Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Guardian vulvas...

80 replies

Alicethroughtheblackmirror · 09/02/2019 21:11

It's there anything female the Guardian covers without feeling the need to include a male?

Surgical constructions are not the same as the female sex organs and it's insulting they have to be included in a feature on vulvas. Of 8 examples here, one is a male...

Me and my vulva: 100 women reveal all

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/feb/09/me-and-my-vulva-100-women-reveal-all-photographs?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

OP posts:
Alicethroughtheblackmirror · 09/02/2019 21:25

Actually, I will row back because the featured individual who was very specific in that she wrote:

"Let’s be up front about this: I don’t have a vagina. I would describe mine as a neo-vagina. I’m not a real woman. I’d have loved to have been one, but that didn’t happen for me and I have to make do. I can’t claim womanhood. I have a different body to women, I have different biology, different needs, I grew up differently. I don’t think it should be something to feel embarrassed or shamed about. I’m a transwoman, and that’s fine by me."

And I'm on side with that and really respect the writer for acknowledging the difference.

I was cross because vulvas are specifically female biology and I felt the Guardian went out of the way to broaden the terms. But the individual featured seems sound!

OP posts:
rubisco · 09/02/2019 21:21

For what it's worth, the corresponding "me and my penis" feature back in 2017 included a woman:
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/may/27/me-and-my-penis-100-men-reveal-all

And the transwoman whose neovulva is featured takes a line I think most on here would agree with:

Let’s be up front about this: I don’t have a vagina. I would describe mine as a neo-vagina. I’m not a real woman. I’d have loved to have been one, but that didn’t happen for me and I have to make do. I can’t claim womanhood. I have a different body to women, I have different biology, different needs, I grew up differently. I don’t think it should be something to feel embarrassed or shamed about. I’m a transwoman, and that’s fine by me.

MrsWooster · 09/02/2019 21:19

I'm firmly on the fence here! My first instinct was sane as yours op, then I thought seeing the tw neovulva was fascinating and her write up was forthright and honest- it's not a vagina and I'm not a woman.
Properly got the hump,tho, over the interviewer asking the author if she thought the title 'womanhood'is appropriate cos trans...

MrSlant · 09/02/2019 21:16

I have to say I thought the whole thing was fascinating, inclusively for once! Also I think what the trans woman had to say about her neo-vulva was interesting. I thought everyone was pretty interesting, and brave and very informative.

HermioneWeasley · 09/02/2019 21:13

Neve seen a TW neo vulva before so that was interesting. Can’t believe anyone would be fooled by that. I think they did have a trans man in the equivalent “me and my penis” article

Swipe left for the next trending thread