Is There a Way I Can Natutally Grow Breasts as a Man
Why I photographed 100 vulvas
Well-nigh women have no thought what'due south down there – in that location's no such thing as 'normal'
Contains adult themes, explicit imagery and very stiff language
"Where would you normally see some other vulva?" photographer Laura Dodsworth asks me. "Mainly only in porn," she answers. "Specially if you're looking online. Only in that location's a world of difference betwixt how you see vulvas in porn – and how you run into them in real life. Information technology'due south so important for women to know what vulvas look like. It can help with trunk image anxiety. Nosotros really need to talk about them because many women haven't looked at their own. They don't know what'south down there."
I first met Laura, a photographer from Surrey, in 2022 following her exploration of 100 women'southward relationships with their breasts.
The campaign reached its crowd-funding target of £10,900 in a twenty-four hours and featured powerful, untouched images and stories of anonymous participants aged 19 to 101.
In 2017, she focused her lens on penises to examine the concept of masculinity.
At present, her latest work puts vulvas and vaginas in the spotlight thanks to her new book Womanhood: The Blank Reality and forthcoming Aqueduct iv documentary: 100 Vaginas.
And when 100 women share intimate photos and deeply personal experiences relating to their vaginas, the result is a tender withal taboo-exploding message of women reclaiming their womanhood. At least, that's what Laura set out to attain.
"I never thought I'd practise this," she says. "In my heed, I'd already covered women'due south stories through breasts. I also didn't want to do it because I hadn't faced myself in that way. I call back a office of me was shying away from that intimacy because I would have to address my own related experiences. Y'all tin't become into a project where you lot interview women about their vulva, and not think nearly your own. And although I've had pleasure, I've also experienced bad sex, traumatic birth and deep shame. In short: I'd have to confront the big stuff."
So what changed her mind?
"Three things, actually," she says. "I read a report nigh how 200 million girls and women around the globe take suffered female genital mutilation (FGM), which angered and sickened me. Shortly after, I came across a PDF wellness leaflet that disrespectfully referred to the vagina as 'a front hole'. The correct language and agreement of female genitalia is so important to me: the vulva is the whole external packet, the vagina is a muscular tube which leads from the cervix (the neck of the womb) down to the vulva."
Later, a BBC report well-nigh girls every bit young equally nine seeking labiaplasty – surgery that involves the lips of the vagina being shortened or reshaped – because they were distressed by its advent, had Laura reaching for her camera once again. "The idea that girls and young women call up their vagina is ugly and want to change how it looks is just wrong, and sad."
Consultant gynecologist Dr Pandelis Athanasias says "there's no such affair as a normal vagina – they naturally vary in size, shape or colour."
There's also a misconception that the labia is supposed to be a certain length. "Studies have constitute that the labia majora (outer lips) length varies from approximately 6 to 12cm, and labia minora (inner lips) length varies from 2 to more than 10cm," he explains. "Labia can be thin or thick, darker or lighter and sometimes longer on one side. The key is not concentrating on the size or shape merely whether it affects your physical or emotional wellbeing. And if it's impacting your daily life, that's when a gynecologist consultation is recommended."
Despite the proficient balls, Dr Athanasias believes labiaplasty is "on the rise."
Dr Naomi Crouch, chair of the British Lodge for Paediatric and Boyish Gynaecology, has also noticed a "marked increase in girls and young women seeking labiaplasty" over the last few years."
She believes a cultural change amongst adolescents and immature women, who now choose to remove or fashion the pubic pilus, coupled with a lack of understanding virtually vulval anatomy, is fuelling the rise. "The vulva takes many years to develop," she says.
"The labia minora are usually showtime, and sometimes more than prominent during the early on stages. Just it can be hard to find accurate information most this."
Which is where Laura'due south project comes in. "I thought perhaps the rise in labiaplasty wouldn't be happening if people understood more about what other women looked like," she says. "Some people will be shocked past my images, but I think they form an educational purpose."
The idea that girls and young women think their vagina is ugly and want to change how information technology looks is just incorrect, and pitiful
Although Laura admits to being nervous at the beginning. "I hadn't knelt before a woman with her legs spread before."
That said, within a couple of weeks of putting a phone call out for volunteers, she had over 100 willing participants from all over the U.k.. "The hunger for this was trigger-happy," she recalls. "It'south chiming with something right now. Perhaps it's in the wake of #MeToo and #TimesUp – women want to reclaim their bodies, and their stories. It's why I wanted to correspond different ages, ethnicities, backgrounds – as well every bit women's different experiences relating to their vulva."
