When I was younger approximately 11-12 years old, friends and I were curious about what each other’s vulvas looked like because we were learning sexual education in school at the time. We all giggled after class and asked to see each other’s, so we all showed them in a circle when nobody else was around. And I noticed that everyone else had some little fleshy bits visible from their outer labia and I didn’t. So for years I thought something was wrong with me or maybe I wasn’t developing as quickly as the other girls. I had already had my period and was suffering from pretty intense cramps so my family doctor referred me to a gynaecologist. During my first exam with her I was pretty shy and asked if I was “normal”. She said “yes everything looks fine” but I wasn’t happy with that answer so I reached down and asked “no but what this little piece of skin here?” and she said “that’s your inner labia”. And that’s when I realized I wasn’t missing anything. I’m just different and that’s okay.

V. - 29 years old