A woman, alone, lies half-dressed on a bed, hand straying down her own belly. Another, apparently topless, slips a banana under the waistband of her underwear. These photos are not meant to stimulate teenage boys, but rather are part of a campaign "for her pleasure."

The images are on the Weibo account Ziwei Yanjiuzu, meaning masturbation study group, which aims to encourage women to pleasure themselves.

Pei Yuxin, an associate professor with the School of Sociology and Anthropology at Sun Yat-Sen University, launched the account, which has over 10,700 followers. The account recently announced a contest welcoming works of any medium that promote the idea of masturbation, such as microfilms, comic strips, dramas or original songs, with a grand prize of 10,000 yuan ($1,615).

Pei said the project is not dirty, adding that it is about social acceptance rather than teaching skills.

The Weibo account and the contest are both extensions of Pei's research. She hopes to use masturbation as an entry point to more deeply penetrate the topic of sexual pleasure and communication regarding sex.

"I hope that this will encourage us to honestly deal with our desires, to break the taboos and prejudices," Pei explained, adding that instead of beating around the bush, we should apply firm pressure to offer honest and positive guidance.

According to a recent study in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 91 percent of the 3,697 Portuguese female participants said they have masturbated in their lives. Researchers also found that women who masturbated regularly use fantasy as an aid and generally find it easier to reach orgasm.

Xu Xiaoyang, a scholar at the China Sexology Association, told the Global Times that the numbers are likely much lower in China, especially among college students, for whom the topic is very sensitive.

"I don't think my classmates masturbate," said Yan Qinghua, a female student at Renmin University of China. "Neither do I. I guess it is partly because we all live together and it would be embarrassing."

She added that men are more likely to indulge because she feels they value sex more while women value romance.

Global Times