Speculums

I try to make it a bit of rule, when presented with a prompt topic that doesn’t ‘click’ for me, to still do something with said topic (beyond saying “___________ do/es nothing for me”). And usually, I am able to figure out an approach to the topic that works. Occasionally a chat with a friend yields something sexy; once in a while, a lover’s offhand comment will bloom into something more in the garden of my imagination; sometimes – though rarely – I find an outlet for my thoughts via a venture into fiction.

I’m afraid none of those avenues are working for me though when it comes to sexy speculations on speculums. Metal clamps meant for inserting into bodily orifices for the purpose of stretching the area where said intrusion takes place, with the goal of performing some kind of medical procedure…

That would be a Hard NO.

Speculums serve their purpose, of course. The pinch-stretch pain that accompanies the pap & pelvic exam is a needs-must means to a medical end. Reproductive & sexual health is important to me so the discomfort is something I’m willing to endure.

Speculums may also, I’m told, be used to facilitate rectal exams or to create ease-of-access for needle aspirations (such as those that take place during a prostate biopsy). Since colorectal cancers run in my family and both my current partners have had prostate problems, I equate that type of speculum usage with ‘medical necessity’ in the same way I do for pap smears, and I just cannot see ‘sexy’ as a possibility for any of it.

Intellectually, yes I can wrap my head around the concept of fetishizing medical equipment/scenarios. (See Floss’s explanation for a much clearer picture than I could ever attempt to paint.) I can also understand the humiliation factor – the concept of being ‘subject to inspection’ and as such, having your bits (and perhaps their aroused reaction to such treatment) exposed to scrutiny – and how/why that would be hot for someone whose kinks bend that way.

The curiosity/self-exploration angle makes sense to me as well (using a speculum to get a better view of one’s own bits, either in an exploratory or experimental way). As does the psychology behind taking ownership of a medical procedure that otherwise would tap into one’s dysphoria by kink-ify-ing it.

I am leary of going any of these routes in my writing though, because none of these approaches speak to me personally and I don’t have the personal experience to bring truth/believability to any storytelling I might be inclined to try. (Plus: Not My Lane. And I get genuinely insulted/irritated when people who don’t ‘get’ things from my world present them caricature-ly, so I actively avoid bringing that same insult to anyone else.)

A n y w a y

Basically, all that to say: Speculums are not my kink.

But I can see various possibilities for why they might be – and I would be fascinated to hear what you have to say on the topic if they happen to be – yours!

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