Kelly Morrin Approach: 1, Source: Lerner, 2003 In a world where female genitalia is almost always mislabeled, there is a hero for the generations that is trying her best to reform society’s view and nomenclature of what is really going on “down there.” “‘V’ is for Vulva, Not Just Vagina,” is a wonderfully written article that grabs the reader’s attention with wit and offers insight about a topic that is not discussed all too frequently. Lerner did a fantastic job of addressing the fact that although men’s genitalia are more often than not labeled correctly, female genitalia does not have the same respect. The general term “vagina” has encompassed the entirety of the female genitals, but in fact it …show more content…
She only needed 2 full pages to explain the importance and neglect of the correct terms of the female genitalia, and how we need to all join the V-Club. There could have been more information given regarding the paper she published, “Parental Mislabeling of Female Genitals as a Determinant of Penis Envy and Learning Inhibitions in Women (Lerner, 1974).” If Lerner had emphasized the case, and what she had found as a result of her research, it would have tied into the article and added a greater dynamic between the faults she has found in society and why they occur. A huge aspect of the misuse of vagina and vulva seems to result in shame about sexuality and therefore leads to a lifetime of mislabeling the sexual organs. This could have been a much more extensive piece and because it is a very sensitive topic, if someone has the guts to proceed with discussion, they need to make a greater effort. This is just the tip of the iceberg of this topic because of how ingrained in society this misuse of correct terms really is; it needs to be addressed and it needs to be …show more content…
Sexual health has more often than not been a topic that is skirted around and joked about. Thankfully, the newer generations are making steps to accept all sexualities, genders, and people of non-binary lifestyles and I see it happening before my very eyes. Human sexuality is being talked about more openly and it is reaching a new audience, but we need to take further steps to speed this process along. We should have been using the term vulva for decades, and the confusion of the term and the embarrassment that accompanies it needs to end. Schools should require more than one health class during the entirety of high school and the information given needs to be available besides just in the classroom. Women should not be ashamed of their bodies in a world where adolescents are drawing pictures of male genitalia in any and every available space. The anxiety matched with body shame that girls are experiencing throughout their lives can be solved if we start taking correct terminology seriously. As a society, we need to change our mindsets and change the mindsets of future generations regarding what should and should not be taboo. It is up to us to help the world understand how magnificent human anatomy is, and how important it is to treat our bodies with the respect and admiration we all