Female masturbation – a taboo subject in many countries including, India, is still a difficult topic to freely discuss. That is why members of OMH (Oh My Hrithik), a UGC platform created to have an open dialogue about female fantasies and masturbation, decided it was time to bring this conversation to light.
On International Masturbation Day, observed on May 28, the group held an interactive session titled ‘Let’s Talk Out Loud’ at a cafe in Juhu, Mumbai. The goal was to start a dialogue about a subject that is the least talked about, but important to have for women, in order to normalise the subject and remove the feelings of shame and guilt associated with masturbation. Attendees included college students and interns, who shared their stories that for the most part had been secret for a long time.
OMH members Kriti, Suparna and Vaishali and Kevika kicked off the session with a question game to help break the ice over a topic that is not freely discussed among most girls. Questions like "Have you had a real orgasm by yourself?" to "Which historical figure do your fantasies about?" got the conversation going. They also discussed the flip side of masturbation. Some said it helped them sleep better, others said it helps relieve stress.
At the session, one OMH member opened up about her experience with self-pleasuring and how empowering it felt the first time she talked about it. She only began to indulge in masturbation at a late age because she had never heard of women engaging in such an act. "Once I started, it felt damn weird. I was just like I have no idea what I’m doing because I have no idea how it's done," she revealed. Eventually, she experienced her first orgasm but didn’t dare tell anyone feeling ashamed about it.
It’s only when she decided to reveal it to her friends, the same girls she eventually launched OMH with,that she realised how common it was for women to do. Simply talking about it made her feel so much better. She explained revealing this truth felt like an “antidote” to this secret poison. Realising the value in having such an open dialogue about female masturbation inspired them to launch OMH so other women could have a place to freely talk and express their feelings and desires.
Many of the girls who attended the interactive session expressed their own feelings of shame and guilt after masturbating. One attendee revealed how she was made to feel extremely terrible by a relative about doing it after getting caught in the act. “I thought Oh My God I have committed a sin,” she explained. Another girl revealed how she struggled with her feelings after she started to engage in the practice of self-pleasure. "What if I get caught?" was a question she said that played on her mind for a long time before she finally learned to embrace it.
The members of OMH hope this session and platform removes the stigma about self-pleasuring and that people begin to perceive masturbating as a natural and healthy expression of sexuality for women.
