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Original poster

Should We Be Renaming The Vagina?

143 replies

FrothyDragon · 15/09/2012 12:16

"THE nastiest name ever to be given to the female sex organ is ''vagina''. ''Vagina'' is Latin for ''scabbard'' or ''sword sheath''. A scabbard is owned by the same person as owns the sword that it exists to house."

(Taken from the Greer review of Wolf's latest book)

So. Given the connotations of the word, I propose that women rename their "vagina", to give us a word for it which doesn't imply male ownership.

Thoughts?

OP posts:
MiniTheMinx · 16/09/2012 00:04

Interesting discussion, sorry I haven't got anything remotely intelligent to add (too late & too tired) but mine is called a noonoo. Always has been. Of course I wouldn't go to the GP and say hey I have an issue with my noonoo Hmm but in every day speech at home it's fine.

I dislike the word cunt so that would get a no vote from me.

CollieEye · 15/09/2012 22:46

It rhymes with pony.

I was looking for a word that was kid-friendly and not twee. There is no way on earth I could tell my daughter she had a twinkle, or a tuppence. Yoni's good and positive.

MySpanielHell · 15/09/2012 21:53

How do you pronounce yoni? Is it like bonnie or pony?

Original poster
FrothyDragon · 15/09/2012 21:52

I like yoni. Nice and child friendly, too. :)

OP posts:
LRDtheFeministDragon · 15/09/2012 21:48

Oh, sorry, I know it's not really funny but that's hilarious. Ewww! Grin

(I worry that my first automatic reaction was to call DH over and make him read it.)

EatsBrainsAndLeaves · 15/09/2012 21:47

I started a new thread on this

LRDtheFeministDragon · 15/09/2012 21:42

But yes, definitely, start one!

LRDtheFeministDragon · 15/09/2012 21:41
Shock

I really hope you don't. I'm not even a spider-phobe and that image freaks me out.

PretzelTime · 15/09/2012 21:40

Section 1, things you can do with fanjos: Twat spiders to death

I'm serious though, an info thread would be good.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 15/09/2012 21:37
Grin

Some days MN feels like one giant fanjo facts thread.

PretzelTime · 15/09/2012 21:35

I think we need a Fanjo Facts thread!

LRDtheFeministDragon · 15/09/2012 21:31

It's like the hymen not existing (or not the way we thought). But you still get articles in the magazines talking about it being 'broken'. Confused

EatsBrainsAndLeaves · 15/09/2012 21:29

Dont know how to post a pic, but this link takes you to one. And the extent of the clitoris has only recently been scientifically discovered - so hardly surprising you dont know about it. What does irritate me though is that nobody in the media talks about this discovery!

www.themarysue.com/clitoris-discovery-2009/

MySpanielHell · 15/09/2012 21:24

Somebody posted a pic of the clitoris on here a while back, and it showed it engorged under the skin in various bright colours using some scientific scanning method. I thought that was really helpful, but I can't think of a google phrase that brings up the correct pic, or remember who posted it or on what thread.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 15/09/2012 21:17

Yes, I see your point nomore.

Is fanjo totally made up, btw, or does it come from somewhere?

There's a point that either Waris Dirie or Ayaan Hirsi Ali makes (and to my shame I forget which, which I should think they would both be cross about for different reasons!), that sometimes women who have been victims of FGM can be helped to regain some ability to orgasm, because of the shape and size of the clitoris. It's really good that someone has worked that out, I found it really hopeful when I read it.

EatsBrainsAndLeaves · 15/09/2012 21:14

What you see is the tip. It extends down and then goes into a doughnut type shape around the vagina.

No need to be embarassed about your lack of knowledge Rosabud, not knowing this is extremely common.

rosabud · 15/09/2012 21:12

Is it?? I think I am one of those women who has no idea Blush How is it bigger than you think it is then? Blush

EatsBrainsAndLeaves · 15/09/2012 21:05

Just wanted to add, that lots and lots of women have no idea how large the clitoris is. The bit you see on the surface is a tiny part of it. If I could post diagrams here, I would showing how large and complex it is. But nobody talks about this or tells women about this.

NoMoreNotNever · 15/09/2012 20:51

Ah. Cross-posted. Sorry.

NoMoreNotNever · 15/09/2012 20:50

Sorry to push in... Blush

... but surely any renaming that uses a word that already denotes something in that area is going to bring emotional or intellectual baggage with it? I suppose you could try and find a value-neutral word from an obscure or lost language, but then you might as well just make up a new word entirely?

CollieEye · 15/09/2012 20:49

I went with yoni when it came to naming my DD's genitals. It's kid-friendly and the meaning is rather lovely.

CollieEye · 15/09/2012 20:44

Yoni (Sanskrit: योनि yoni) is the Sanskrit word for the vagina.[1] Its counterpart is the lingam, interpreted by some as the phallus. It is also the divine passage, womb or sacred temple (cf. lila). The word covers a range of meanings, including: place of birth, source, origin, spring, fountain, place of rest, repository, receptacle, seat, abode, home, lair, nest, stable.

FrancesFarmer · 15/09/2012 20:39

A quick google shows that the origin of the word quim is unknown so that avoids any etymological pitfalls!

What about yoni - is that too hippyish?!

mrscumberbatch · 15/09/2012 20:38

Quim and Queef go hand in hand. They're all friendly nice and occassionaly funny things.