Gold-and-silver ornament
in the inner part of the underwear

In the first place, a chastity belt—also called the belt of Venus—was devised by the jealousy medieval men in Europe to prevent fickleness of their wives. Supposedly, the belt has come into use since the medieval crusade days. Setting out to the holy place for a long journey, the knight came up with an idea of chasity belt so that he could prevent his wife or lover from having sexual relations with other men. Some scholars, however, claim that this “crusade theory” is a deception of a historical fact, and that you cannoy find any material to prove this theory.

Others say, moreover, that a woman began to wear a chastity belt on her own to protect herself for virtue and against rape while the soldier under expedition stayed in her town or she took a long trip. Speaking from a female point of view, however, I would say that the medieval women did not put it on spontaneously. The woman might not have invented such an inconvenient thing. First of all, it is quite troublesome for a woman to put it on and off. Besides, the women at the time would have considered it too unpleasant and uncomfortable to carry it on.

Another researcher insists that the inventor of the belt was Francesco II (1466-1519), 4th Marquis of Mantua in Italy. The belt first spread over Italy and then expanded into France. You might wonder why some husbands attached the splendid ornament to the belt. Scholars explain that the husbands, praying for their wives being protected in chastity, gave the gorgeous jewelry and inlaid works to the women who had to look after the house for a long time.

In any case, it seems certain that chastity belts came into use in the medieval crusade days.

The chastity belt consists of a belt surrounding the waist and a board covering a crotch. A belt made of elastic metal is covered with the soft cloth of velvet, which would make the wearer less uncomfortable when the belt touched the surrounding skin of the waist.

The board to protect a woman’s most important place is made from metal, ivory, or a bone and snuggles closely to the mound of Venus. The board has a small hole for the woman to release herself, and the sharp notches around the hole would injure the fingers of the curious man if he would insert them from curiosity.

The strong lock is attached to the belt, and only the husband has the key. When he sets out for battles or a travel, he locks his wife’s belt so that nobody could bother her.

The above German woodcut print shows a woman with a chastity belt, her husband and her lover. The wife hands over the key to her lover while stealing some money from her husband’s large wallet. The print tells us sarcastically that, if a man forces his wife to wear such a belt, his wife would likely work mischief.

In any case, the chastity belt is an outrageous device that symbolizes contempt of the women. I cannot but think that, if a woman carries such a belt all the time, she would feel unbearably dirty. I wonder what the wearer would do when she took a bath.

At the beginning of the 20th century, workers dug the yard of a historic church in a town of Central Europe and found the almost decomposed coffin when one man turned over the flag stone. When he removed the lid, lied down a mummy clothed in luxurious damask-made garment. Apparently, she was a woman of high birth. When the clothes were exposed, they instantly turned into dust and scattered away with the wind. Underneath the outer garment was the petticoat embroidered with delicate lace. If they stripped it off, the men would see the most inner part of the lady under broad daylight. So, the workers might have expected such a scene while holding their breath.

Despite their expectation, however, a chastity belt showed up. The men found a 10cm-wide metallic board covering her mound of Venus, in addition to a narrow belt that surrounded her pelvis. The chastity belt turned out splendid with the gold-and-silver work of relief.

Her husband might have placed the chastity belt on her dead body and then buried her to prevent his wife from having sexual relations with other men in the after world. What a jealous husband he was! Probably, she was such an attractive woman that, even after her death, she kept her husband troubled with the sense of jealousy.

Do you know why this naked man is so proud before his love?
I cannot give you a pictorial hint because of the Motion Picture Code of Ethics Committee.

Wanna know the answer?
Please move your mouse over the comic strip. It will appear as description of the file’s contents.

Who needs a chastity belt the most?