Learning to Love Yourself: Vaginas in Mythology, Art, and History

Here are some snippits from a great article I discovered about the glory of the vagina. Yes. The glory. The image today is a painting by one of the most succesful female artists ever, Georgia O'Keefe. She painted flowers... that kind of actually are depictions of vaginas.

If you want to see the article in full, please visit: http://www.widdershins.org/vol11iss1/11.htm.

"Common nicknames for menstruation and women's genitals [in American culture] are anything but flattering. Yet in many other cultures, there are depictions of women's genitals in powerful legends and pervasive art. Since women give birth, their genitals were the focal point of mystic awe and religious wonder for many generations and cultures on earth throughout history. It has been speculated that original religions were matrifocal for this reason, and that patriarchal religions such as Christianity purposely supplanted female godheads with male ones for political power purposes."

"Vulva goddesses exist in history, such as Baubo. Her name means belly, as in belly laughter. She is a fun goddess, known for her bawdy sexual, even obscene, jokes. Her head is her torso, and her chin is her genital mound; thus she is a bearded woman. In legend, Baubo lifted her skirt, making "wise cracks," until Demeter began laughing, then roaring with laughter, and her own power, again. It can be hard to imagine empowering sexual jokes since most of the sexual jokes in our culture, unfortunately, are debasing, especially to women. But Baubo is an image to help overcome ruts we have may have found ourselves in."

"Other cultures have vulva goddesses. American Christian culture offers a virgin who has an immaculate conception, which is basically birth with the sex removed! Contemporary American artists, such as Judy Chicago and Georgia O'Keefe, have tried to liberate the stiff male control of vulvas in America, and have been met with intense protest and controversy. The success of The Vagina Monologues is a good sign, yet it too is considered far more controversial than Playboy. People need better imagery around women's genitals than America provides.

Women's genitals should not be reduced to mere porn or Tampax commercials. We can do better. Let's raise a generation without the slug and tuna fish jokes, with respect for women's monthly cycles, rather than shrouding them in disgust, filth, shame, and controlling religious dogma."