Women Have Them Too!
It may be hard for many to imagine why
Women should be concerned
about the size and shape of their genitals. This is because we often
do not envision women as having external genitals; everything is
supposed to be inside their body and out of sight. Women have a
vagina. This is what we are told in school and life. The fact that
girls and women have a
vulva is seldom mentioned. Only boys and men
are supposed to have external genitals. What most people do not
realize is women and girls do in fact have genitals that come in all
shapes, colors, textures, and sizes.
As young girls, women may come to see their genitals as nothing
more than a smooth dimple between their thighs. What is there is
small, smooth, pink, and non-distinct. While the genitals of young
girls do vary they all look pretty much the same to the casual
observer. (There are normal and healthy preadolescent girls who have
very prominent
labia and clitorises.) Young girls are not likely to
know the vulva of their mother and other adult women often look much
different from their own. Since pubic hair usually conceals the
genitals of adult women even if girls see adult women naked they are
likely to believe their genitals look the same. Not allowing girls to
examine the genitals of their mother and other adult women, and by
not permitting them to see pictures of vulvae, can have a very
negative affect on their self-image later in life.
Puberty: The Time of Change
During puberty a
girl''''s genitals can undergo a major
transformation. Before puberty the skin of the vulva is thin and
easily injured and irritated. Even before noticeable breast
development the tissues of the vulva start responding to increased
hormonal levels by becoming thicker and larger. During puberty a
girl''''s inner and outer labia, hood,
clitoris, and hymen often
increase markedly in size. Not only may the size of a girl''''s genitals
change but also their shape, color, and texture. Since pubic hair
also starts growing at this time girls are less likely to be aware of
these changes unless they go looking with a mirror or notice while
exploring with their fingers. Even if a girl bathes with other girls
she is not likely to be aware that they too have experienced the same
changes. Girls and women after all are not usually permitted to play
genital show and tell; mutual exploration is not unusual among young
girls. (Girls and women usually glance at the genitals of other girls
and women when they have the opportunity, because of natural
curiosity.) Following puberty a girl''''s genitals may look nothing like
they did during childhood.
If teenagers and women examine their genitals they may become
concerned about these changes, feeling strange and perverse. They may
feel they have deformed their genitals while masturbating, and as a
result everyone who sees their genitals will know they masturbate.
They may feel they are being punished for having
sexual thoughts. It
is for these reasons that girls and young teenagers should be made
aware of these changes. They should know these changes are normal and
necessary, as to help improve their self-image. You do not want them
to feel a need to hide their genitals.
Exploring Forbidden Territory
In years past women would never think of looking at or even
touching their genitals. This was strictly the responsibility of a
doctor. Their own genitals were off limits. Today, women are more
comfortable with their bodies and are more likely to explore their
genitals. When they explore their genitals they may not be happy with
what they find. Women usually have an unrealistic expectation of how
their genitals should look. Most anatomy books portray the female
genitals as small and uniform. If the illustrations are in color the
vulva is usually shown as being uniformly pink. As a result, it is
reasonable to believe that many women feel uncomfortable with the
appearance of their gen
More summaries about the Clitoral & Labial Size!