Genitalia Storyweaving: Vulva Is Humanized

Crochet Vulvas made by F.D

I recently received an email from someone asking for the pattern of the crochet vulvas I make. I was caught off guard because I just freestyle making crochet genitalia, taking inspiration as it comes. The person asked if she could make one as a gift for her midwife, and I was elated! I love midwives, and on top of that I was totally digging the transnational solidarity. Asking to make them, to me, was a sign of respect for intellectual property and genius. This connection was just all kinds of right! When I asked why she thought it would be a good gift to give to their midwife she responded:

"Turns out that the movement of humanized deliveries and ethic pregnancies is growing here in Chile (where I live, South America). More women want to learn and know their bodies and how babies can connect to them. I found a few pictures of things that my Midwife would like (like crochet baby in a womb, crochet breast, etc.) and your vulva was the one that she liked the more, bcs she could teach women and show them 'how to's' not only with tact....which obvi we as the patient cant see" -- F.D

Initially when I first started up this blog it was because I wanted to see diverse representations and interpretations of female external genitalia. I got real tired of always seeing super medical, erotic, flowery, mechanical and diluted information that takes for granted (or blatantly ignores) that there are socially constructed ideas about all bodies, especially those of women and females. This same information also often ignores that all other identities and social realities we inhabit can not be removed from the ways we experience those ideas. So whether we use drugs, are racialized, are HIV positive, are queer, a migrant worker, transgender, non-binary, living in poverty, are under housed, have a chronic illness, are disabled or anything else will def have an impact on how our bodies are interpreted both internally within ourselves and externally to our surroundings. Above all that, most importantly to me is that widely available information is void of how people honestly feel about themselves - and this can be really alienating. The feeling of going through something alone and having no one to communicate that to is super shitty. There is little affirming information that makes us feel good about the choices we make, and there are limited options made widely available to us so we can make choices that suit our desires and needs. The right to dignified birthing options, midwives, learning about our bodies and connecting to our babies is a part of that too. As I have been saying since this blogs birth is that I am only one person and can only speak to my own experience of what a vulva and genitalia is, so I always appreciate when other people decide to contribute their wealth of knowledge and personal experience! Thank you for sharing your truth F.D. Check: Genitalia Storyweaving to submit content!