In order to be in touch with your body,
it is VERY important for you to know what is going on, inside and out.
Now, all you girls who knows what you've got down there, no rolling of
the eyes. You'd be amazed at the number of womyn who don't know the anatomy
of their vagina, or exactly how menstruation works. (you'd also be amazed
at the number of websites warning surfers that normal, technical information
on vaginas may be "offensive" feh!). As a precaution: this page is intended
only to give you some basic information on your body and should NOT be
taken as a medical source. If you think you have a reason for concern,
PLEASE go see your doctor! Also, by no means should this be considered
professional or in-depth information - this is MERELY the basics, alot
based on our own experiences and examinations of our vaginas. Buy a few
good books, talk to your female friends and doctors, and self-educate!
Your
Girly Bits / How It Works / Intimate
Friends / Growing Your Teeth
1. THE OUTERS
To
the right is an image of the human female's vulva, as it can be seen from
a legs-closed, standing up view. Have a peek between your legs. Looks pretty
similar, huh? (obviously this don't count if you're a guy). Of course,
you may very well have more pubic hair than the one in the picture, or
you may have less! Your lower lips may be bigger, or even smaller. Each
vulva is unique. Click to see a larger view.
Now
this image is of an open vulva, the same view you can see when you spread
your legs. Once again, remember that everyone is different to the last
detail, your vulva does not - should not (unless you're the model!) look
absolutely identical to the one in the pictures. Listed along the side
of the picture are the names of the various areas of the outer vulva. Click
to see a larger view.
Now we'll give you a run
down of the essential bits and pieces that go into making up your beautiful
cunt!
Firstly, the Vulva: The
entire external female genitals are collectively called the vulva. This
includes all of what is listed below.
Mons Veneris: A pad of
fatty tissue that covers the pubic bone above the labia (below the abdomen).
It serves to protect the pubic bone from the grinding impact during sexual
intercourse, and some women find it sexually sensitive.
Labia Majora: The dominant
of your lower lips, these pads of fatty tissue wrap around the vulva from
the mons to ther perineum, protecting the delicate inner areas from foreign
material. These lips are usually covered in hair in an adult female and
the scent from the sweat and oil glands which are contained aplenty within
them are found to be sexually arousing.
Labia Minora: The other
lower lips, these thin stretches of tissue are covered by the labia majora,
and is where we think the teeth hide out :) The labia minora are charged
with the important duty of folding over and protecting the vaginal entrance,
clitoris and uretha. Although they are called the 'minora' they come in
all shapes and sizes and can protrude beyond the majora. Both minora and
majora are sensitive to touch and pressure, and it is from their delicate
folds that spread open when a woman opens her legs that one gets the metaphor
of vulva as flower.
Clitoris: The gem, the
jewel, the deceptively small white opal which lies just on the top of the
labia minora, has more delicate nerve endings packed onto its small circumforence
than the head of a penis. The clitoral hood is a tissue covering similar
to the minora lips and protects the very sensitive clitoris. The clitoris
is highly sexually sensitive and continued stimulation can result in orgasm.
Urethra: The obligatory
trash shute (one of them, anyway) for the body is located just below the
clitoris. It is not related to sex or reproduction, but is the passage
for urine and is connected to the bladder. opening to the urethra
is just below the clitoris. It is not related to sex or reproduction, but
is instead the passage for urine.
Vagina: Located below
the urethra, the vagina is the passageway from the uterus into the world
and vice versa. It extends all the way to the cervix, the opening to the
uterus, and it is through this warm canal that the seed travels to make
life, and from this that life comes in the form of a baby. It is
also through the vaginal canal that menstrual blood leaves the body each
month.
Hymen: The hymen
is a thin membrance covering partially the entrance to the vagina.Being
a very thin membrane, it can be torn by vigorous exercise or the insertion
of a tampon, although it is most commonly sexual intercourse that tears
it. It has for many years been the symbol of virginity in most cultures,
and a wife was expected to bleed on her wedding day.
Perineum: This is
a short stretch of skin that starts at the bottom of the vulva and extends
to the anus. Often during childbirth it will tear in order to push the
child out more easily, and appears to be natural.
2. THE INNERS
Vagina:
As
said above this is the passage way connecting the outer to the innter.
