Upper middle aged women and a handful of campus hardcores sat patiently in the basement cafeteria of the 17 Hillhouse Ave. Medical Center Wednesday evening. Some held their breath, others wiped the sweat off their foreheads.

The occasion: the chance to talk about vibrators with a professional.

“I just came because I like vibrators,” a female audience member noted.

Some exchanged pleasantries and meaningless chit-chat, others made harmless buzzing jokes with their friends, and others stared in a helpless gaze at the blank wall, only imagining what the first slide to appear might be.

But History professor Naomi Rogers never shied away from the serious ramifications of her material and its social and cultural context.

“Does a woman’s freedom to sexuality have implications on society that some don’t want?” she challenged her audience.

Her presentation began with a trip back in time, to an era where our nation struggled to recover from the Civil War, and vibrators came in the form of steam powered, rotating, cylindrical tables.

In 1869, a scientist by the name of George Taylor patented a steam powered table, with rotating spheres in its center, which could be used to massage the genital region of most women. Its nominal purpose was the alleviation of pain; its practical purpose, said Rogers, was not publicly acknowledged.

In the 1880’s, steam was replaced by the wonder of the battery, and the device itself became one that was more accessible to more women, and one whose popularity was growing. By the 1930’s there was no more denying it, the vibrator had become a powerful sex tool.

With the coming of the Second World War, according to Rogers, the vibrator and other domestic issues were set aside as the United States devoted its energy to victory over evil. It was in the postwar years, particularly the 1960’s and beyond, that it earned its way back into the sphere of national attention.

The vibrator entered a new era during the feminist movement of the 1960’s and 70’s. The vibrator, which was by now remarkably efficient and accessible to many, had become in some circles the symbol of the liberation of women.

Terms such as “the right to orgasm” and “guilt-free masturbation” became slogans for women defending their rights, and in some states bumper stickers or T-shirts.

Some male listeners left the lecture somewhat humbled. Ray Allen ’05 commented, “I left that lecture wondering what I had to offer my girlfriend!”

Miles Hall ’05 apparently came out of the hall with confidence intact. “All I know is that someday I’m going to have a wife who will never need one of those,” he said.