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Vulva activism (also termed as vulvactivismHerbenick, D., & Schick, V. (2011). Read my lips: A complete guide to the vagina and vulva. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.) is the promotion of a raised awareness of the appearance of female genitalia and the breaking of taboos surrounding the vulva, as carried out by feminist movements and . Other names for this advocacy movement are labia pride, labia liberation, vulvaversity, viva la vulva, pussy positivity and similar. It is supported by several independent feminist groups and based on diverse channels of communication such as cyberfeminism, and advocating boycotts against physicians and clinics that make use of deceptive advertising.
The anthropologist Carlos Sulkin depicts this connection as a culturally associative network, whereby the tabooing of the vulva and problematic ideals of beauty are closely linked. There is a cultural norm in Western culture to keep the vulva covered and concealed in public, to hide it and avoid it as a topic. In this context, unrealistic ideas of perfection and normativity thrive:
Many cultures, however, also have the opposite tendency to identify the vulva with powerful, mythical forces. This valuation of the vulva is found for both ancient European and non-European cultures. In these mythologies, for example, the belief prevails that disaster can be averted through the self-determined uncovering of the vulva, referred to as Anasyrma. This practice was used both in religious rituals, but was practiced in the context of secular festivals. Public exposure of the vulva became an act of empowerment. Vagina dentata: Why men throughout history have been terrified of vaginas with teeth - iNews
Anasyrma has inspired modern feminist activists and has been incorporated in art projects and workshops such as Raising the Skirt and Anasyrma Army. The taboos and shame that affect the vulva in Western society are to be conquered and women are to find a relaxed way of dealing with the vulva again.Blackledge, C. (2020). Raising the Skirt: The Unsung Power of the Vagina. Hachette UK, ISBN 147461583X
The aim is to educate men and women about normal female anatomy and its variations and break taboos surrounding the vulva. To achieve this, the vulva is recontextualized, for example, through public display and discourse in explicitly non-sexual contexts.Nurka, C. (2018). Female genital cosmetic surgery: deviance, desire and the pursuit of perfection. Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 9783319964898Chubak, B. (2020). Historical and Ethical Perspectives on Vulvoplasty. Sexual Medicine Reviews.
Taken together, these are the conditions for which many women:
A 2020 study of 4,513 Canadian men and women directly addressed the question of what aesthetic preferences both sexes have regarding the vulva. For this purpose, photos of vulvas with and without labiaplasty were shown, and the participants were asked to rate them on the dimensions personal ideal (what they themselves consider ideal), societal ideal (what they think most other people consider to be ideal) and normalcy (how far does the depicted vulva correspond to the natural average). It was found that both men and women considered the vulvas after labiaplasty not only more attractive i.e. ideal (both societal and personal), but also more normal. This effect was even more pronounced for women than for men. Thus, vulvas with surgically removed or reduced labia minora were considered more normal than natural vulvas by most people. The authors conclude that:
A 2022 study using a similar methodology found natural, unaltered vulvas, when compared to vulvas that had undergone labiaplasty, to be rated as less normal and ideal, and to be considered disgusting. Of note, this effect is moderated by race and most pronounced for pre-operative white vulvas and post-operative black vulvas.Oswald, F., Walton, K. A., Khera, D., Champion, A., & Pedersen, C. L. (2022). Evaluations of Black and White female genitalia by labiaplasty status: A pre-registered contextualization, replication, and extension of findings on labial perceptions. The Journal of Sex Research, 59(9), 1163-1174. While, as expected, heterosexual men rate vulvas as more attractive than homosexual men, and heterosexual women rate vulvas as less attractive than lesbian women, the same pattern emerges here.Oswald, F., Pedersen, C. L., & Matsick, J. L. (2022). Gayzing Women’s Bodies: Criticisms of Labia Depend on the Gender and Sexual Orientation of Perceivers. The Journal of Sex Research, 1-14. A study conducted in Germany yielded similar findings, showing that naturally developed inner labia are considered to be ugly, disgusting, and a deformity that should ideally be surgically removed.Kasten, E., & Hoffmann, K. (2019). Female genital esthetics: Comparison of preferences of men and women. Journal für Ästhetische Chirurgie, 12, 95-103.
The taboo and shameful public attitude towards the vulva is seen as the cause of these unrealistic expectations. Various initiatives aim to change this and want the vulva to be treated in public presentation and conversation as a normal body part. Demands include that female genitalia be allowed to be depicted in the popular press (i.e. without the legal requirement of "photoshopping" the labia away, as is the case e.g. in Australia), that parents use the anatomically correct terms in conversation with their children, Call It A Vulva: Why We Should Teach Kids Anatomical Terms For Genitals - A mighty girl or that children's dolls such as Barbie not be shipped without vulvas Barbie needs to be given vulva - Metro Alarming trend sees young girls wanting ‘Barbie genitals’ Girls as young as 13 are requesting the surgery. - news.com.au (in fact, "Barbie style" is a common term for an extensive form of labiaplasty in which the labia minora are completely removedGonzales-Alabastro, C., Eilber, K. S., Anger, J. T., & Berman, J. R. (2019). Female cosmetic genital reconstruction: a review of current trends, treatments, and techniques. Current sexual health reports, 11, 44-51.).
The "Muff March" has been criticized for putting too much emphasis on pornography as a root cause of the problem. (See Feminist views on pornography.)
Several feminist groups, such as Gynodiversity, the Large Labia Project, or 100 vulvas Why I photographed 100 vulvas - BBC try to oppose the influence that pornography has on anatomic expectations. By encouraging women to release images of their vulvas and post photo submissions of anonymous vulvas on their websites, they want to establish a sphere for women to get realistic impressions of normal vulvas.
The campaign has faced criticisms over putting too much blame on the porn industry and the subjection to male desires, and ignoring the fact that many women have naturally small labia. The campaign has been criticized for giving the false impression that protruding labia are the anatomical norm and small inner labia are the adaptation to beauty standards:
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