It xtends from the cervix to the vaginal opening. It is the receptive for
sexual intercourse, and it usually likes that kind of play very much! It
is the passageway for menstrual blood and it also serves as the birth canal,
which the baby passes through.
G-Spot: Its purpose is
still in debate, but its supposed location is in a region known as the
skenes glands. Many women claim pressure on their G-spot is highly pleasurable,
and can also result in orgasm. A combined clitoral and g-spot orgasm is
known as "seeing god" though we think "being goddess" is more appropriate!
Cervix: The cervix is
the opening to the uterus and is often plugged with mucuous (snot) to protect
the cervix and uterus from infection. When ovulating, the mucuous beomes
a thin fluid to permit the passage of sperm.
Uterus: The center
of female reproductive organs, this is where women house and nourish the
life they can bring into the world. Lined with powerful muscles to push
the child out during labour, it is also the inner lining, the endometrium,
which is shed during menstruation each month if fertilisation does not
occur.
Ovaries: Most are aware
that the ovaries produce ova, the eggs that are fertilised and begin new
life.At birth a woman is equipped with about 400,000 ova. But the ovaries
are also responsible for the production of estrogen and progesterone, the
female sex hormones.
For more detailed information
on your vulva and all her parts contained therein, check out this website:
http://www.halcyon.com/elf/altsex/shortdex.html
Your body knows what it's
doing. It's wired up to work according to its personal schedule, and it'll
stick to that and sort things out as they come. Your body has a thousand
defence mechanisms and alternatives, and your vulva is no exception. According
to the rate you mature, your vulva and everything within will grow hair,
produce fluids and decide when it's time to start menstruation. We are
shamefully not taught this anymore, but our sexual organs work to their
own very precise rhythm. Thousands of years ago we knew and understood
this, and each woman tapped into her unique rhythm and used it to help
guide her life. It was understood that the uterus lining grew and shed
in accordance to rhythms with the Moon. It was a magikal time when women
would group together and bleed freely onto comfy mats, chatting and gossiping
and exchanging stories, songs and laughter. Women were in tune with their
sacred feminine.
We don't get that anymore.
Women are told the clit's for orgasms, and the vagina is for sex, babies
and blood. Women are so detached from their vaginas it's no wonder men
can still weild control over us: we're looking to them for the answers
instead of between our legs and within our souls! If more women understood
just exactly what goes on down there, we would be far more in tune with
ourselves, our self worth and our power as creative, sexual beings.
Our sexual organs serve several
purposes. They assist in identifying gender. They produce children. They
are the center of sexual pleasure. We're taught the basics. We accept the
basics. The thick veils pulled up between our legs and firmly knotted around
our waists ensures we rarely seek or query any further about "down there".
Vaginas are not like penises.
A simple up and down thrusting movement will not satisfy them. They require
dexterous stimulation, enticing erotic images or fantasies, a lover who
knows what she/her is doing and who is prepared to take the time and effort
to discover what makes their partner happy. This complexity has often resulted
in partners throughout the ages being unwilling to accomodate the needs
of the female, leading to thousands of women being unsatisfied sexually
and craving something they're told they should feel, but don't.
Believe us, you'll know when
you have an orgasm.
The best way to learn what
gives you satisfying orgasms is, of course, experimentation. Masturbate,
trying a few different techniques. Ensure your partner is loving and prepared
to help you unlock the secret.
The best way to achieve orgasm
is stimulation of your clitoris. Have a peek, if you're not sure. It's
the little round knob at the very top, inbetween the two sets of lips.
Now, some women can handle direct stimulation, some prefer to be diddled
in just the surrounding area. Some like the friction of dry flesh (or whatever
else you use!), some prefer the stimulator to be lubricated. Also some
women are very easily orgasmis and require little stimulation. Some may
need long, ardent foreplay before they are ready to come. The thing is
to figure out what's best for YOU! Fingers are convenient devices in the
art of clitoral stimulation, but the highly pleasurable act of cunnilingus
should never be ignored. Whichever way you choose, the bundles of nerves
in the clitoris will be shook in action, dancing up and down in glee. But
you needn't stick exclusively to the clit. Stimulation of the lips and
vaginal entrance is also lovely, and having an object, be it penis, dildo
or finger, into the vagina can only aid.
