Becoming Friendly with your Pussy

When was the last time you looked at your genitals?

If you’re a bloke, you can skip this post because most men are already familiar with their genitals. Whether it’s a blessing or a curse, guys grow up with genitals that are hard to ignore. Every time they urinate, they have to hold them; erections can wake them up, and I often refer to them as a "second brain" because when they're in full swing, they can dominate a man's thoughts. Galen Fous, whom I interviewed for my podcast this week and met in London recently, calls the penis the "sex creature."

For many women, the relationship with our vulva and vagina is quite different. Reflecting on my own experience, I remember, as a young girl, examining my developing labia and wondering whether it was normal. With no other labia to compare, I questioned whether mine looked like everyone else's. I worried about this but could not find answers—there was no internet, and the Encyclopaedia Britannica offered little help. And I certainly wasn’t going to ask any of my girlfriends to show me their own.