticated adult toys from all over the globe.