people, but it’s rarely an accurate source of information about sex, bodies, or what’s “normal.” Your inner lips are part of your clitoris–some women find they’re even more sensitive than the head of their clit. Surgically altering their shape won’t help you have an orgasm. It may actually work against you, due to possible scar tissue and nerve damage caused by the surgery.
In porn, female genitalia look a LOT different than mine does. But now I realize that there’s nothing wrong with mine–it’s theirs that are different.
Growing up, I feared that my vulva and clitoris were too big and quite deformed. I used to watch porn to see if I was the only person who looked this way and I finally found a porn star who had a similar looking vag. It wasn’t until my junior year that I finally did real exploration and learned that my genitals are perfectly normal. I also learned that porn stars’ bodies are not the norm. It definitely made me more accepting and freer with my body. It helped me to enjoy vaginal and oral sex, too.
want to see more?
THERE ARE TWO incredible books of art photographs of women’s vulvas: page after page of photos of different women’s genitals in every possible shape, size, and color. We promise the diversity of gorgeous girl parts will blow you away. How do we know? We tell our audiences we’ll have copies out on our table after our speaking engagements, and listen to the “Wows!” every time as crowds of friends gather ‘round the books. Get your hands on one of these:
• Femalia, edited by Joani Blank, has color photos
• Petals, by Nick Karras, has black and white photos
See if you can feel the shaft of the clitoris (like the shaft of a penis) above the head—it feels like a small cord underneath the skin. Your clitoris continues inside your body—the entire organ is about the same size as a penis, and has sensitivity throughout, but these external parts (glans and skin-covered shaft) are usually the most sensitive.
Find your vaginal opening, the start of that incredibly elastic, muscular organ. A vagina can squeeze tightly around a finger, or, with the right rush of hormones, expand its accordion-like folds to allow a baby to be born (and afterward, with the help of Kegel exercises, become toned enough to contract tightly again). To see exactly where your vagina is, you may want to wet your finger (licking it is the easiest way) and slide it inside an inch or so.
Just above your vagina see if you can see your urethral opening, the small hole where pee comes out. The skin just below your vagina is called the perineum. The hole below that is your anus.
I used to think all girl parts down there were gross, but since seeing The Vagina Monologues and really talking openly with friends in college, I love the vagina. It’s awesome — weird looking, I guess, but in a fantastic way.
step three: touch yourself experimentally. no goal!
Step three isn’t about having an orgasm. It’s a way to do an easy little science experiment on your own body. Your goal is to find out what kinds of touch feel best to you, and what places on your body are most sensitive. You’re especially interested in what kind of genital touching feels good.
Again, you want to be relaxed, so turn off the phone, put on some nice music, take a bath or shower if you want. Start by running your hands all over your bodyin a way that feels good. Notice what areas feel nice to you. Caress your breasts and your nipples. Pay attention to the sensations.
After you’ve done this for a while, move your hand to your vulva (the external parts of your genitals, not inside your vagina). Touch around the different parts, noticing if there are any areas that feel particularly nice when you touch them. Many women find their inner lips and urethral opening can be very pleasurable to touch. Because the clitoris is the part that helps most women have orgasms, give it some particular attention. If you’re not sure where it
Mia Dymond
Robert Muchamore
Colin Falconer
Michelle Larks
Marcia Lynn McClure
Enid Blyton
Brett Battles
Rita Williams-Garcia
Saxon Andrew
Francine Rivers