Decoder Ring | Off-the-Wall Stories of Off-Label Use

May 7, 2025

Hallie Lieberman, a sex historian and author of "Buzz: The Stimulating History of the Sex Toy," explores the fascinating world of off-label product uses. She discusses the Hitachi Magic Wand's evolution from a medical massager to a celebrated sex toy, emphasizing its cultural significance. The podcast also dives into the unexpected journeys of everyday items like Q-tips and washboards, and the surprising rise of Pedialyte as a go-to hangover remedy for adults, revealing how societal perceptions influence our interactions with common products.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Q-tip Ear Cleaning Habit

People use Q-tips inside ears despite warnings against it.
The sensation and visible earwax removal makes it feel satisfying, fueling continued off-label use.

ANECDOTE

Betty Dodson’s Vibrator Workshops

Betty Dodson popularized vibrator use for female masturbation in the 1970s with workshops.
Her approach radically framed sexual independence as political empowerment for women.

ANECDOTE

Washboard’s Musical Reinvention

Washboards, once laundry tools, became important percussion instruments in African American music.
Their use in zydeco music continues, showing how off-label uses can preserve cultural heritage.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

How to Change

The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

Katy Milkman

In this ground-breaking book, Katy Milkman reveals a proven path to help readers move from where they are to where they want to be. Drawing on her original research and the work of her world-renowned scientific collaborators, Milkman shares strategic methods for identifying and overcoming common barriers to change, such as impulsivity, procrastination, and forgetfulness. The book offers innovative approaches like 'temptation bundling,' using timely reminders, and creating 'set-it-and-forget-it systems' to make change more achievable. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring solutions to specific roadblocks and using science to stack the deck in favor of successful change.

Hungover

The Morning After and One Man’s Quest for the Cure

Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall

Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall's "Hungover" is a witty and informative exploration of the science and culture of hangovers. The book delves into the physiological effects of alcohol on the body, explaining why hangovers occur and what makes them so unpleasant. Bishop-Stall recounts his personal experiences with hangovers, sharing anecdotes and observations from his own quest to find a cure. He also explores the history of hangover remedies, from ancient traditions to modern-day solutions. The book blends scientific research with personal narratives, offering readers a unique and engaging perspective on this universal experience.

Buzz!

Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers, Daredevils, and Adrenaline Junkies

Dr. Kenneth Carter

Buzz describes the world of high sensation-seeking personalities, explaining their compulsion for intense experiences through accessible neuroscience and real-life anecdotes. The book addresses the role of this personality trait in culture, the distinction between healthy and unhealthy thrill-seeking, and how it influences various aspects of their lives, including relationships, work, and leisure activities. It also challenges common myths about thrill-seekers, emphasizing that they do not have a death wish but rather a need for an adrenaline rush to enhance their lives.

Products often tell you exactly how they’re intended to be used. But why leave it at that? As a culture, we have long had a knack for finding ingenious, off-label uses for things. In this episode, we take a close look at a few examples of products that are ostensibly meant for one thing, but are better known for something else entirely. We explore Q-tips, which we are explicitly told not to put into our ears; the Hitachi Magic Wand, the iconic sex toy marketed as a body massager; the musical washboard; and the children’s electrolyte solution Pedialyte that many adults swear by as a hangover cure.

You’ll hear from Hallie Lieberman, author of Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy; Jacqui Barnett of the Columbus Washboard Company; Christopher Wilson, curator and chair of the Division of Home and Community Life at the Smithsonian; musician and educator Súle Greg Wilson; zydeco musicians C.J. Chenier and Steve Nash; Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, author of Hungover: The Morning After and One Man’s Quest for the Cure; as well as writers Roberto Ferdman, Dan Brooks, and Kaitlyn Tiffany.

Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin, Max Freedman, Katie Shepherd, and Evan Chung, Decoder Ring’s supervising producer. We had additional production from Sofie Kodner. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director. Special thanks to Kate Sloan, Dr. Carol Queen, Bryony Cole, Amber Singer, Molly Born, Laura Selikson, and Nell McShane Wulfhart.

If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, please email us at DecoderRing@slate.com, or leave a message on our hotline at 347-460-7281.

Sources for This Episode

Bishop-Stall, Shaughnessy. Hungover: The Morning After and One Man’s Quest for the Cure, Penguin, 2018.

Brooks, Dan. “Letter of Recommendation: Pedialyte,” New York Times Magazine, Jan. 26, 2017.

Comella, Lynn. Vibrator Nation: How Feminist Sex-Toy Stores Changed the Business of Pleasure, Duke University Press, 2017.

Dodson, Betty. “Having Sex with Machines: The Return of the Electric Vibrator,” Dodson and Ross, June 9, 2010.

Feran, Tim. “Pedialyte Is Not Just For Kids,” Columbus Dispatch, July 19, 2015.

Ferdman, Roberto A. “The strange life of Q-tips, the most bizarre thing people buy,” Washington Post, Jan. 20, 2016.

Kushner, David. “Inside Orgasmatron,” Village Voice, March 26, 1999.

Lieberman, Hallie. Buzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy, Pegasus Books, 2017.

Lieberman, Hallie. “Selling Sex Toys: Marketing and the Meaning of Vibrators in Early Twentieth-Century America,” Enterprise & Society, June 2016.

Russel, Ruth. “Hangover Remedies? I’ll Drink to That!,” Idaho Statesman, Jan. 1, 1978.

Sloan, Kate. Making Magic, 2024.

Tiffany, Kaitlyn. “How Pedialyte got Pedialit,” Vox, Sep. 10, 2018.

Williams, Dell. “The Roots of the Garden,” Journal of Sex Research, August 1990.

Wulfhart, Nell McShane. “The Best Hangover Cure,” Slate, Aug. 29, 2013.

Want more Decoder Ring? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Decoder Ring show page. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus to get access wherever you listen.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices