Reshaping sex tech
A history of silicone
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20182641 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Isabelle Held (0000-0002-1521-930X, Pratt Institute, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-26 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-29 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History and Technology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0734-1512 • E-ISSN: 1477-2620 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/07341512.2026.2672842 |
| OpenAlex | W7162790759 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
By methodologically foregrounding silicone’s unique properties that appealed to individuals working within and outside of formal medical structures, this article closely examines the material and the ways in which different actors and overlapping networks in the US and Canada engaged with it from the 1970s onwards to shape technologies of gender and sexual expression. However, early access to silicone was not meted out equally. While silicone provided an ideal material for making nontoxic objects that could be safely inserted into and used as extensions of the body, there was gatekeeping by corporate industrial and medical actors which replicated established power relations around race, gender, sexuality, and the body. This article traces the history of silicone and its unique relationship to shaping penile prosthetics and dildos within disabled, feminist, lesbian, trans, and queer communities of makers and users, exploring the DIY practice of making technologies of the body and their role in communities of care and pleasure
Cover story · Foregrounding · Gatekeeping · Queer · Silicone · History of Computing Technologies · Science Education and Perceptions · Twentieth Century Scientific Developments
| Highly cited | No |
|---|