Viva your Vulva - in Edinburgh

50% of women aren't sure which is their vulva and which is their vagina.

If this is really the case it says a lot about the state of sex education and women's health in general. I would guess that 100% of men know what their penis is.

Some of it may come down to children being taught about 'front bottoms' and similar, but that ignorance should be rectified in biology classes at school. Some of it is probably because of a general revulsion at the female body - it's not for nothing that 'the C word' is considered the most taboo in the language - but how are women supposed to explain 'women's troubles' to a doctor, or understand medical conversations about their genitals if they don't have even a very basic vocabulary at their disposal?

When I was a TA in Y2, a woman employed especially to go around schools and teach Sex Ed (or whatever it was called at the time) taught the kids that the vulva (front bottom) was the vagina.
All the kids had to label the diagrams.
I complained until I was blue in the face, but got absolutely nowhere with it ?

Well said, Doodledog - one nurse friend of mine says you wouldn't believe the amount of women who go to the doctor/nurse/hospital etc regarding problems 'down there' and are too embarrassed to even explain what's wrong with them. She had us in stitches with some of the words she's heard used for the 'front bottom' - ranging from flower, Mary, nunny, fanny to lady garden and even button!

Far North thanks for the link to the mumsnet thread. I've just watched the video someone linked to, my goodness she's great! And she's regarded as a bigot? Just shows they've completely lost the plot. I'd recommend anyone to watch it, it has some amazing facts in there.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9ZNINhdhN0

Is Elaine the one who wrote the song about names for the vaginas ?

How about people finding out for themselves instead of, as always, blaming the schools.

Oops - pressed by mistake .
I was laughing so much !
It was on the Alan Davies show .
I thought that our family name for a vagina was unique to us .
But it isn't .
We call it a foo foo or a foo .
I think that Minnie is another one . I can imagine what it's short for .

With all these names for your vagina and vulva - it isn't surprising that people get confused .
But one of my friends routinely describes her old car as a Vulva .
None of us enlighten her , because it's too fanny sorry funny .

I'd just love to be a fly on the wall when she takes her Vulva in for a service .

eazybee

How about people finding out for themselves instead of, as always, blaming the schools.

It's not really blaming schools to wonder why something as basic as that is not taught in biology at some point before leaving age, is it?

If someone is brought up in the sort of family where the vulva is referred to as a 'front bottom' they are unlikely to find out much from their parents, or be encouraged to discuss it with other people. How do you think they should find out for themselves?

The ‘proper’ words sound so clinical though. I don’t see what’s wrong with ‘fanny’ - virtually every native speaker is going to understand what is meant.

IMO it’s a shame that there isn’t a friendlier word for little girls’ bits - boys have a willy, and everyone understands that, don’t they? Ditto cock and dick, come to that.
Personally I think ‘penis’ is a very ugly word. Give me a willy any day. ?

My children were taught the 'proper' words, just as they were taught to say eyes and ears .

A 'fanny' is a bit vague - what does it actually refer to - the vulva, the vagina or the urethra? This sort of euphemism is exactly why so many women don't understand their own biology.

FannyCornforth

When I was a TA in Y2, a woman employed especially to go around schools and teach Sex Ed (or whatever it was called at the time) taught the kids that the vulva (front bottom) was the vagina.
All the kids had to label the diagrams.
I complained until I was blue in the face, but got absolutely nowhere with it ?

Yes, we got Miss Hendrix. The names and areas weren't always accurately matched up! I think it was more about letting us know what the words were rather than being able to accurately point them out or locate them, ie only doing half the job required. And I don't ever remember the word orgasm being mentioned
or clitoris, it was all really focussed on periods and "keeping away from boys" .

Esmay

Oops - pressed by mistake .
I was laughing so much !
It was on the Alan Davies show .
I thought that our family name for a vagina was unique to us .
But it isn't .
We call it a foo foo or a foo .
I think that Minnie is another one . I can imagine what it's short for .

With all these names for your vagina and vulva - it isn't surprising that people get confused .
But one of my friends routinely describes her old car as a Vulva .
None of us enlighten her , because it's too fanny sorry funny .

I'd just love to be a fly on the wall when she takes her Vulva in for a service .

My friend calls it a fandango because many intricate steps are required to achieve any fun. Another says fantoosh. And my sil and her family are all Minnie fans.

Every time I hear the word Fanny I am reminded of the Irn Brew advert a few years ago, where the whole advert was framed around the word Fanny. It was hilarious.

I was shocked though when I first went to America and heard what sounded like well off women talking freely about their fannies eg skirt was so short it was up to her fanny, etc until I realised it was slang for bottom.

Doodledog

My children were taught the 'proper' words, just as they were taught to say eyes and ears .

A 'fanny' is a bit vague - what does it actually refer to - the vulva, the vagina or the urethra? This sort of euphemism is exactly why so many women don't understand their own biology.

To me, it’s the bits you can see.
Apparently a Gdd (7) has recently referred to her fandango. I rather like that.

Can’t help,thinking of that joke….. vicar to curate “is that Fanny Green in the front row ?” “No sir it’s just the way the light is shining through the stained glass window”

I’ll get my coat….

Well I didn't learn any human biology at school. Frogs and rabbits were the chosen species. I did grab Marie Stopes "Married Love" when my mum gave it to my brother to read I was about 10 at the time and didn't understand half of it! (My chosen reading was the Chalet school books and Andrew Lang Fairy Tale books no wonder I was confused!)

I do know my bits now.

I believe a bum bag is known as a fanny pack in the US.!

Witzend

Doodledog

My children were taught the 'proper' words, just as they were taught to say eyes and ears .

A 'fanny' is a bit vague - what does it actually refer to - the vulva, the vagina or the urethra? This sort of euphemism is exactly why so many women don't understand their own biology.

To me, it’s the bits you can see.
Apparently a Gdd (7) has recently referred to her fandango. I rather like that.

In general parlance 'fanny' probably does the trick; but if children are taught that that (or any other euphemism) is the word for a collection of body parts, how are they supposed to know differently, and how will they explain to a doctor what has gone wrong where if they need to do so?

The Irn bru advert referred to a young couple deciding that they were going to call their newly born daughter Fanny as she came from a long line of Fannys. It was so infantile I'm still lol now.

Baggytrazzas

The Irn bru advert referred to a young couple deciding that they were going to call their newly born daughter Fanny as she came from a long line of Fannys. It was so infantile I'm still lol now.

'Ye cannae call her Fanny'

My children were always taught the correct names for body parts.
Why are so many people keen to make up nonsense words... they don't do this for (say) your knee or your finger!

I’d forgotten about that very funny Irn Bru ad years ago. I’ve just found it on YouTube.

youtu.be/ibuLgsVcQUY

I'm with you on thisdoodle

I believe a bum bag is known as a fanny pack in the US.!

Can't remember exactly where in the US but I was in a tourist shop when a group of 80-somethings came in and one woman asked in a loud voice for a fanny pack to put her camera in

I remember seeing Fanny packs in a sports shop when we first moved to America ?
Also, in the same shop, ladies "fan" knickers printed with "No1 xxxx fanny" on the backside! ??