It’s time to change the conversation around our most misunderstood body part, says author Lynn Enright, whose book on female genitalia is part of a new wave of art and literature on the subject
Crinkly, asymmetrical, hairy, pierced, plucked, bleeding, tattooed. The vulvas featured on The Vulva Gallery website and its phenomenally popular Instagram account (303,000 followers at the time of going to press), each lovingly drawn by Dutch artist Hilde Atalanta, are gloriously detailed and diverse. Tucked away and taboo, the vulva has been overlooked for millennia – but this spring it’s coming into focus and Atalanta’s illustrations are just the beginning.
My own book, Vagina: A Re-Education (Allen & Unwin, out on 7 March) is a memoir and guide about female health and sexuality that touches on abortion, infertility, periods and orgasms. Plans are afoot for a Vulva Gallery book and titles are also forthcoming from the anti-FGM campaigner Nimko Ali (Rude, published by Viking on 27 June) and Dr Jennifer Gunter (The Vagina Bible, published by Piatkus on 27 August), a Canadian gynaecologist and author of the viral New York Times piece ‘My Vagina Is Terrific. Your Opinion About It Is Not’. Meanwhile, photographer Laura Dodsworth has shot the vulvas of 100 women for her new book, Womanhood: The Bare Reality (Pinter & Martin, out now), presenting the pictures alongside candid testimony. She says many of her subjects were terrified about the mystery of their own genitalia.
This story is from the April 2019 edition of Marie Claire - UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2019 edition of Marie Claire - UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Uma Thurman
‘I Managed To Stay In The Business That I Love All My Life, And I Know That’s Not A Given. I Can’t Not Feel Lucky About It, No Matter What The Downsides Can Be’.
Pollution Proof Your Life
From your daily commute to your wood-burning stove, you’re unwittingly inhaling a variety of toxic substances. But you can take action to reduce their impact, reveals Claire Thorp.
We Love Lucy
From a star-making turn in Bohemian Rhapsody to a leading role in sassy new Netflix show The Politician, Lucy Boynton is ready for her close-up. Here, she tells Jane Mulkerrins about her life-changing year.
Human Touch
Connecting with others can have a confidence-boosting effect, support skin health and help you live longer. Here’s why the wonders of physical contact really matter...
Facing The Floods
Photographer Gideon Mendel has spent 12 years capturing the extreme rise in flooding across the globe. Here, he tells Marie Claire about the devastating human impact.
'Learn How To Please Yourself First' –and Other Sex Tips From Our Mums
Three mothers and daughters explain how talking openly to each other about sex, identity and pleasure has strengthened their relationship and enriched their love lives
10 Mindful Ways To Approach Health And Well-Being
From cortisol-free fitness to stress-busting diets and calm skin, Fiona Embleton reveals ten mindful ways to approach health and well-being
Why Do We All Hate Talking Money?
From secret savings to hidden debt, cash is still a touchy subject in many relationships.
How To Start Over With Friends
In a society that fetishises friendship groups, what do you do when yours collapses? Three women reveal their own BFF break-ups and how they created a new social circle.
Carrie Fisher Has Survived It All
Global fame as Princess Leia, drugs, alcohol, mental illness, rehab…this actress and writer has survived it all. And now, with the much-anticipated release of a new Star Wars film, she's back.
