I never really thought twice about my vulva growing up. I never felt insecure about it or felt any way about it, really. Until I became a teenager in high school, and I discovered that I had a nickname: “camel toe.” I have what you could call a “fat vulva” (or fat pussy, as they used to say). It’s very thick skinned, and if you pinch it there’s a lot of fat in that area. So much, that sometimes it’s visible through my clothing. I immediately became insecure for the next handful of years. Trying clothes on I would just stare at my crotch through my clothing and wonder why my vulva was so visible and wishing it would shrink. Watching porn and seeing “skinny” vulvas that were barely there made me feel like I had a monster in my pants. I felt this way until about a year or so ago, when I realized that everyone’s body is so different and that it’s such a waste of your precious time and energy to be upset over things you cannot control. Finding The Vulva Gallery on Instagram has also allowed for me to let that insecurity go and embrace what makes me unique.

Z. - 25 years old