Photographing this intimate area led to some unique and securely personal stories. "Each 1 has stayed with me," she says. "The 46-yr-old virgin. The woman who endured FGM. The woman who had her vagina removed because of cancer."
But she also heard positive stories of sexual pleasure and pregnancy. "One woman had an orgasm when she gave nascency, another talked about the unlike types of orgasms she can have, which inspired me to remember about sensuality differently. And so in that location was the 70-year-old woman who has 'a lawnmower of a vibrator'. I loved that, because interviewing women who take been through the menopause and withal have incredible sexual practice lives sends out a beautiful message about womanhood."
Yet, sadly, many of the conversations she had with her participants were tied with a disturbing thread of abuse. "I was really shocked by how many women brought up sexual attack. I'd be talking to someone whose story I idea was about their wonderful sex life or a health condition, and they'd open upward near being raped or an experience in childhood of training."
Fifty-fifty though she refers to it every bit the hardest part of the project, Laura believes including so many of these harrowing experiences adds to the bear on of her message – because at that place is no singular female person experience.
"Some of the women I met had looked at themselves lots, some women had never looked and didn't want to see it, and some women saw it for the first time on the dorsum of my camera, which was a large deal. They asked me, 'Is that what information technology's supposed to look like?', and I found myself explaining what different parts of them are and telling them that's everyone's different."
The idea that women are turning away from pleasure because they're worried about what they look, smell and taste like has unearthed a fundamental message for Laura.
"Shame is a really large problem for human beings," she sighs. "Where I've plant that, mostly, men are under pressure to be 'plenty' – big plenty, getting laid enough, rich enough, human being enough – women experience similar they're 'too much' – also fatty, as well hairy, besides saggy, likewise female. Frankly, nosotros just need to be as we are. Yes, you lot can look at the photos and go 'Wow, we all look really different', but it's also about connecting with the honesty of these stories. Because if you find yourself feeling adoration, pride and inspiration for another person, it becomes easier to employ that to yourself, too."
Does she await whatsoever backfire? "At that place's nada gratuitous well-nigh what I do," she says. "I've always fabricated a conscious attempt to photograph torso parts in a way which is simple, comparative and non-sexualised. That doesn't hateful I think breasts, penises and vulvas tin can't be sexual. But I photograph them so we can but go, 'That's what they await like'."
With that in mind, she couldn't not confront her own vulnerabilities. "When I starting time looked at my vulva I idea, 'Whoa, there's a lot going on in that location!' Simply taking office has been transformative for me: I'one thousand more comfy in my skin as a adult female. It'southward a pivotal experience to practice something similar this because information technology'southward and so exposing.
"I feel like I've been a creative warrior for women, helping them reclaim their bodies and their stories – and I'chiliad fiercely protective of them. I hope it'southward a game changer, specially for young women. If I'd seen and read this when I was eighteen, I call up my entire life would have been different.
"I'one thousand not exaggerating, I think it would accept changed everything for me."
Whether information technology'southward power, pleasure, impassiveness or pain, each woman'southward relationship with her vulva is completely individual. These vi bearding women – who bravely bared all for Laura's project – bear witness just that…
"My labia felt like big elephant ears"
Aged 30, no children
When I masturbated when I was younger, I used to hate it when my clitoris got bigger – I idea it looked like a penis. I felt very self-witting nearly it. I thought my labia were too large equally well. I had to be drunk to have sex activity and I never let everyone pleasure me.
I thought the area of the vagina should await similar the ones that I'd seen in porn on the cyberspace, and they looked polar opposite to mine. Porn made me experience like shit in all sorts of means – I think I wasted 12 years of my life suffering because of what I thought my vagina looked like.
I watched a documentary that talked about porn stars who were having operations to make their labia smaller. I realised it was something you could have done so I went to my GP and I had a bit of a breakdown. The consultant I saw said that labiaplasty would help me, but information technology wouldn't exist done on the NHS. He referred me to a private doc.
I was awake throughout the procedure. He injected anesthetic into the labia and upwards into my bottom – and then simply sliced abroad. In reality, my labia were probably quite small pieces of pare, only to me they felt similar big elephant ears. I lay there thinking how much better my life would be later.
My recovery was horrific. I knew there was going to be swelling but it looked like a huge hamburger and I couldn't even put my legs together. It was very painful.
I feel more comfortable day-to-day; sitting down or crossing my legs in jeans. My labia [also] used to become caught in tampon applicators, so now I can use tampons. But I don't really have whatever confidence. I wish I did. I'm trying to end worrying about what other people recall of me. I desire to observe out who the existent me is considering, at 30, I notwithstanding don't know.
