4 Ways women are thought to hate their vaginas

1. The treachery of images: This is not a vagina.

Most porn presents us with perfectly trim, tidy little slits that make those of us with differently shaped vaginas look down and go, huh? But let it be said, the “single crease” aesthetic is a bullshit standard to wish for.
A few years back, the Australian television program Hungry b**st decided to investigate how the country’s censorship laws have skewed the public’s idea of what a normal vagina should look like. In accordance with the Australian Classification Guidelines, porn producers are allowed to show full frontal nudity, but only “discreet genital details.” The terms state, “Realistic depictions may contain genital detail but there should not be genital emphasis. Prominent and/or frequent realistic depictions of sexualized nudity containing genitalia will not be permitted.”

2.Do you smell like fish?

Body odor smells like body odor. Morning breath smells like morning breath. That’s just the way it is. It may not always be pleasant, but it’s natural. Why then, do we expect vaginas to smell like something other than a vagina?
The idea that vaginas smell like fish is pretty entrenched in the conversations we have about vaginas. And that does a few different things. It makes some women feel embarrassed. It discourages some women from receiving oral sex. And it leads some men to opt out of giving it.
To combat these obstacles, many women turn to feminine hygiene products. Vaginal cleansing and odor eliminating products are all over pharmacy shelves. But here’s the thing about these products: they aren’t good for you. Most health experts, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, do not recommend using these products.

3. Beware of the hairy, scary monster.

“Are you shaved?”
I have many gems in my Tinder inbox, but this line is one of my favorites (second only to, is it clean?). Now, aside from being an atrocious opening line, these questions help reinforce two bogus ideas: that the natural state of our vaginas is something to apologize for, and that if we want certain types of foreplay, we better prep for it. Because after all, what self-respecting individual would put herself through the sheer torture of spending time with an untrimmed bush?

4. Keepin’ it tight.

The ability to bear life is one of the vagina’s most profound attributes. But it isn’t easy, namely because a newborn baby poses a pretty big challenge to that tiny little hole. Luckily, our vaginas have an incredible ability to stretch and accommodate the birthing process. Without vaginas, giving birth would be (even more) excruciating, if not impossible.
But this magical ability is too often framed as proof that one’s vagina has simply been “used up;” that its owner is damaged goods.[/i]