Men aren’t particularly shy when it comes to dick jokes, masturbation innuendo, and basically any chat that revolves around their members. Since pre-school, we’ve been drawing poor representations of our bits on anything and everything we can find we’ve basically never grown-up or evolved as humans.
This is why it’s somewhat surprising to read that a new global survey has found just under half of men “never” talk about masturbation. While female masturbation has become a relatively normal theme or topic, men don’t seem to have enjoyed the same cultural re-evaluation. We’re guessing it’s got something to do with the fact that when sincerity comes into play, men are the first to go quiet.
Male pleasure brand Arcwave has decided to redress this imbalance by setting up Australia’s first-ever male masturbation hotline. No, this isn’t one of those numbers you find on stickers in phone boxes or at the back of lad’s mags. It is, apparently, a genuine attempt to open up the conversation around male masturbation and remove some of that lingering stigma.
Johanna Rief, Head of Sexual Empowerment at Arcwave, explains that “unfortunately, there is still a taboo attached to masturbation.
“While we’ve made significant progress breaking down the stigma in the last decade, the conversation around the health and wellness benefits of masturbation has been largely led by the female empowerment movement“.
“Opening up this new line of communication for men can help people identifying as male develop a similar masturbation mindset that gives more relevance to health and wellness-driven, but still fun, self-pleasure routines.”
Calling the hotline will present you with a selection of information options regarding sexual health and masturbation. These include tips for a healthy masturbation routine and the links between masturbation and sex. Men can also leave a message to get the contact details of a sexual wellness professional.
Arcwave’s global survey asked questions on sex and masturbation to over 7,000 men from more than 17 countries, including Australia. They found that only 30.8% of men said they would feel comfortable discussing masturbation with their partner, 20.8% would feel comfortable talking about it with a friend, and 5.6% with a doctor.
Cam Fraser, Australian sexologist and Arcwave’s sexual wellness expert said that “there are so many benefits of masturbation”.
“Not only can it boost your immune system, it can also help with relieving pain, and learning more about your body, boundaries, pleasure, turn-ons, and turn-offs. Having a robust understanding of these things by exploring them during masturbation can help you to communicate about them with a partner.”
“It can also help with self-confidence, self-esteem, and body-positivity,” he added.
If you want to give the hotline a try yourself, you call it on 02 8880 0463. Obviously, if there are genuine issues going on, it’s probably best to reach out to a healthcare professional directly.
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