Having a vulva is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s something to be celebrated. People who have them posses the most powerful organ with the sole purpose of providing pleasure – the clitoris.
Yet, many people are ashamed of the way their vulva looks. Think about it. We even have a term for when the vulva is visible in tight pants… camel toe. It can happen to almost anyone with a vulva – sometimes in yoga pants or at the beach in a bathing suit. Those with larger labia may have a more pronounced “camel toe”. But why do we make fun of it? Why is it shameful to see the outline of the vulva through clothing?
Those with a prominent penis bulge protruding from their pants aren’t ridiculed. In fact, they are often looked upon with admiration. It’s widely considered attractive. But if a woman has “camel toe” it’s ugly or something to make jokes about?
Jeana Jorgensen wrote an excellent article that addresses this topic and she does a far more eloquent job of discussing it than I can.
She writes:
What it effectively does is say that women with larger labia or more shapely vulvas should not wear certain kind of clothing. Why on earth would the shape of your genitals matter for what you can wear?! I’m also disturbed on a feminist level, since I don’t see similar shaming directed at men with visible genital outlines; there might be joking or gentle shaming, but nothing as nasty as the vitriol directed at women with certain anatomical configurations who dare wear tight pants.
I have to agree with her – “Camel Toe” needs to die in a fire. Go read her entire article. It’s a thoughtful piece on how we need to accept our genitals as they are and stop shaming and being shamed for how they look.
I am determined to educate the world about the vulva. I expect it won't be long until I'm known as the vulva police.