Orgasm is not merely centered
in the vaginal area. It is a total body response. Many muscles of the body
contract, and brain wave patterns during orgasm are different to normal.
In the female sexual organs themselves, contraction of the outer third
of the vagina, uterus, anal sphincter,rectum and perinuem occur. Orgams
can be wildly different. Some are intense and short, some are long and
more subtle. Women, by a far greater percentage, are also capable of multiple
orgasm - as the waves of the first subside, skilled stimulation can take
the woman back to the plateau stage where she can experience another, or
several more, orgasms. For some more information on orgasms, visit these
sites:
http://www.queendom.com/sex-files/orgasm/index.html
http://www.intimacyinstitute.com/sex_data/topics/orgasm.html
http://www.expandedorgasm.com/expandedorgasm/exporg.htm
Now, lets say your partner
of choice is a man and it's a man you want to have a fat little baby with.
So after he gives you all kinds of toe-curlingly good orgasms, he ejaculates
and you get preggers! And we all know how that happens...
Once a month, the ovaries
send a miniscule ova on a three (or four) day journey through the fallopian
tubes (the tubes that connect the ovaries to the uterus). It floats along,
feeling pretty good about itself and waving cheerily to all the other little
cells and stuff floating around. (don't ask me why I'm writing like this.
I don't KNOW why I'm writing like this. It's late and I'm in a funny mood).
Now as it's bopping along, taking it's time and taking in the sights, the
uterus hangs ten and says "hrm......there might be a baby this month" and
being the lovely, warm sack of nuturing creation she is, she starts to
prepare. Along her inner walls a lining of blood and tissue begins to form.
Now this is the good stuff. This blood and tissue is thick
and rich and has been purified. Why? 'Cos it's what the baby is gonna feed
on while it grows in utero. Your menstrual blood is pure, it is perfectly
clean (providing you don't do massive drugs all day long or something like
that) and is perfectly healthy to taste. Everyone and anyone who has ever
told you menstrual blood is dirty is either misinformed or lying. This
stuff is expected to produce a happy, healthy baby in nine months, it's
put through stringent tests!
So finally the ova gets to
the uterus and begins to dance around. (This egg is miniscule. The uterus
is mammoth in comparison. You trying to tell me it doesn't do flips and
whirls in all that space??) All of a sudden a bit of shaking and rumbling
goes on above it. The cervix calls back excitedly "I can see it! It's on
it's way!" and the ova knows this is the moment it has been waiting for!
But......
NO!!
It's called a condom! And
in this instance it has ensured there'll be no baby this month. The ova
signs resignedly, salutes to the uterus and prepares to leave. But! She
doesn't leave alone! Now that it's not needed, that lovely rich lining
around the uterus begins to fall off and push it's way out. Down they travel
together, ova and endometrium, hand in hand, down down the vaginal passage,
slowly trickling their way out.
Ta-da! Menstruation!
Of course, condoms are not
always the reason for the ova going unfertilised. Sometimes the ova will
hang around, waiting for that shaking and rumbling and it will never come.
Sometimes the cervix calls back "Ah, it's just a big plastic thing!". My
own ova does not bear grudges, but I don't know about yours. Every year
I go through a breeding phase where I'll contemplate, however idly, that
a baby might bekinda cool. But I really do not want one, and my ova understand
that, which is really nice of them.
Now that the technical jazz
is over, it's time for the more mystical magikal stuff, what we hinged
everything on before ...well before we hinged everything on science.
The entire world over it
has been noted for thousands of years , that the Moon, over a twenty eight
day period, grows, recedes and grows again. Menstrual cycles also work
over a twenty eight day period. Women particularly took note of this.
Now women, in times before
our own, cherished their psychic connection with the Moon and understood
the way she worked. They knew the lunar schedule, the phases of the Moons,
and especially, how their periods worked in tune with her.
For a woman to work out her
own lunar schedule, she has to observe the Moon, buy herself a lunar calendar,
and pay attention. Consistency will be rewarded with an intimate
knowledge of your menstrual cycle and how she works out with the Moon.
Better knowledge means feeling better and being better able to manage your
period and value it. Not only that, but you'll have some pretty nifty skills
in astrology of the Moon.