"Information technology's not a porn-perfect fanny"
31, no children
I've never looked at a photo of my vulva. I've never fifty-fifty looked with a mirror. I'k nervous that I might be grossed out past it. I don't vanquish myself upwards, just it'due south interesting that I still have that split-second thought that it'due south not a porn-perfect fanny. Not that I even want ane.
I've never had any complaints. I also know when a chap is in the chamber and he'southward about to get his stop away, he'south not going to be thinking, 'Oh, information technology could have done with a fleck of work'. He's just thinking, 'Fab, I've got a shag'.
I've actively campaigned against FGM for the terminal ten years. One of the things I do is talk about how women don't look at their fannies; we don't even talk well-nigh our fannies. I've talked about some really personal things with close friends, but non fannies.
I was born into a Muslim Pakistani family. I am no longer a Muslim and I kind of don't tell people that I am Pakistani, but I am. I tin have part because this is bearding. There are two things that my family don't know about me that would push them over the edge. One, that I've had sexual activity and two, that I eat pork. Of course, they're completely deluded if they think that I haven't had sex.
It's taken me years to get myself into a safety situation where I tin can practice and say whatever I want. Honour killings still happen, even here in Britain.
I marched at Pride decorated with body paint and had my tits out [just] there were objections. There were men in Borat-style mankinis, men in fetish animal costumes, men with their nipples out. None of that was a problem, only the odd female nipple here and there... I feel like information technology'due south only men telling women what to practise once more with their bodies. Women's bodies should not exist seen as more offensive than men'due south.
"I don't define myself as a adult female anymore"
41, no children
I accept seen, touched, indeed worshipped many vulvas. And yet I have never had the courage to expect at my ain. I have identified as a lesbian most of my life. I desperately wanted to exist a boy as a kid. I hated my body, my gender, for many years. Since so I have come full circle to a place of love and reverence for who I am – and what I am fabricated of.
I was afraid of penises my whole life. Kickoff I wanted to have i. So I entered puberty and my breasts grew, and I knew there was no mode I was going to be a boy. And then I was hurt by penises. I was molested by my father and I had teenage interactions with boys who put pressure on me.
I didn't grow up with my father just I thought he was incredible. When I was a teenager, I'd get and spend the weekend with him. 1 night he got into bed with me and started touching me. The side by side day I confronted him. His reasoning was that he wanted me to realise that I had a cute body and that sex was a wonderful matter. I was like, 'You're not the right person to exist teaching me whatsoever of this because you're my father.'
A lot of healing has come virtually through having many pleasurable, gentle experiences at the hands of other women. In the last couple of years, I take discovered that there are so many more labels and identities and the globe is really opening up. I don't ascertain myself equally a woman anymore. I identify as non-binary or genderqueer. I prefer they/them pronouns, and to have Mx in front of my proper name rather than Mr or Ms. Sexual activity may be the genitalia nosotros are born with, simply gender is a social construct.
Ultimately I desire to live in a globe where we are people and not defined by what's between our legs. My sexual preference is polysexual, which means that I am attracted to different genders, though non necessarily all. Nosotros wrap qualities up in this umbrella of masculine or feminine, like being nurturing is seen as feminine, but those are stereotypes: we all have the chapters for those things inside us. My life journey has been near finding residual within myself – and that'due south where I'm finding my healing.
"My vulva reminds me of a pink cupcake"
28, no children
My vulva reminds me of a pinkish cupcake. The labia and clitoris look similar layers of piped pinkish icing. I know not everybody's comfortable and excited to show the world their genitals, but looking at her now, she is pretty. She looks fragile, symmetrical and neat. It'south a nice reminder of what's in my knickers.
Over a few weeks, I bled a lot between periods, and likewise later on sex with my boyfriend at the time. I googled bleeding and it came upwardly with lots of different things: an STI, hormonal imbalance, cervical cancer.
I went to the dr. and, although I was likewise immature [24] for a smear test, she did i anyhow. I was sent to the hospital for a colposcopy, which involves a camera going into the vagina. A consultant said, 'I've been doing this for 30 years and I'd be surprised if it wasn't cancer'. Two weeks afterward it was confirmed. I felt hot, sweaty, shaky. 'Cancer' means dying, that's what we all remember it means. I was just 24, I couldn't understand how this could exist happening.
I had a stage 1B class 3, which is pocket-sized, but nasty. Thankfully it was caught early. I had my neck removed, the surrounding kind of tissue area and the top third of my vagina and, thank God, didn't need further treatment, like chemotherapy. I tin can get meaning, merely because in that location's no cervix there's a high chance of miscarriage or early birth.
