I discovered The Vulva Gallery by chance, to be more precise thanks to serendipity. It made me want to share my experience as it made me realise that there is still much to be done on body- and vulva acceptance :)
From a very early age I was intrigued and at the same time disgusted by the 'piece of flesh' hanging between my legs. This distaste grew stronger during adolescence and particularly in my first sexual relations: how to position myself to prevent from seeing by vulva, make sure all lights are off. Cunnilingus: out of question!
I always felt my vulva was different. I soon began to search myself on the Internet, search for pictures to compare, find one that would resemble mine. It would appear that the only available documentation at this time was porn, where all girls were completely "smooth": definitely my vulva was wrong.
When I was around 26 years old, I finally got the courage to go and see a plastic surgeon. What a relief when this last one confirmed I had a "defect", with a proper medical term that I do not remember.
Quotation in hand, I felt the need to talk to friends about the possible operation. I who had never found the courage to speak about this complex, I felt relieved to share it. They listened understandingly without disgust, and I learnt that I wasn't alone. I remember this friend asking me: "But did one of your boyfriend ever made a remark?”. The answer to this question awakened me: "No".
Following this, I decided to postpone the operation or at least the idea of it. Just having “my secret” revealed had lifted the burden from my shoulders.
Sometime later, I had a passionate love story with a man that helped me see the beauty of my body. I shared with him my complex that he didn’t understand as my vagina reminded him of a "little cherry". With him, I really learnt to let go.
To summarise, I am really pleased to see these initiatives grow; initiatives that strengthens the educational power of internet and social media. I do hope that it will help girls better know and accept their body and its diversity as no, there’s no standard vulva.
So many thanks for your gallery :)
C – 30 years old