Can I Watch?
Personal Pussy Pride
A major confession here: I do have self-confidence
issues with my vagina. I’m proud of it, what it’s capable of
but I still have those doubts creeping in.
I mean it’s fully functional and healthy and
all that, but I’ve had 3 pregnancies, two
natural childbirths and I’m in my mid-30s.
I do my pelvic floor exercises like a good girl but
there’s only so much I can do to tighten my cunt.
I’m not a nubile 18 year old anymore. I just have to
get used to the fact.
Labia Pride
[Vaginal Lips]
Often the only way girls get
to have a good look at other
girls’ naked genitals is through porn.
It’s giving a false view of
what real women look like.
When girls and women compare themselves
to what they see on-screen, they often
feel that there’s something wrong.
The ‘Labia
Pride’
Movement
For all the lust and poetic worship that (male-dominated)
society has dumped on female bodies over the centuries,
an even greater amount of shame has been drilled into women
about those same bodies.
Making matters worse, much of this shame can be attributed
to our collective (American) aversion to discussing genitals
—particularly female ones — in anything but the vaguest
and/or most derogatory of terms.
It’s no wonder that many women have a less
-than-positive relationship with their anatomy.
Thankfully, some dedicated vagina warriors
are fighting the good fight, promoting pride
with a number of strong initiatives.
Visit The Labia Library, a gallery-driven site
aiming to show labia in all shapes and sizes.
An increasing number of women are turning to surgery
to change the look of their genitals.
So-called vaginal rejuvenation procedures
are on the rise. Labiaplasty, in which the
labia is surgically trimmed, is the most popular.
The most requested surgical procedure is the Barbie.
It excises the entire labia minora,
resulting in a ‘clamshell’ aesthetic.
Labiaplasty is a common call-to-arms:
The site Courageous Cunts
features an image of scalpel hovering over
a woman’s vulva with a ‘no’ sign over it.
The site’s description explains, “We got quite
angry about the growing propaganda to surgically
‘improve’ the female genitalia Be proud of
your labia and let the world know.”
The site has received feedback from numerous
women who feel their whole world has changed.
For the first time they realize they’re normal.
It’s like group therapy. Part of the process is
seeing other women, using their photos for
comparison, and reading other people’s stories.
Labia Pride
[Vaginal Lips]
Often the only way girls get
to have a good look at other
girls’ naked genitals is through porn.
It’s giving a false view of
what real women look like.
When girls and women compare themselves
to what they see on-screen, they often
feel that there’s something wrong.
It’s like group therapy. Part of the process is
seeing other women, using their photos for
comparison, and reading other people’s stories.
Vulva Viewing
The Great Wall
of Vagina
Female genitalia have long been a source of fascination, recently of celebration but generally of confusion. Step in British artist Jamie McCartney who has created a monumental wall sculpture from plaster casts of 400 women’s vulvas.
Their privates have gone public and in this book over a quarter of them tell you why. Nine metres long and five years in the making, The Great Wall of Vagina isn’t just sensation, it’s art with a social conscience.
For many women their genital appearance is a source of anxiety, which has led to a massive increase in cosmetic labial surgeries. This book is intended to educate people about what normal women really look like, down there, and ease that unnecessary anxiety.
In The Introduction the artist explains how and why he created this epic sculpture with step-by-step photos of the process. From its conception to the final touches he discusses the inspiration and ideas behind it as well as putting it in the context of his other artworks.
In the Models’ Accounts over 100 of the women who posed for the casts explain in their own words why they did it and what it was like. Witty, poetic, erotic, harrowing, profound and emotional these are their stories.
Their age range is from 18 to 76. Included are mothers and daughters, identical twins, transgendered men and women as well as a woman pre and post her first vaginal birth and another women pre and post labiaplasty. There are also casts of women which highlight some distressing conditions.
In The Casts all 400 vagina casts are shown life size with the more unusual ones highlighted. Explanations written by the project’s sexual health adviser accompany these.
The artist hopes to educate and enlighten as well as address some of the stigmas and misconceptions that are commonplace. Although revealing, this is not erotic art.
You can stare without shame but in wonder and appreciation of these women who bared all for the sake of art.