No, masturbating will not lead to blindness
Launched as a judgement-free digital platform by a group of students, ‘Oh My Hrithik’ urges you to talk to the hand
In 2018, Karan Johar’s Netflix short film focused on the one thing Indian families never discuss (no, not the underlying tension between mummy and dadiji) – sexual desire. Lust Stories’ climax featured a demure Kiara Advani masturbating her way to the orgasm of a lifetime while her horrified mother-in-law looked on. It made quite the impression with its genius use of the Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham soundtrack too.
Serendipitously, it was around the same time that five college girls — Kriti Kulshrestha, Mansi Jain, Kevika Singla, Suparna Dutta, and Vaishali Manek – began to firm up plans to create a judgement-free digital platform where women could express their sexual desires, and freely talk about masturbation and their fantasies without any inhibitions.
And they did, calling it Oh My Hrithik (OMH) after another popular scene in the Lust Stories anthology “which showed Sumukhi Suresh do stand-up comedy. During the performance, she talks about how at some point or another, every Indian girl has fantasised about Hrithik Roshan,” says Kulshrestha. “Also, we didn’t want to call it Oh My God because that might rub people the wrong way, and Hrithik is as close as it gets to a Greek god,” she laughs.
For a country with an exploding population, we scarcely talk about sex. Instead, public displays of affection are met with morchas and the dialogue around sex and masturbation especially is one we approach with more trepidation than the condom counter at a chemist.
This irrational hostility towards all things sex leads to hordes of unanswered questions, which eventually surface in the form of urban myths, absurd misconceptions, and misinformation. OMH attempts to be a champion for self-love and a reminder that masturbation is all the DIY we need in our lives because god knows that we’re never going to get around to planting that kitchen garden…
In an attempt to break through the clutter, we asked the team of OMH to share some of the most common questions that come their way. We then passed the myth-busting baton to Dr. Firuza Parikh, director of the department of assisted reproduction and genetics, Fertiltree – Jaslok International Fertility Centre.
Can masturbation lead to illness or disease?
No, it can only lead to happiness.
Can masturbation cause acne?
No
How often should girls masturbate?
As many times as they biologically need it.
Can you lose your virginity by masturbation?
Yes, you can. If you insert your finger in the vagina, you can.
Can one go blind if I masturbate?
No. But you may go blind temporarily when you’re orgasmic, that’s all.
Does it have any health benefits?
Absolutely, you release all the good hormones, it’s a stress reliever.
What is the right age to start masturbating?
Whenever you get the urge, there’s no age. I think women start getting their period much earlier nowadays, they’re getting sexually precocious. It’s very important for parents to not blame the child if they catch them masturbating — it’s a normal physiological thing, there’s no shame in it.
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