Women's Health
When was the last time you held a mirror and took a good look at your pussy? I mean a real hard look at it. What does she look like? Is your vagina normal? Several years ago, I received a DM from a young lady asking me this very question. She wanted to know if her vagina looked “normal.” She went on to explain that her pussy wasn’t as "pretty" as the ones she’d seen in porn and how insecure that made her feel. I can totally relate to her insecurities. I couldn’t begin to tell you how many jokes I’ve heard over the years from men about women and their vaginas. I would be lying if I said I’ve never pondered the same.
At one time or another, I think all vagina owners have been self-conscious about how things looked down there. Ultimately, no matter the gender of the person we’re engaging with sexually, we want them to look at our pussies and be in love. I want every lover of mine to see my pussy and be in awe of its beauty. My pussy is beautiful and you should love it because it’s mine! Vaginas are like snowflakes: They all may be anatomically similar but no two pussies are exactly the same. Also, I would soon learn that even though my pussy is unique to me, it had a few doppelgangers out there, too.
Two years ago during the pandemic lockdown, I participated in a "Virtual Pussy Show & Tell" workshop where I plastered my pussy on a Zoom camera for all to see. The intent of the workshop was for women to get an up-close-and-personal view of other people’s pussies. Up until that moment, I'd never intensely looked at someone else's before. There’s been the occasional changing of clothes in front of friends and shower room situations, but I'd never had pussy all up in my face until that workshop.
One by one, women of all races and backgrounds showed their pussies on a Zoom call to complete strangers. From this experience, I got to see all the beautifully different styles and shapes the vagina had to offer. I also noticed that even though everyone’s pussy was uniquely different, a lot of them looked very similar to one another.
Betty Dodson, sex education pioneer and the originator of the "Genital Show & Tell," started identifying the different styles of pussy back in the '70s. She categorized pussy into one of six styles: Classical, Gothic, Modern, Renaissance, Baroque, and Heart.
The Classical vulva has symmetrical inner and outer labia and a moderately sized clitoris.
The Gothic vulva has an elongated clitoral hood and the dramatic draping of the inner labia.
The Modern has a large clitoris, sleek lines of the labia, and vaginal opening.
The Renaissance vulva has ruffled inner labia that drape down from the clitoral hood like beautiful fabric.
The Baroque vulva has a labia with several scallops and turns and the unique hood folds over the clitoris.
The Heart vulva makes a heart shape when the labia is pulled to the sides.
Seeing all these similar yet uniquely different pussies taught me there is no such thing as a so-called "normal" vagina. All pussies look like pussies and no matter the shape or "style," there is someone else with a similar-looking one. So, the next time someone asks me whether their vagina is normal, I am going to say, 'Yep, it's normal for you!'
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Featured image by Christopher Pedraza/Getty Images
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