Nazis are bad: This is well known. Lesser known is that they almost inhibited the discovery of the G-spot.
In 1937, they arrested Jewish gynecologist Ernst Grafenberg, for whom the G-spot is named. It was he who discovered an extra erogenous zone during his 1940s research on urethral stimulation. And we have Margaret Sanger of Planned Parenthood fame to thank for his release from prison.
Grafenberg didn't quite know what he had found and so it wasn't until the 1982 publication of The G-spot and other Discoveries about Human Sexuality by Alice Khan Ladas, Beverly Whipple, and John Perry that the term G-spot caught the public's fancy. Though an accepted term, its actual existence is still a matter of debate.
"The G-spot is the Skene's gland which produces female ejaculation and exists in only a fraction of women. But," cautions anthropologist Diana Sara Buck, "that mystical little red button that is supposed to cause instantaneous orgasm in all women, that doesn't exist."
A mystical button indeed, and for some, almost as unprovable as the existence of God. A British study in 2010 study claimed that there was no conclusive evidence and that, "the idea of a G-spot is subjective." In response, a group of French gynecologists accused the scientists of falling, "victim to an Anglo-Saxon tendency to reduce the mysteries of sexuality to absolutes. This attempt to set clear parameters on something variable and ambiguous was characteristic of British scientific attitudes to sex."
The debate rages on about if it is, but also about what it is. Some say it's the back end of the clitoris. Others claim it's the sphincter muscle. Or perhaps it's the Skene's gland. There still remains much to muse on, but those of the G-spot faith say that it lives 3 to 4 inches up inside the vagina and once stimulated, it feels like a small bean. Because it can usually only be felt when the woman is aroused, clinical settings and autopsy studies, for obvious reasons, haven't worked.
Despite inconclusive results, there are many who will gladly testify to its power. Rosie Jones says, "The first time my husband-to-be found it through purely going about our normal vaginal sex, I was in a fit of giggles for a good 15 minutes after." Elana Vittorio says her first experience of the G-spot orgasm made her arms numb, her eyes water and inspired a surprise ejaculation. It almost scared her, it was so intense. Perhaps that is why in French, orgasm is often referred to as "the little death."
Also arguing against the G-spot are a few sexologists who worry that women will feel insecure if they can't find theirs. "We have enough pressure on us already to just get off, let alone get off fantastically due to some extra spot," says Maureen Smith.
True. Oh so true. But for those who are in the mood to do their own scientific experiment there are diagrams, specially crafted vibrators and instructional manuals to aid in the pursuit of the mighty G-spot. Fiction, fact or anti-fascist, the G-spot has many a devotee. Thad Gann is a fan and says that though, "not always easy to find, it is unmistakable and quite provocative when you do."
The Sweet Spot is a blog column about alternative sexuality by Ginger Murray who is also the editor of Whore! magazine. Check back next week for more.
