The Mythical History of Chastity Belts
It's as silly as Robin Hood: Men in Tights
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Adult Sex Ed comedically challenges why we think what we think about sex. In case you’re new, I’m Dani Faith Leonard, a comedy writer, film producer, and performer. In 2018, I started a comedy show called Adult Sex Ed and launched this newsletter last year. Each week, I take a fun deep dive into a topic that I’ve been researching. Want to know more? Read the whole description on substack here.
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I first learned that chastity belts existed in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Mel Brooks’ 1993 film that also introduced us to key history about the Crusades and Dave Chapelle. Maid Marian is looking for the man who has the key to her heart (and vagina). The asshole Sheriff of Rottingham kidnaps Maid Marian and steals her away to a tower. His plan (to rape her, probably) is thwarted when he encounters the ultimate defense: her locked Everlast chastity belt.
It was long-believed lore that chastity belts existed during Medieval times. When men went off to fight in the Crusades, they needed to keep the fidelity of their wives in check, as if they weren’t off fucking everything that moved anyway. They invented a device, a metal contraption that fit around a woman’s waist with holes to pee and poop ONLY — locked with a key held by her husband. The problem: there is little physical evidence that these belts ever existed. One chastity belt, at the Musée de Cluny in Paris, is alleged to have belonged to Catherine de Medici (1519-1589). However, a test of the metal in Catherine de Medici’s belt revealed that it originated in the early 19th century, hundreds of years after her death. So, might the existence of chastity belts be just as much a joke as they are in Men in Tights?
The first mention of the belts come from Ancient Rome—cue the recent SNL song, it always comes back to Rome. They weren’t metal contraptions, but white tunics with intricate knots that brides wore as a symbol of their chastity. The groom would untie this “lovers knot” and it’s probably the origin of the term “tying the knot.”
Many of the other mentions of chastity belts in historical texts were paired with heavy satire. A late 16th century German satirical cartoon features a lord locking up his nude wife as he leaves, while her lovers hide in the shadows with a spare key. As you know, the Germans are known for their comedy!
In the 19th century, phony historical chastity belts were manufactured with iron and steel for museums and curiosity shows. The Victorian crowd loved learning about Dark Age torture devices and craftsmen created depictions to fit their notions of Medieval times. Those silly Victorians, using a darker time in history to validate themselves.
That’s not to say that chastity devices didn’t exist at all! In the 1800s, many medical professionals were vehemently against masturbation, like “medical” professional and cereal inventor John Harvey Kellogg. He once said about chronic masturbators that “such a victim literally dies by his own hand.” Ahhhh, but what a way to go! Devices were invented to keep men from having erections and masturbating (like the one below). Similar torture devices were invented for women over time, but this was never widely practiced.
So, the Medieval version probably never existed as a serious thing, but there have been a few more recent mentions. Some human rights organizations have raised concerns about women being forced to wear chastity devices in Indonesia and India. There have been some instances of women wearing chastity cages to protect themselves. Back in 2004, a woman set off an airport metal detector in Athens, Greece because her husband wanted to prevent an affair while she was on vacation. They sound healthy. Every once in a while, there’s a fun news report about someone accidentally locking themselves in, losing the key, and calling the fire department. In 1981, Gloria Allred made news when she presented a chastity belt to a Republican State Senator leading hearings to outlaw abortion. He retaliated in a press release, calling her a "slick butch lawyeress," which I hope she put on a t-shirt (she actually sued him for libel and won).
There are modern chastity belts that are very real, mostly popular in BDSM. Used in bondage or specifically, chastity play, they range from simple leather or plastic toys, to specialized steel devices designed for either sex. Some designs look like the historically depicted ones, while “cock-and-ball” trap devices seem to be the most popular types advertised to men. Chastity play can involve denying pleasure for a set period of time, until finally being allowed to let go. While the original chastity belts might not have been real, they’ve inspired generations. The original Medieval satirists are probably giggling at the thought.
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