The chastity belt has become a sort of stock concept in today’s society. When someone says that someone needs to “take off their chastity belt,” it typically refers to an unwillingness to embrace a new idea, not even necessarily a sexual idea. Other times it can refer to a general prudishness and unwillingness to discuss matters sexual.
The chastity belt has been ridiculed in movies and TV shows. Everyone has seen “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” and knows the stories about knights going off to crusades and locking their wives to ensure their fidelity. There is no evidence for such use and it would have been far out of the capabilities of the devices used at the time. There is great question as to the authenticity of such devices, and many believe them to be forgeries. At best, they were not used for more than a matter of hours.
The Real Chastity Belt
There is evidence, however, that the idea did see use beginning in the Victorian era as a defense against masturbation. Such devices generally took the form of a sheet of metal that was perforated, then formed to match the individual’s anatomy. The labia passed through a slit in the sheet, which was covered by a double-layered arch to prevent stimulation and to protect the locking mechanism. The entire device was then worn using straps around the hips. Information about these devices is scare, as patents seem to have been issued for male devices rather than female. Since the practice dropped in popularity during the 1930s, it far predates the internet. It may have persisted on a small scale until sometime in the 50s. Thus, information is scarce, but one such patent is included below.
Many patents for male anti-masturbatory devices exist today. They range in severity from a simple tube to prevent the male from touching his genitalia, to devices that would prick or shock the unfortunate child’s penis in the case of an erection. The craze was quite wide-spread at the time, and included cereal-maker Kellogg, who created corn flakes, and baker Sylvester Graham, both of whom created their signature foods in the belief that bland foods would prevent masturbation.
Such devices were believed to be constructed and fitted at corsetieres and medical stores who constructed medical devices such as orthopaedic braces or back braces. The construction of these devices was often not advertised.
Modern Era
I have also read an isolated report of such a device in the modern era. It consisted of a metal florentine-style belt, featuring a steel waistband, a crotch shield with a wide steel band passing between the legs and terminating behind the vulva, and chains linking the shield to the waistband in the rear. The device was lined in neoprene, which is typical of modern devices. The unusual aspect of this device was the domed shield over the vulva. A metal mesh was worn next to the skin, covered by the dome. The device was locked using a radial lock.
I am intensely curious about this and other modern anti-masturbatory devices. If you have any information about anti-masturbatory devices, modern or old, please contact me, I’d love to read it.
Today, the chastity belt is becoming a popular item within the BDSM community. Several manufacturers make the devices for couples who wish to engage in power-exchange play. Devices typically follow the Florentine pattern, described above, but lack a shield over the labia or use a single flat perforated sheet of steel. This is the distinction between a modern anti-masturbatory device and a modern chastity belt. I am aware of only one manufacturer, Walter Goethal of Carrara Designs, who even vaguely follows the anti-masturbatory pattern, so I would be delighted to receive more information about modern devices.
Further reading on Kellogg and Graham:
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/electronic-publications/stay-free/10/graham.htm
