Vagina
What we commonly refer to as the vagina is actually made up of several parts. The outer area is called the vulva, made up of the inner and outer labia (“lips”), the clitoris, the clitoral hood, and the urethra. The true “vagina” is actually the interior area, which includes the cervix, uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes. The clitoris is the organ exclusively reserved for a woman’s pleasure during sex – as so, it contains 8,000 nerve-endings.
This sounds all well and good compared to the glans of the penis, which has only 3500. But, if you’re comparing nerve-endings to the ENTIRE penis, including foreskin, that number, er, jacks up to 24,000. (Sorry, ladies – thought you had us beat.)
No, it’s (thankfully) not teeth – instead, they both have a compound called squalane, which is found in shark livers and also in the vagina as a lubricant. When a woman is aroused, she secrets the squalane as her clitoris and labia swell up, and the interior vagina lengthens as it prepares for entry for the penis, or, as Borat would say, “Sexytime!”
While there is no “standard size” for a woman’s vagina, the average is about 3 inches wide and 3.5 inches deep. However, it is not rigid. In fact, the vagina can expand up to 200% in size, making it possible for a tiny sperm to fertilize an embryo and grow into a fully formed baby, be delivered, and return to nearly its original shape. However, factors such as age, weight, and smoking can cause a vagina to “sag” and even fall out (but, thankfully, this can be fixed.)
By Jove, I think she found it!
Yes, Vagina – I mean, Virginia – there is such a thing as the magical “G” Spot – an area inside the actual vagina responsible for an intense orgasm even stronger than that of the clitoris. How do you find the “G” Spot? Grab your partner and lie down on your back. Have he (or she) put their index finger inside, and make a “come hither” motion. Are you suddenly seeing skyrockets in flight? Congratulations, then you’ve found your “G” Spot!
L.L. Cool K.
In 1948, a man named Arnold Kegel changed women’s lives forever when he published a pelvic floor exercise that quickly became synonymous with his name. Dubbed the Kegel exercise, it is a way to strengthen the “pubococcygeus muscles of the pelvic floor,” (basically doctor-speak for the vagina muscles) which can help a woman cope during childbirth, fend off urinary infections, and even increase orgasmic pleasure. To do the exercise, you must first recognize the muscles you need by stopping urination in mid-stream. Next, empty the bladder and lie on your back. Slowly tense and relax these muscles (but not the buttocks) starting with 5-second intervals and gradually increase the duration to 10. Repeat 3 times a day. The good news is that men can also benefit from Kegel exercises, helping prevent premature ejaculation and lengthening and strengthening erections. Okay, everybody on your back!
No we’re not talking about basic external hygiene, we are talking about putting any external cleaning aides (such as douches) inside. Yes, the vagina is full of bacteria, but it is good bacteria that keeps a woman healthy, and the vagina cleans itself like a well-regulated machine. Women used to grow up believing their “lady parts” were unclean, but modern science has proven this wrong. For you science geeks out there, the pH of the vagina is about 4 – the same for wine and tomatoes. Don’t %$^ it up by douching!
To Shave or Not to Shave, that is the question. While the purpose of other areas of the vagina are more-or-less understood, when it comes to pubic hair, the answers are less clear-cut. We are not even sure why humans have pubic hair, since we’re the only species on the planet to have it. It is believed to have something to do with the trapping of pheromones – the odors we secrete during sexual arousal. There are also theories that it helps with lubrication between partners during sex, or that it helped keep the genitals warm during prehistoric times. Whatever it’s for, suddenly it seems like it is the norm for adult women to shave most or all of it off. This trend began in the 90s but accelerated in the 2000s where, according to a recent study, many young women today find pubic hair “repulsive.” They receive their cues not from men, it goes on to say, but from other women who also shave. So what should you do? The answer is: whatever you like.
“Vagina!”
As strange as it may seem, Walt Disney was on the forefront of women talking about their vaginae (plural of vagina). In 1946, Disney was commissioned by the Cello-Cotton company (who made Kotex feminine napkins) to make a film called The Story of Menstruation, which mentioned the V-word for the very first time on celluloid. The film was never released theatrically, but was shown to 105 million American students, along with advertisements for girls to make sure to use their brand when it came to “that time of the month.” The film was hardly pornographic – in fact, menstrual blood is shown as white instead of red. It is now in the public domain and can be watched below!
“Hey, why is it OK if HE says it?!”
Flash-forward 66 years, and suddenly the word is cause for censorship. Representative Lisa Brown (D-Mich.), while responding to a bill that would restrict a woman’s abortion after 20 weeks, stated, “I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but no means no.” House Speaker Jase Bolger then barred her and Barb Byrum (who stood up for her friend) from the floor for “disrupting decorum.” “If they are going to legislate my anatomy, I see no reason why I cannot mention it,” Brown added.
