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18th century

Prostitution: Victorian Vs. Modern Times

Prostitution is arguably the oldest profession in the history of human kind. It has been employed since before the time of Christ and is still very much alive today. In fact it has played a large part in women sexuality from Victorian times until now. Although outlawed in many countries today, prostitution still occurs either legally under government control or illegally under the radar. Is prostitution less risky today than it was in the 1900’s? You decide.

In Victorian times, prostitution was not a chosen profession. Actually, it was essentially forced upon young girls and women as a way to earn money to stay off the streets if they were homeless, unemployed, unmarried, orphaned or otherwise left helpless in the days when women could not own property or work any legitimately well paid jobs other than seamstresses, maids, and other low service positions. A mostly controlled profession, prostitutes usually resided in brothels underneath madams who upheld the house and gave room & board as well as food and clothing to them for working within.

Despite this profession being a last resort to many women, society still viewed the existence of prostitution as a contribution to the decline of morality and often referred to prostitutes as Magdalenes or whores. Ridiculously enough, it was also seen as a necessary evil because it was thought to be less harmful for men to engage in sex without love.

Today, prostitution still seems to be seen as a decline in morality and society as a whole, but is not so easily acceptable for men to engage with prostitutes as in the 18th century. Considered illegal in many parts of the world today, prostitution might be seen as more dangerous today than in the past due to the fact that there is little to no control over the market, the clients, nor the prostitutes themselves who often turn “tricks” to sustain a drug habit as well as the fact that STD’s are more prevalent and varying today than in the past. Prostitution today is sometimes seen as a woman’s right to control her sexuality and is more often a choice today than it was in the Victorian era.

Sex Positions From Around the World

Every country in the world seems to have it’s own take on sexual practices, rituals and yes, even sexual positions made popular by them. From England to India (of course) and even in China, every country seems to have at least one sexual position to their name. Sex positions are a lot of fun and, while everyone has their personal favorite, we usually do not think about the origin of said positions nowadays in our melting pot society. So which countries should be credited for coming up with their respective popular sexual positions, most of which we still do today? Read on for the origin of 7 popular sexual acts!

1. 69 Oral Pleasure: You can thank France for giving us this erotically fun act (among others), made popular in the mid-16th century.

2. Doggie Style AKA From the Rear: Lie back and think of the Queen as this position became popular and well known in the 18th century England, along with other scandalous acts of debauchery happening in the brothels and at court. Better not get caught doing this little naughty act as punishments for this included anything from 3 years of penance or being shipped off to the nearest convent to death, especially if done out of wedlock or caught having an affair!

3. French Kissing: I’m pretty sure you can guess where this one came from. The act of kissing with open mouths and tongue interaction came from France where it is better known as ‘baiser amoureux’ or in slang, as a ‘patin’ or ‘galoche.’ Although considered inappropriate and even taboo in some parts of the world to be done publicly, this is one of the most commonly practiced acts of affection in the world.

4. Rocking Sitting Position: Surprisingly, this sex position arose to popularity in Arabia. A reader favorite for it’s ability to stimulate both partners, the exotic Rocker sitting position is done by facing your partner and straddling their lap (or vice versa) while rocking back and forth to ecstasy.

5. The Missionary Position: Enacted by various countries and peoples for over a millennia, it appears in various artwork pieces around the world including countries such as Japan, China, Peru, Rome & India.Various myths and cultural beliefs exist to explain each country/civilization’s use of this position as seen in the Chinese belief that women are born face up and men are born face down.

6. Balanced Front Entry Position: Of course this idea of balance in a sexual position was enacted in China! Done by facing your partner feet first and entering the female this way by balancing her on top of the male lap during insertion. What a perfect physical display of chan! (Contrary to popular belief, chan is the Chinese word that refers to a meditative state commonly referred to as Zen by many people, which is actually a Japanese word.)

7. Stand & Deliver Position: The incredibly innovative and proud Basques of Spain came up with this one and rightfully so as the position is done with both partners standing, facing one another, as equals. No word yet on the accuracy of that claim, but it’s nice to think of the mysterious Basques as being ahead of the trends.

Click Here For Ancient Sexual Methods

Fun Fact! Did you know the use of dildos and other penis shaped items for sexual pleasure has been prevalent since the middle ages? The origin of the word dildo is not clear, but it is thought to have come from the original expression “dilldough” which referred to a loaf of bread made with dill.Other theories of its origin include a phallus shaped peg that locks an oar in place on a small boat or possibly an adjusted form of the Italian term ‘diletto,’ which means delight.  Whatever it’s true origin is we may never know, but we have to thank them for such naughty brilliance as it has truly lasted through the ages!

Click Here to Check out Which Sex Positions Burn the Most Calories!