Terminology Explained: I Think You Might Mean Vulva When You're Saying Vagina.

[MlleCake]

It has become common to refer to the totality of a woman's sex organs, or reproductive organs as the vagina. But is this actually correct?

What is the vagina?

The only part of the woman's body that is the "vagina" is the fleshy, moist tube that leads from the outside of the body to the cervix. To have a baby, the sperm will need to be deposited deep in the vagina near the cervix, and our periods come through the vagina, as well as the baby coming out when we give birth. Feces and urine do not come out of the vagina. The vagina does not grow hair.

What is the vulva?

What you see between a woman's legs is actually called the vulva, collectively. It is made up of several parts. Here is a diagram of the major parts:

Calling a woman's vulva by the word vagina is about as sensible as saying the testicles are the penis. It's just a lack of understanding about the female anatomy that confuses people their whole lives. Think about it - we don't even teach women the correct names for their body parts. How strange is that?

Many women wonder what their own vulvas are supposed to look like, especially since our only exposure to the variety of vulva appearance may be through pornography, and porn producers are deliberately choosing women with small inner labia because it doesn't obscure the view of the penis in close-up shots. It is not the most "common" or most "popular" way for women to look. Our vulvas are as unique as our faces and may look many different while still being normal and beautiful.

This artwork captures a variety of ways that a (light complexion) woman's vulva may look:

The size and appearance of the parts of the vulva do not relate to how "big" or "loose" a vagina is (for more on myths and truths of vaginal "tightness" read: https://www.girlsaskguys.com/sexual-health/a48115-the-rare-truth-about-tight-loose-women ). The labia do not increase in size due to sexual activity. They come in every variation of human skin color and may be darker, lighter or the same shade as the rest of the woman's body. Quite a bit of variation is normal. How close the vulva looks to what has been seen in pornography shouldn't be held up as a measure of how attractive a woman's vulva is.

Why do you think we keep using the wrong word to describe the vulva?

[CT_CD]

Interesting myTake. Those vulvas are ugly

[Revolver_]

My terminology is now updated

[CuriousAZ]

Ignorance and fear. Why dont schools teach this properly.

[Anonymous]

I'm aware of this.

[jokercard]

I hope you're joking

[Anonymous]

Thank you!!! This has been bothering me so much