At that place's a lot of stigma effectually having a gynaecological disease. Somebody at my old job asked what kind of cancer I had, and when I said cervical, she said, 'Oh, how do you lot get that?' Yous wouldn't ask the same if I'd said chest, bowel, or brain – but when it's something in between your legs, there's an assumption that you've done something incorrect; that you've slept with a lot of people. It is a cancer that'southward associated with sexual practice, as in about cases you lot get it from the HPV virus, which is transmitted through sexual contact.
I feel a bit broken as a adult female considering we're supposed to comport babies. As well, I have a shorter vagina now and then I can't fifty-fifty get the same pleasure I used to. I felt angry that the part of my body, which is primal to women's identity, had done a number on me at 24.
Over a quarter of women in the UK are not attending their cervical smear appointments. Sometimes in that location are serious reasons, simply oftentimes women are embarrassed to show their genitals, or they feel embarrassed they might odor. Information technology makes me feel sick that shame and stigma around gynae health means that some women won't be as lucky as I was.
"Whatever you've got is wonderful"
Aged 70, three children
I beloved my beautiful c**t, it's a gorgeous pinky red colour. Information technology'south been appreciated by partners, too.
I didn't have sex until I was 25. I married in the 1970s and got a divorce on the basis of non-consummation: on our nuptials night my husband said he had a headache. I thought, 'Off-white enough' – but information technology went on for iii years.
I went to see a wedlock guidance counsellor and she said unhelpful things like, 'Perhaps you ought to wear a sexy black nightdress'. I knew it wasn't about me, information technology was about him. I was resigned to information technology, but I wanted children. I met somebody else and that changed everything. We had vivid sex, and then we had children.
It was through my involvement with the women's movement in the 1970s that l found my voice and the strength to confront patriarchy. I began to limited my sexuality on my terms. Since I split up with the male parent of my children back in 1981, I have not lived with a sexual partner.
I'm 70 and I still savor sex. I see my current partner for extended weekends. For half the week I do my own affair: I look after my grandchildren, I belong to a women's drama group, I see my friends. I was ready for the menopause to happen. I recollect we have to come to terms with life'south changes in the most positive way nosotros can. You lose some of your lubrication, merely a niggling bit of spit solves that problem.
I became a midwife because I'm a feminist. Very often women aren't empowered in the process of giving birth and I wanted to endeavor and encourage them, give them more self-confidence. Information technology's wonderful to meet the baby come through the birth canal. It happens with a great deal of attempt from the woman. I've probably seen more vaginas than most people, and they're equally different as our faces or our hands. Whatever you've got is wonderful.
"I'm unlikely to excogitate naturally"
Aged 26, no children
My vulva is happy and majestic. Information technology's heart-shaped and it isn't one color, there are different shades of brownish. It's kind of tidy, but it's too an organised mess. I think there's something actually powerful about having the opportunity to look at yourself in more detail. It gives you a unlike appreciation for your torso.
My early experiences of womanhood started with the women who raised me: my nan taught me about enjoying yourself, your body and who you are. My mum is my best friend, in that location's aught that I don't share with her. I decided I wanted to wax my vulva, and I asked [her] to practise it. My mum gave birth to me and so there's nothing that I have that she hasn't seen. And I trust her.
I never wanted to have children until I developed reproductive wellness problems. When I was xix, I had a Mirena coil fitted and that caused me to get pelvic inflammatory disease, which was excruciatingly painful. I grew a cyst on my right ovary very rapidly. I was in and out of A&E and I had to suspend my studies at uni. In the end I had emergency surgery that resulted in the loss of my correct ovary and fallopian tube and they drained five litres of fluid from the cyst.
I continued having pain, only I kept beingness told information technology was normal. It turned out I take endometriosis, uterine polyps and fibroids, which was a blow on top of a missing ovary. The really big bargain was finding out that if I waited too long, I would exist unlikely to excogitate naturally, if at all.
Having endometriosis means that my periods are irregular and can be excruciating. It's similar a hot, burning sensation in my uterus that radiates throughout the lower half of my body, into my hips and downwards into my knees. People recall I'm exaggerating, but sometimes I tin can't piece of work. I also get a sudden sharp shooting pain in my vagina, which catches me off baby-sit. It's exhausting having to live with a level of hurting that never really goes away.
It got to the point where I was obsessive in my desire to have a child. My mum told me I needed some counselling. I started to re-evaluate what womanhood could wait like for me, outside of my biological capabilities. I think we kind of have for granted that we're going to be able to have children. Not beingness able to excogitate doesn't reduce your value as a woman, it doesn't make y'all less of a woman – but that's kind of what order tells us.
All images © Laura Dodsworth
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/Why_I_Photographed_100_Vulvas
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