Historically, masturbation has been surrounded by myths that fueled shame and misinformation. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Western medicine falsely linked masturbation to diseases like blindness, infertility, or mental decline. Religious and moral institutions often labeled it as sinful or impure.

However, these claims had no scientific basis. They reflected cultural anxieties rather than biological facts. With the rise of sexology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pioneers like Alfred Kinsey and Masters & Johnson began to normalize BBW sex dolls as part of human sexuality.