Chastity belt

This article is about the item of clothing. For the band, seeChastity Belt (band).

Achastity beltis a locking item of clothing designed to preventsexual intercourseormasturbation.Such belts were historically designed for women, ostensibly for the purpose ofchastity,toprotect women from rapeor to dissuade women and their potentialsexual partnersfrom sexualtemptation.Modern versions of the chastity belt are predominantly, but not exclusively, used in theBDSMcommunity, and chastity belts are now designed for male wearers in addition to female wearers.

Venetianfemale chastity belt on display in theDoge's palace.(Claimed to be 16th–17th century.)

According tomodern myths,the chastity belt was used as an anti-temptation device during theCrusades.When theknightleft for the Holy Lands on the Crusades, his Lady would wear a chastity belt to preserve herfaithfulnessto him. However, there is no credible evidence that chastity belts existed before the 15th century (over a century after the last Middle Eastern Crusade), and their main period of apparent use falls within theRenaissancerather than theMiddle Ages.Research into the history of the chastity belt suggests that they were not used until the 16th century, and then only rather rarely; they first became widely available in the form of 19th-century anti-masturbation medical devices.

Renaissance chastity belts were said to have had padded linings (to prevent large areas of metal from coming into direct prolonged contact with the skin), and these had to be changed fairly frequently, so that such belts were not practical for uninterrupted long-term wear. Uninterrupted long-term wear could have caused genitourinary infection, abrasive wounds,sepsisand eventual death.

Historical usage

TheBellifortissketch (c. 1405)

Sixteenth-century satirical German woodcut

Excerpt fromU.S. patent 995,600by Jonas E. Heyser.

Gregory the Great,Alcuin of York,Bernard of Clairvaux,andNicholas Gorranusall made passing references to "chastity belts" within their exhortatory and public discourses, but meant this in a figurative or metaphorical sense within their historical context.

The first detailed actual mention of what could be interpreted as "chastity belts" in the West is inKonrad Kyeser von Eichstätt'sBellifortis(1405), which describes the military technology of the era. The book includes a drawing that is accompanied by theLatintext: "Est florentinarum hoc bracile dominarum ferreum et durum ab antea sic reseratum." ( "These are hard iron breeches ofFlorentinewomen which are closed at the front. ") The belt in this drawing is described byDingwallas "both clumsy and heavy", having "little in common with the later models which served the same use".TheBellifortisaccount is not supported by any additional concrete evidence or corroborating documents.Polidoroargues that Kyeser's references are meant to be humorous or ironic,and that Dingwall's accounts of the use of chastity belts by a few rich men in the 16th and 17th centuries to ensure the faithfulness of their often much younger wives should be treated critically, because of the absence of actual artifacts of this nature from the historical period in question, and his lack of access to more detailed contemporary historical records.

In 1889, a leather-and-iron belt was found byAnton Pachinger—a German collector of antiquities—inLinz,Austria, in a grave on a skeleton of a young woman. The woman was reportedly buried in the 16th century. Pachinger, however, could not find any record of the woman's burial in the town archives. The belt itself, along with most of the rest of Pachinger's collection, were lost during the chaoticaftermath of World War I.

Two belts have been exhibited at theMusée de Clunyin Paris. The first, a simple velvet-covered hoop and plate of iron, was supposedly worn byCatherine de' Medici.The other—said to have been worn byAnne of Austria—is a hinged pair of plates held about the waist by metal straps, featuring intricately etched figures ofAdam and Eve.There are other such belts at theGermanisches NationalmuseuminNurembergand theBritish Museumin London. Most have been removed from public display to avoid any further embarrassment because the authenticity of these belts asmedievaldevices has since been called into question. Many contemporary historians accept that these alleged "artifacts" date from the 19th century, and are thus inauthentic.

From the 18th century until the 1930s,masturbationwas widely regarded as harmful in Western medicine. Numerous mentions can be found in medical journals of the time of the use of chastity belt-like devices to prevent masturbation in female children and adolescents, as well as women.Many designs for anti-masturbation devices were filed in the USPatent Officeuntil the early 1930s, when masturbation was no longer deemed to be the cause of mental health problems.

Furthermore, some 19th-century working women may have used chastity belts for protective reasons, as a "rape shield" to obstruct sexual assault from predatory bosses or male colleagues; the belts were not worn for a long time uninterruptedly, however, since sanitary and hygiene reasons prevented this before the modern invention of stainless-steel belts.The belt design was the most common but there were also concealed versions worn inside the vagina which were designed to injure the penis.

Modern usage

BDSM

Main article:Chastity belt (BDSM)

Chastity belts are sometimes used inBDSMplay in consensual relationships. They are a means for the wearer to surrender control over their sexual behavior either for sexual play, or as a long-term method of preventing infidelity or masturbation. They range from simple leather or plastic toys commonly sold by adult stores to expensive high-security stainless steel devices made by a handful of specialist firms. The internet has significantly increased the number of people using chastity devices, with internet advertisements and amateur erotic content sites often serving as the means of discovery of chastity devices and their use. Similarly, the internet has allowed consumers to acquire devices more easily, faster, anonymously, and from a wider range of manufacturers and retailers. Simultaneously, the internet has provided a private avenue for subcultures dedicated to their usage, fostering the culture and allowing individuals with interests in chastity to connect with one another, both on the internet and in-person.

