List of bizarre practices

Sexuality has taken many forms throughout history and across political and religious contexts, ranging from extreme prudishness to the most extravagant debauchery. Here is our selection of the most unusual sexual practices.

Sexy business cards: in the United States, the 19th The puritanical century was a considerable source of frustration for young men who couldn’t flirt freely without being seen as monstrously perverse. To approach the women they desired, the more ingenious among them crafted calling cards containing essential information for a secret rendezvous: name, address, type of request, nature of the feelings involved, and so on. These were called invitation cards, escort cards, or acquaintance cards. Even in the Victorian era, men couldn’t be prevented from flirting…

Erotic pocket watches: when it comes to sex, man has never lacked imagination. Thus, a traveling husband of the 18th e In the 19th century, a man conceived the idea of having a portrait of his wife painted inside his pocket watch. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before some clever individuals transformed the concept, inserting erotic images instead. These watches, remarkable works of art, are very rare today and sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars to discerning collectors.

Vulvas as buns: courtship in 17th- century England In the 19th century, this practice took a rather extravagant form among some women. To show their interest in the man of their choice, some of them made small buns shaped like vulvas. These “clam-breads,” as they were called, were molded directly from the woman’s genitals. And if the recipient of this voluptuous bread ate it, the relationship was assured, and the promise of a happy love seemed certain.

Impotence trials: In the Middle Ages, marriage was no laughing matter. Not only did the marriage contract have to be duly signed, but it also had to be consummated to avoid annulment. A wife who hadn’t been honored could drag her husband before the judges and have him tried for impotence. The poor fellow, intimately examined by doctors, also had to answer very personal questions about what went on in his bed. If the court wasn’t convinced, he then faced a trial for sexual intercourse. That is to say, he had to “honor” his wife, bodily fluids included, before a crowd of nobles and pseudo-experts who leered with impunity. If he succeeded, he then had the right to publicly humiliate his shrew. Ouch!

Pederasty among the Greeks: it’s always been known that eromenos and erastes were merry pranksters in Antiquity, and that they were every bit as extravagant as the Marais district of Paris today. But what’s not always known is that it was an honor for a father to see one of his guests, namely a mature man, fondle his son’s testicles. In fact, if a male guest didn’t engage in this type of touching of the son old enough to be fondled, this disdain was considered a source of shame by the father. Quite a revelation!

Masturbation in the Nile: The Nile, besides being the second longest river in the world, was also a veritable repository of fertility in ancient times. According to an old legend, the Nile’s flooding was a consequence of Atum’s divine masturbation, and to help him in this delicate mission, the Egyptians, in turn, masturbated in the sacred river to participate in warding off droughts. In short, a place where swimming must have been forbidden…

Nepalese women and fraternal polyandry: to avoid the dispersal of family land upon inheritance, an old Nepalese tradition allowed Nepalese women to marry all the brothers of the same family, thus keeping the inheritance in a single plot. All for one, one for all!

The fortunate Bashilele women of Congo: we’ve saved the best for dessert. In this Congolese ethnic group, there was a time when Bashilele boys of marriageable age, but without financial means, pooled their meager resources to collectively buy a wife. Mind you, this wasn’t about acquiring merchandise, far from it. The prospective husbands then had to spend six months to two years lavishing attention and care on each other so that the bride could choose her five future husbands from among them. But that’s not all; in addition to her legal husbands, the fortunate Bashilele woman could also have affairs with other men in the village, as she frolicked with her disposable lovers in the forest… Isn’t life grand!

Tags: humor