THE HISTORY OF LUBE
The one is a quickie.
Hi Everyone,
Happy hump day and thanks so much for reading the ADULT SEX ED newsletter!
This is a weekly newsletter from me, Dani Faith Leonard. It’s an extension of the live comedy show ADULT SEX ED that I’ve hosted since 2018. The show is about plugging the holes in our education as adults, so I’ll be doing just that (if you want to know more about this newsletter, here’s a description on substack).
Ready to get a little smarter? Okay, let’s go!
Dani
THE HISTORY OF LUBE
This is a busy week for me with writing deadlines and prepping my show in Texas in two weeks. I still have time for a quickie, though, and luckily I researched the History of Lube back in November for my live show in NYC (at Caveat).
The earliest known use of personal lubricant dates back to the ancient Greeks. The Greeks have been described as sex-positive and more open to anal sex and male homosexuality. Something that they loved almost as much as sex…..olive oil! Historians believe olive oil was the go-to lubricant for both the ancient Greeks and Romans. The first mention of olive oil as a lubricant is from 350 BCE, which is also around the same time that leather dildos became popular. Fun fact: ancient Greeks also made dildos out of bread, which doesn’t sound pleasurable, but sure sounds delicious dipped in oil with some feta. (FYI - olive oil is still safe to use as lube, but oils can’t be used with latex condoms.)
In ancient Japan and China, they used crushed up yams and clove oil, which is still used as an ingredient in many lubricants today. They also used a gelatinous substance created from seaweed called carrageenan for millenia. So in The Little Mermaid when Sebastian sang “everything’s better down where it’s wetter” he knew what he was saying.
Robert Chesebrough patented the first petroleum jelly called Vaseline in 1872. Although never intended for sex, it became a popular lube choice, as seen on your high school boyfriend’s night stand.
KY Jelly was invented in 1904 but remained prescription-only until 1980! You mean until 1980 our parents had to call their doctors and explain why they needed to get slippery? Can you imagine?
Of course today, there are tons of brands of lube available. However you use your lube, always give credit to the ancient Greek gays who had your back. Or front. Or both.
NEWS
This is the 4th official newsletter! If you missed any of the other newsletters this past month, here are the links for easy access:
Wednesday April 5th - PAVING THE WAY: the sexual health snake-oil saleswoman before Goop (
Wednesday March 29th - POLITICKING & PEEN SHAMING (a historical tradition)
Wednesday March 22nd - THE LONG HISTORY OF BIRTH CONTROL & OTHER NEWS
Here are some other substacks that I thought were important this week:
This Week in Abortion via Abortion, Every Day (a great run-down of everything happening right now
Why I Declined 10,000 to Debate Michael Knowles via Charlotte’s Web Thoughts
Proof that Studios (and Streamers) NEED to Release Films in Theaters via The Ankler (ok, this one is inside Hollywood and a bit nerdy, but important to me as a film producer)
In two weeks, I’m bringing some Adult Sex Ed to Houston, TX. Then, I’ll be on the West Coast. Want an Adult Sex Ed live show in your city? Let me know by responding to this email or leave a comment!
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