Although there exists a historical association of chastity belts with women, the male chastity devices market offers more options and diversity compared to what is available for female chastity devices. Among male chastity devices, "cock-and-ball" trap devices are the most popular, followed by typically more secure full belt (around-the-waist) style devices.

Films and TV

• InRobin Hood: Men in Tights,Maid Marian(portrayed byAmy Yasbeck) has a silver-colored Everlast chastity belt revealed by the Sheriff.
• In the Korean filmThe CagebyLior Shamriz,the protagonist Nick (Kim Wonmok) flees his boss (Won Tae-hee) and crosses the border wearing a pink chastity device.
• Meet the Spartansfeatures a scene where Margo (portrayed byCarmen Electra) comes in a golden chastity belt concealed by her dress when she encounters Leonidas for the first time.
• The Love Guru:Maurice Pitka (portrayed byMike Myers) is given a metallic chastity belt at 12 years old with a large metallic elephant head that makes a trumpeting noise when exposed. It clanks and makes a pinging noise when he gets an erection and does not protect his genitalia from pain.
• Stoke Me a Clipper,the second episode of the seventh series ofRed Dwarf,hasDave Lister(portrayed byCraig Charles) utilizecheat codesto remove the chastity belt of theQueen of Camelotin a medieval fantasy game.
• Mad Max: Fury Road:The Five Wives are seen removing their chastity belts, once they have escaped from Immortan Joe and the Citadel.

Other occurrences

In 1981, while California State SenatorJohn G. Schmitzwas leading hearings on outlawing abortion,Gloria Allredpresented him with a chastity belt. Schmitz retaliated in a press release, calling her a "slick butch lawyeress." She sued him forlibel,and eventually secured a settlement of $20,000 and an apology.

In 1998, racial riots against the ethnic Chinese inWest Javaprompted the production and sale of "anti-rape corsets". These were Florentine-type belts of imitation leather-covered plastic, fastened with a combination lock. The belts had a solid crotch strap without holes, and were intended only for brief outings.

In April 2002, the Uwe Koetter Jewellers company ofCape Town,South Africa, completed and delivered a diamond and pearl-encrusted chastity belt made of gold to a British customer. The belt reportedly cost R160,000 and was a wedding gift from a husband-to-be for his bride to wear at their wedding.

On February 6, 2004,USA Todayreported that atAthens airportin Greece, a woman's steel chastity belt had triggered a security alarm at themetal detector.The woman explained that her husband had forced her to wear the device to prevent an extramarital affair while she was on vacation in Greece. She was allowed to continue her flight to London on the pilot's authority. The incident was said to have happened just before Christmas in 2003.

In November 2006, photographs of Lucio Valentini's hand-wrought iron chastity belts were published in newspapers including the Seoul Times,and CRI Online.Although Valentini's company, MedioEvo, claims that their chastity belts' designs are from the Middle Ages on their website, a company spokesperson acknowledged that there is no proof that devices such as these were actually used.

In 2007, the Asian Human Rights Commission reported that women were being forced to wear chastity belts in theIndianstate ofRajasthan.

In 2008, masseuses inBatu,Indonesiawere required to wear belts with a lock and key during working hours, to preventprostitution.

On February 8, 2010,AOL Newsreported that Dexter Blanch, a dog breeder fromLouisiana,introduced a chastity belt for dogs, called PABS (Pet Anti-Breeding System). It is made ofpolypropyleneand uses an eight-buckle locking system and a washable mesh pad to prevent intercourse in female dogs. Kathleen Makolinski, director of veterinary outreach at theASPCA,commented that "For the majority of animals, spaying and neutering remains the most beneficial option".While this may be true for dogs being helped by rescues and humane societies, the American Kennel Club subsequently changed its policy regarding pediatric spaying or neutering. Following the research published by UC Davis, the American Kennel Club (AKC) now says that the owner of large breed dogs will have a healthier, longer lived dog if the pet owner would wait until the dog is of appropriate age before spaying or neutering.

On September 19, 2012,China People's Dailyreported that a man in his 50s, naked except for a homemade chastity belt, appeared with a pair of banners inChangchun World Sculpture ParkinJilinprovince in China, seeking a wife. He stated that he wore the chastity belt to symbolize fidelity to his future wife.

See also

• Confraternity of the Cord of Saint Thomas
• Erotic sexual denial
• Modesty
• Sexual abstinence

References

Sources

• Bonneau, Alcide (1892)Padlocks and Girdles of Chastity: An historical and descriptive notice.Paris: Isidore Lideux.ISBN1-58963-347-4.(Reprinted in 1932 and later by New York: Golden Hind Press and, New York: Big Dollar Books, and others.) Translation ofLes cadenas et ceintures de chasteté.(The first half of the book is a dubious historical overview of chastity belts and their use by Greeks, Romans and others. The second half of the book is titled "Speech of Monsieur Freydier's on behalf of Mademoiselle Marie Lajon versus Sieur Pierre Berlhe, prisoner of the Court", in which Mlle. Lajon's counsel argues to have the Court order a chastity belt removed from her.)

Further reading

• Classen, Albrecht:The Medieval Chastity Belt: A Myth-Making Process (New Middle Ages):Palgrave Macmillan:2007.
• Dingwall, Eric John:The Girdle of Chastity: A Medico-Historical Study:London:Routledge and Sons:1931.
• Polidoro, Massimo: "The Myth of Chastity Belts":Skeptical Inquirer:35: 5: September/October 2011: 27–28.

External links

• Chastity belt appearances in movies and TV