You probably remember boys in middle-school whispering and giggling about masturbation, but I'm guessing you and your girlfriends probably didn't talk about it much. You know what, though? Girls not only do masturbate, but moreover, as HowStuffWorks' Stuff Mom Never Told You YouTube channel puts it, girls should masturbate. Stuff Mom Never Told You's latest video zeroes in on this topic, detailing five reasons every woman should show herself a little self-love — and it's definitely worth a watch.
As the video notes, masturbation is frequently considered shameful for women, even though it really shouldn't be. We still see examples of this ridiculous and outmoded belief occurring all the time; Miley Cyrus, for instance, recently posted a photo on Instagram with the caption, "A masturbate a day keeps the haters away"... and was subsequently slut-shamed by many for it. Why is the idea of a woman masturbating still controversial? This cultural idea that women masturbating is somehow weird or wrong is not only preposterous, but is actually itself factually incorrect. This is because masturbation is actually good for you; besides just feeling damn good, it comes with a slew of mental and physical health benefits from better quality of sleep to keeping your stress levels in check. Consider this to be another lesson of "don't listen to the haters!" because as usual, they're wrong.
Here are three takeaways from Stuff Mom Never Told You's video; scroll down to watch the whole thing:
1. Most Women Are Already Doing It Anyway
Okay, so peer pressure is usually not a valid reason to cite as evidence, but this is an exception! It's just a mathematical fact that many people probably don't even realize is true. In the 2010 Indiana University National Survey on Sexual Behavior, 84 percent of women ages 25-29 had reported engaging in masturbation in the past year. A 2008 study found that 92 percent of women masturbated regularly and a University of Chicago report found that 38 percent of women in all age groups had self-pleasured in the last year. In short, women are doing it and the more we acknowledge it, the less stigma there will be around it.
2. Improved Physical Health
I previously mentioned that masturbation has a lot of benefits for your physical health; for the curious, here's a more complete list of the benefits it provides: Lowered risk of cervical infections, relief from PMS and migraines, strengthened pelvic floor muscles, and a decreased risk of prolapse. So if nothing else, do it for your health.
3. Improved Mental Health
Masturbation can also help to ease tension and stress, strengthen relationships, and promote a calm state of mind. It's even linked with emotional intelligence! As they should say, masturbation is cheaper than therapy.
Watch the full video below:
Images: Fotolia; Giphy (3)
