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After
reflecting on this question for some time I came to realize that the ways in
which our vulvas are represented, interpreted and treated are very much
influenced by the ways in which our bodies are able (or unable) to navigate
through various social spheres/norms. I started making these crochet vulva pins in response
to the shame, misinformation and silence enforced around people with internal genitalia talking about and understanding their bodies in respect to how they live
their lives. In wearing my crochet vulva I have had the privilege of engaging in some
insightful conversations about the multiple meanings, understandings and
personal relationships people have with their genitalia and navigating their health, or how they experience other peoples genitalia.
This blog and the crochet genitalia support a personal effort to create a platform
where people can talk about and reclaim what is rightfully theirs, and
where wearing, caring and talking about genitals through personal experiences are
valued components in sharing knowledge around our
bodies.
It is difficult to address the question as to what a vulva is,
because you simultaneously have to ask what a vulva means and how that
meaning shifts in different contexts. So my personal answer is my vulva is
endless, it holds different privileges, disadvantages, beauties, demons,
experiences and the list goes on. I wear my crochet genitalia as a way to represent the multiple and intersecting social, political and biological falsehoods and realities that surround my experiences. So I have to ask, what does genitalia mean to you?
