Welcome to The Unspeakables , a series by Mamamia that tells unflinchingly honest stories about being a woman - whatever that looks like - in You can find out more about The Unspeakables here. This post contains photos of 50 different women's vulvas. We have chosen to make them 'click-for-view' to avoid accidental viewing, but if you're not comfortable with intimate imagery of women's bodies, maybe click away now. From the age of 13, high school experiences led me to become self-conscious of my vulva. After years of this body shame dictating who I dated and who I let in, I decided to go see a plastic surgeon. Eventually, I saved up the money for the cosmetic surgery, but I was lucky enough to see a plastic surgeon who talked me out of altering such a delicate body part. Looking back at the dozens of intimate photos I have taken, I think he would laugh if he saw how seriously I took his advice.
Accessibility links
QuickCheck – What’s Here
Across the course of a year, Laura took photos of the vulvas for her book Womanhood: The Bare Reality, and spoke to each person about what their vulva means to them. Some of the women involved have also been featured in a film for Channel 4 called Vaginas. Laura started out in photographing sets of breasts for the project Bare Reality. Then she examined masculinity by photographing penises for Manhood. And after that, Laura considered the project complete. But reading about Female Genital Mutilation, the number of women speaking surgery on their vulvas and the language around how we refer to female body parts made Laura reconsider. The vagina is internal, leading from the cervix to the vulva.
Related Stories
About Galleries. What causes the infections and what infections do they cause? Female Condoms. First-time sex romp with risky result. Am I normal? What causes infection and what infections do they cause? There are several different types of infection and genital condition, … What causes the infections and what infections do they cause? Read More ». However, because we know … WillyWorries.
It can help with body image anxiety. Now, her latest work puts vulvas and vaginas in the spotlight thanks to her new book Womanhood: The Bare Reality and forthcoming Channel 4 documentary: Vaginas. And when women share intimate photos and deeply personal experiences relating to their vaginas, the result is a tender yet taboo-exploding message of women reclaiming their womanhood. I think a part of me was shying away from that intimacy because I would have to address my own related experiences. The correct language and understanding of female genitalia is so important to me: the vulva is the whole external package, the vagina is a muscular tube which leads from the cervix the neck of the womb down to the vulva. Later, a BBC report about girls as young as nine seeking labiaplasty — surgery that involves the lips of the vagina being shortened or reshaped — because they were distressed by its appearance, had Laura reaching for her camera again. The key is not concentrating on the size or shape but whether it affects your physical or emotional wellbeing. She believes a cultural change amongst adolescents and young women, who now choose to remove or style the pubic hair, coupled with a lack of understanding about vulval anatomy, is fuelling the rise. But it can be hard to find accurate information about this.
