Altering the female genitalia and
clitoral hood reduction movement opposes the ideals of female cosmetic genital surgeries: The Muff March in London, 2011 In some
cultural practices, particularly in the African
Khoikhoi and
Rwanda cultures, the labia minora are purposefully stretched by repeated pulling on them and sometimes by attaching weights. This is a desired and encouraged practice by the women (starting at puberty) in order to promote better sexual satisfaction for both parties. The girls are subject to familial and social pressure to conform. In some cultures, including modern Western culture, women have shaved or otherwise
removed the hair from part or all of the vulva. When high-cut swimsuits became fashionable, women who wished to wear them would remove the hair on either side of their pubic triangles, to avoid exhibiting
pubic hair. Other women prefer to retain their vulva hair. The removal of hair from the vulva is a fairly recent phenomenon in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, usually in the form of
bikini waxing or
Brazilian waxing, but has been prevalent in many Eastern European and Middle Eastern cultures for centuries, usually due to the idea that it may be more hygienic, or originating in prostitution and pornography. Hair removal may include all, most, or some of the hair.
French waxing leaves a small amount of hair on either side of the labia or a strip directly above and in line with the pudendal cleft called a
landing strip. above and the
labia piercing Several forms of
genital piercings can be made in the vulva, and include the
Christina,
Princess Albertina,
Isabella,
Nefertiti,
fourchette, and
labia piercings. Piercings are usually performed for aesthetic purposes, but some forms like the
clitoral hood piercing (or rarely
glans piercing) might also enhance pleasure during sex. Though they are common in
traditional cultures, intimate piercings are a fairly recent trend in Western society. Other forms of permanent modifications of the vulva for cultural, decorative or aesthetic reasons are
genital tattoos or
scarification (so-called "Hanabira"). Female genital surgery includes
laser resurfacing of the labia to remove wrinkles,
labiaplasty (reducing the size of the labia) and
vaginoplasty. In September 2007, the
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a committee opinion on these and other female genital surgeries, including "vaginal rejuvenation", "designer vaginoplasty", "revirgination", and "
G-spot amplification". This opinion states that the safety of these procedures has not been documented. The ACOG and the
ISSVD recommend that women seeking these surgeries need to be informed about the lack of data supporting these procedures and the potential associated risks such as infection, altered sensation,
dyspareunia,
adhesions, and scarring. With the growing popularity of female cosmetic genital surgeries, the practice increasingly draws criticism from an opposition movement of
cyberfeminist activist groups and platforms, called the
labia pride movement. The major point of contention is that heavy advertising for these procedures, in combination with a lack of public education, fosters body insecurities in women with larger labia in spite of the fact that there is normal and pronounced individual variation in the size of labia. The preference for smaller labia is a matter of a fashion fad and is without clinical or functional significance.
Female genital mutilation The most prevalent form of non-consensual
genital alteration is that of
female genital mutilation. This mostly involves the partial or complete removal of the vulva. Female genital mutilation is carried out in thirty countries in Africa and Asia with more than 200 million girls being affected, and some women (as of 2018). FGM/C can have harmful effects on their physical and mental health. Various official and unofficial research reports also confirm these complications. In its various reports, the
World Health Organization has considered FGM/C as an action that endangers women's health in various ways. This organization stated in a report published in January 2023 that FGM/C has no health benefits, and it harms girls and women in many ways. It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue, and it interferes with the natural functions of girls' and women's bodies. Although all forms of FGM/C are associated with increased risk of health complications, the risk is greater with more severe forms of FGM/C. The American National Library of Medicine also stated in an article in 2018 that the consequences of FGM/C have both physiological and psychological complications, including short- and long-term complications. The method in which the procedure is performed may determine the extent of the short-term complications. If the process was completed using unsterile equipment, no antiseptics, and no antibiotics, the victim may have increased risk of complications. Primary infections include staphylococcus infections, urinary tract infections, excessive and uncontrollable pain, and hemorrhaging. Infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (
HIV), Chlamydia
trachomatis, Clostridium tetani, and herpes simplex virus (HSV) 2 are significantly more common among women who underwent Type 3 mutilation compared with other categories.
Etymology The word
vulva is
Latin for "womb". It derives from the 1540s in referring to the womb and female sexual organs, from the earlier
volvere meaning to turn, roll or revolve, with further derivatives such as used in
volvox, and
volvulus (twisted bowel). The naming of the female (and male) genitals as , meaning parts to be ashamed of, dates from the mid-17th century. The naming influenced the general perception of the vulva and this is shown in depicted
gynaecological procedures. The examiner shown in the
Obstetrical examination dated 1822, is adopting the compromise procedure where the woman's genitals cannot be seen.
Terminology In 2021, a study in the UK showed that few are able to label the structure of the vulva correctly. There are many
sexual slang terms used for the vulva. "
Cunt", a medieval word for the vulva and once the standard term, has become a
vulgarism, and in other uses one of the strongest offensive and abusive
swear words in English-speaking cultures. The word has been replaced in normal usage by a few
euphemisms including "
pussy" (vulgar slang) and "
fanny" (UK), which used to be a common
pet name. In North American informal use, the term "pussy" can also refer to a weak or effeminate man, and "fanny" is a term used for the
buttocks. "Vagina" is often incorrectly used as a synonym for vulva since it is separate from that anatomy. and a vast number of
Sumerian poems praising the vulva of
Inanna, the goddess of love, sex, and fertility, have survived. Vaginal fluid is always described in Sumerian texts as tasting "sweet" Some major
Hindu traditions such as
Shaktism, a goddess-centered tradition, revere the vulva and vagina under the name
yoni. The
goddess as
Devi is worshipped as the supreme deity. The yoni is a representation of the female deity and is found in many temples as a focus for
prayer and offerings.
Sheela na gigs are figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva. They are found in ancient and medieval European contexts. They are displayed on many churches, but their origin and significance is debatable. A main line of thinking is that they were used to ward off
evil spirits. Another view is that the sheela na gig was a divine assistant in childbirth. Starr Goode explores the image and possible meanings of the Sheela na gig and
Baubo images in particular, but writes also about the recurring image worldwide. Through hundreds of photographs, she demonstrates that the image of a female displaying her vulva is not specific to European religious art or architecture, but that similar images are found in the visual arts and in mythical narratives of
goddesses and
heroines parting their thighs to reveal what she calls, "sacred powers". Her theory is that "the image is so rooted in our psyches that it seems as if the icon is the original cosmological center of the human imagination". (
Origin of the World), painted by
Gustave Courbet in 1866, was an early
Realist painting of a vulva that only became exhibited many years later. The painting was commissioned by
Ottoman diplomat
Halil Şerif Paşa. The woman used as the model for the painting was probably Halil's lover
Constance Quéniaux. However, another potential model is
Marie-Anne Detourbay, who was also a lover of Halil Şerif Pasha. Japanese sculptor and
manga artist
Megumi Igarashi has focused much of her work on painting and modelling vulvas and vulva-themed works. She has used molds to create
dioramas – three-dimensional models of her vulva with the hope of demystifying the female genitals. An
art installation called
The Dinner Party by
feminist artist,
Judy Chicago, portrays a symbolic history of famous women. The dinner plates each depict an elaborate vulval form and they are arranged in a triangular vulva shape. Another installation was made by British artist
Jamie McCartney who used the casts of four hundred vulvas to create
The Great Wall of Vagina in 2011. The casts are life-size. Explanations written by the project's sexual health adviser accompany these. The purpose of the artist was to "address some of the stigmas and misconceptions that are commonplace". ==Other animals==