The history of one of human culture’s more interesting and sometimes erotic devices is the female chastity belt. History that stipulated that wide use of the chastity belt by men bond for the Crusade on their wives has largely proved to be false.
Romanticized i use of the chastity belt was promoted in medieval poetry. The point being that the women agreed to protect her virtue from other men while her husband’s absence. It was less about the trust of the virtue of the women and more a symbol of fidelity and love by which she reassured her lover of her willingness to protect and wait for his return for sexual pleasure.
Still there were cases where women actually wore locking devices and had to petition the court for its removal as it became clear their spouse was not returning from the Crusade. Most women wore a symbolic chastity belt made of cloth if they bothered with the ritual at all.
The off limits symbol started among female slaves in Ancient Egypt. The slave owner tied a string at her waist to indicate that she was his sexual and literal property. In Ancient Greece the chastity belt was used for a form of birth control. One strip of leather was attached at the waist and the other at the perineum. Chastity belts could only be removed by masters and if unwanted pregnancy occurred it was believed by causing it to press severely on the abdomen one could produce a miscarriage.
The virtue of free women and the protection of sexual purity of slaves was not the only use of chastity belts. Prostitutes in Rome wore the belts openly to protect there sexual wares. The prostitute had the chastity belt removed at the time the customer paid for their services. This was the ultimate anti sexual shop lifting device.
In ancient China the issue of personal hygiene and the chastity belt was dealt with by using belts that wear made like baskets and could allow the wearer to heed the call of nature. Removal of the chastity belt was allowed also for weekly bathing. Women usually choose to voluntarily wear chastity belts in China to show their commitment to their vows.
In the high Middle Ages men in Europe who wished to use chastity belts turned to the local locksmith for help these belts were not widely used as previously believed the belts caused deformities to the waist and perineum of the wearer. The belts caused infections that made the wearer unclean for sexual use by her husband anyway.
In the Renaissance times the chastity belt almost became a fashion accessory for women in the upper class. Called sex chains these were many time elaborately jeweled chastity belts that served more as a public statement of sexual control of a husband over his new wife.
They were known as the Venetian Gate or Bergamo lock in honor of the jeweler who designed this erotic jewelry. They were many times decorated with gold, ivory, precious gems and even diamonds. On the wedding night the husband was given the jeweled chastity belt and the key. At some point he would place the belt on his new wife and announce to the guests the gates to paradise were locked
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In the ninetieth century chastity belts for both girls and boys were used as medical devices. It was believed that masturbation was the “killer of youth’ and concerned parents used these devices to preserve the health of adolescents especially during sleeping hours.
In modern times in less developed nations girls are subjected to various types of genital mutilation to ensure her virginity at marriage. These procedures usually performed in unsanitary conditions lead to the death of many young girls and yet, are still widely practiced. In more developed nations chastity devices for both men and women are used to heighten sexual sensation and can be considered sex toys used consensually by married and unmarried couples.
Sources:
http://www.experiencefestival.com/chastity_belt__history : various selections on history of Chastity belts
http://www.bmezine.com/ritual/A11030/cltleath.html article about belts in Armenian culture and description of the hygienic problems related to leather belts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2430118 Myths and facts related to Chastity devices.