I'd like to share a recent
experience I had when I trusted myself with the Moon.
For years now, since I was
thirteen, I've had monstrously painful cramps. These cramps would begin
on the first day of my period, where they would be the most intense, then
continue as a nasty throb throughout the remainder. Over the years I'd
learned to, as soon as I started bleeding, to down three Naprogesic (Australia's
mainstream pill for bleeding pain). About four to five hours later, I would
need to down another three. Then maybe six or so later, another three.
The second the medicine started to wear off and the cramps to become noticeable,
I'd grab the pill packet. Nothing terrified me more than the thought of
waking up in the middle of the night in excrutiating pain, as had happened
to me before.
I started menstruating when
I was ten, but I did not start cramping until thirteen. A woman I spoke
to about it commented that it sounded as thought my vagina dentata was
biting me back! She asked me how my perceptions of my body and my
self in the world had changed at that age.
When I got to thinking about
it, thirteen was the age I started to feel the pressure to be a skinny
little pretty girl and go out with lots of boys.
Problem 1: Didn't like mainstream
pretty (still don't)
Problem 2: Didn't like boys
(still don't)
But I found myself surrounded
by the pressure to conform, to fit in, to be like everyone else which I
never was. Also, before this age I had always felt a certain pride in the
fact I menstruated. From about twelve, and high school, onwards it was
impressed on me to keep it quiet and be ashamed. So. It seems like Cunnus
Diaboli WAS biting my back :( Kind of "stop being such a stupid nitwit
by listening to them and start listening to ME! I know what's good for
you!"
In the spirit of both listening
to my body and of experimentation, I decided to skip the pills the next
time I started bleeding. It started towards midday, as usual, and a Sunday.
I settled down and told my girlfriend I wasn't going to take a single pill
for cramps. I breathed deeply and drank lots of water and orange juice.
I relaxed, I didn't think about cramps, I tasted my menstrual blood and
generally just chilled.
Well, for a girl who dreaded
the first day of her period for the pain it invariably brought, it was
sometime before I noticed not a single cramp had hit me. There was a minor
throbbing in my womb, but other than that - no discomfort, no pain, no
misery. This lasted for the whole of my time.
So. My little leap of faith
paid off. You might feel inclined to try one of your own. I've been convinced,
as have many of my friends, that manufactured drugs do nothing but encourage
the pain. Remember that experiences vary for everyone, and truly excrutiating
pain might not be fixed by simply tossing the pills away one day. But why
not try a few alternate remedies, new exercises, or look into some Moon
rituals. Remember these things can take time.
For more information, check
out these websites and books:
http://www.menstruation.com.au
http://www.fwhc.org/moon.htm
http://onewoman.com/redspot/
Blood, Bread, and Roses :
How Menstruation Created the World -- Judy Grahn;
Sister Moon Lodge : The Power
& Mystery of Menstruation
Red Moon : Understanding
and Using the Gifts of the Menstrual Cycle
by Miranda Gray.
Moon Days: Creative Writings
about Menstruation
by Cassie Premo Steele.
The Curse : Confronting the
Last Unmentionable Taboo, Menstruation
by Karen Houppert.
Honoring Menstruation; A
Time of Self-Renewal
by Lara Owen.
Something that can only assist
you to feel better about yourself as a woman, to be more in tune and contact
with yourself, to even improve your relationships with those around you,
is an intimate understanding, knowledge and relationship with your vagina.
Oft repeated herein this
site is the fact that we have been successfully detached from them and
poorly educated about them. We've been convinced they are unappealing,
dirty, messy and only good for one thing. But your vagina is the seat of
your womanhood. An excellent relationship with it can only be beneficial.
Frankly, fuck the taboos.
Everything you've got "down there" is 100% natural, and don't forget
it! This is the crucial point everyone forgets when it comes to both male
and female bodies: It was made to be this way! It is perfectly normal
for it to be this way! Vaginas don't just secrete fluids, produce scents
, bleed and grow hair for nothing. It all happens for a reason. And - it
happens to every other woman on the planet.
