The Mechanical Age of Reproduction

The Mechanical Age of Reproduction, roughly spanning the late 19th to early 20th centuries, refers to a period when technological innovations greatly transformed how humans reproduced and understood sexuality. Advances like the vibrator, photography, and early medical techniques made private sexual acts more publicly visible and accessible, changing social norms around sexuality and reproduction. These innovations shifted focus from solely natural processes to mechanical and technological understanding, influencing medicine, entertainment, and societal attitudes, and played a role in shaping modern ideas about sexuality, gender, and reproductive control.