It's nothing to be ashamed
of. I almost cried upon reading one of a girl's reasons for wanting to
get rid of her period. "It's embarrassing to be sitting in a bathroom stall
(like in my college dorm) and have someone walk in as you're making the
telltale noises of pulling a pad off its paper. Why not just announce to
the whole world, "I've got my period!!"
But so does every other girl
in the bathroom once a month.
Women can forget this so
easily. That every woman surrounding them has got just the
same bits between their legs and have dealt with many of the same issues.
It IS natural and normal, and had such stringent and unnatural taboos never
been enforced, if we had kept the level of kinship and relationship with
our vulvas, there would be less women worrying their fingernails down to
the quick over whether or not they're normal.
So. Begin a healthy relationship
with your vulva. I don't know about you, but I find all the different parts
of my body have their own personality (mark my earlier words about my ovas
and uteruss), my vulva is no exception. She's a loudmouth and is very ferocious.
She'll talk to me at any time of the day under any circumstances (ie: she'll
throb, tingle and scream when she needs to pee). She's practically insatiable
when it comes to pleasure and I know she just dreams about using her teeth
on certain men. (for all of you who think I'm cracked, I'm sorry you're
unfamiliar with the use of metaphor to describe sensations and feelings).
There is not a time of day
when I am not aware of her and what she is up to. I am aware of things
going on in my uterus and ovaries. (The little ovas bopping around no doubt.)
I know every inch of her, from the tips of my pubic hair, to the end of
my perineum. To be always aware of your vulva doesn't mean you have
to be in a constantly meditative state going "hummmmmm...what is my vagina
doing....hummmmmmmmm". It's just simply being aware. You're not constantly
thinking "oh - she just throbbed. Now she secreted something." It's like
blinking. You just know it.
Knowing your vulva intimately
means knowing immediately when something is wrong. The importance
of this should never be underestimated. Your genitals are highly sensitive
to infection, and something so simple as a lover's unclipped fingernails
could cause a nasty little cut. Or if you're squeamish about your vaginal
fluids you might not notice if they change to an unusual color. So start
looking. Examine, taste and smell your fluids. They change while you're
ovulating you know. Get to know the appearance of your vulva. Sit,
spreadeagled before a mirror. Poke and prod and look and remember. Look
with interest and love, not fear. If you feel comfortable enough, your
partner can sit in and you can discuss the various unique and beautiful
features of your vulva together. If your partner is a woman, you can do
a mutual examination. It will be lots and lots of fun.
Another cool way is by getting
out the big sheets of paper and the colored crayons. Draw your vulva! Draw
her how you see her. Draw her from her mirrored reflection, or from your
mind's eye. Draw her from the inside. Draw her personality. Draw many pictures
of her! And don't neglect the rest of your body either. Have fun drawing
all your beautiful nudey bits.
When doing research for the
Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler asked women big and small, young and old,
a variety of questions about their vaginas. Taking our cue from her, we've
created a similar list. Don't worry, you don't have to take this seriously
:) It's just something to have fun with and get you thinking about what's
between your legs. You can do this with a group of friends, or send it
out as an e-mail (if you do, give us a link back here! We're whores for
hits!) or just do it on your own on a boring evening.
1. What name would you
give your vagina?
2. Why?
3. What attitude does
your vagina have toward life?
4. If your vagina could
say two words, what would they be?
5. What does your vagina
smell like?
6. Does your vagina like
sweet foods or spicy foods?
7. Is she a loudmouth
or is she shy? Reserved? Polite? Rude?
8. What does she like
best in all the world?
9. If your vagina got
dressed, what would she wear?
10. Has she started teething
yet?
11. What would she rather
do: paint a picture, or perform a chemical experiment?
12. Do you feel the two
of you are good pals?
Of course, this small list
will not automatically give you a stellar relationship with your ruby slipper.
That will take time and patient exploration, holding nothing back and seeking
your own truths.
Learning about your girlybits,
your lunar cycle, valuing your period and all of the above is essential
to growing your vaginal teeth. When you have your full set, you will no
longer buy into the unhealthy body images of Hollywood, you will no longer
listen to people who deem it offensive to discuss menstruation in public,
and you will no longer wonder if it is somehow "your" fault, for being
a woman who wants her sexuality. You just won't take the bullshit anymore.
You will be a fully fledged
Vagina Dentata, ready to rock the earth.
