Read My Lips (37 page)

11. A. Kingsley, “A Conference at UNLV Urges Women to Love Their Lady Parts,”
Las Vegas: City Life
, September 30, 2010.

12. D. Herbenick, V. Schick, M. Reece, S. Sanders, and J. D. Forten-berry, “Pubic Hair Removal among Women in the United States: Prevalence, Methods and Characteristics,”
The Journal of Sexual Medicine
7, no. 10 (2010): 3322–30.

13. C. Zinko, “Who Needs a Facial When You Can Get a ‘Vajacial’?”
San Francisco Chronicle
, June 3, 2010.

14. E. J. Kovavisarach and P. Jirasettasiri, “Randomised Controlled Trial of Perineal Shaving versus Hair Cutting in Parturients on Admission in Labor,”
Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand
88, no. 9 (2005): 1167–71.

CHAPTER 7

1. G. Eknoyan, “A History of Obesity, or How What Was Good Became Ugly and Then Bad,”
Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease
13, no. 4 (2006): 421–27.

2. M. Kohen, “The Venus of Willendorf,”
American Imago: A Psychoanalytic Journal for the Arts and Sciences
3, no. 4 (1946): 49–60.

3. Z. Bahrani,
Women of Babylon: Gender and Representation in Mesopotamia
(London: Routledge, 2001).

4. “Madison Police Blame Halloween Riot on Female Flashers,”
Milwaukee News
, November 4, 2002.

5. E. Morris, “Sacred and Obscene Laughter in the Contendings of Horus and Seth, in Egyptian Inversions of Everyday Life, and in the Context of Cultic Competition,” in
Egyptian Stories: A British Egyptological Tribute to Alan B Lloyd on the Occasion of his Retirement
, ed. T. S. Schneider and K. Szpakowska (Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 2007).

6. N. A. Georgopoulos, G. A. Vagenakis, and A. L. Pierris, “Baubo: A Case of Ambiguous Genitalia in the Eleusinian Mysteries,”
Hormones
2, no. 1 (2003): 72–75.

7. M. Marcovich, “Demeter, Baubo, Iacchus, and a Redactor,”
Vigiliae Christianae
40 (1986): 294–301.

8. A. Pearson, “Reclaiming the Sheela-na-gigs: Goddess Imagery in Medieval Sculptures in Ireland,”
Canadian Woman Studies
17, no. 3 (1997): 20–25.

9. H. Ludgate,
London Laid Bare
(Cambridge: Vanguard, 2007).

10. G. Dines, J. M. Humez, and C. G. Aleman, “Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-Reader,”
Contemporary Psychology
41, no. 4 (1996).

11. S. Qureshi, “Displaying Sara Baartman, the ‘Hottentot Venus,’”
History of Science
42 (2004): 233–57.

12. E. Alexander, “The Venus Hottentot (1825),”
Callaloo
24, no. 3 (2001): 688–91.

13. S. Freud, “Female Sexuality,”
International Journal of Psycho-Analysis
13 (1932): 281–97.

14. C. C. Eldredge,
Georgia O’Keeffe: American and Modern
(New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993).

15. R. Robinson,
Georgia O’Keeffe: A Life
(Hanover: University Press of New England, 1999), 282.

16. J. Chicago,
The Dinner Party: A Symbol of Our Heritage
(Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1979).

17. B. Dodson,
Sex for One: The Joy of Selfloving
(New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1996).

18. A. Sprinkle, “Post-Porn Modernist,”
http://anniesprinkle.org/past/ppm-bobsart/script.html
. Accessed February 20, 2011.

19. T. Gomi,
Everyone Poops
(Brooklyn, NY: Kane/Miller Book Publishers, 1993).

20. T. Kapsalis,
Public Privates: Performing Gynecology from Both Ends of the Speculum
(Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1997).

21. E. Ensler,
The Vagina Monologues
(New York: Villard, 2001).

22. N. Toubia, “Female Circumcision as a Public Health Issue,”
New England Journal of Medicine
331, no. 11 (1994): 712–16.

23. B. Dodson, “Betty’s Response to the Vagina Monologues,”
http://dodsonandross.com/sexfeature/bettys-response-vagina-monologues
. Accessed May 02, 2011.

24. M. Nannen, “Closing Down Plushpootie,”
http://goodmarvin.blogspot.com/2010/08/closing-down-plushpootie.html
. Accessed August 23, 2010.

Resources

TO BROWSE, BUY, OR BORROW

To Read and to Watch: Vulva Visuals

Femalia

In 1993, Joani Blank published a beautiful book full of close-up color images of the vulva, which—at the time of this writing—is sadly out of print. However, it should be back in print from another publisher soon.

J. Blank.
Femalia
. San Francisco, CA: Down There Press, 1993.

J. Blank.
Femalia
. San Francisco, CA: Last Gasp, 2010.

Web:
www.joaniblank.com

Petals

Husband-and-wife team Nick and Sayaka Karras published
Petals
in 2003. The lovely coffee table book features a wide variety of vulva images displayed in sepia tones. We met them at a vulva conference in Las Vegas in fall 2010 where they were recruiting volunteers to model for their new book of vulva images. The much-anticipated new book will contain full-color images. Information about their upcoming book, exam-room poster project, and other products are on their web site (
www.nickkarras.com
).

N. Karras.
Petals
. San Diego, CA: Crystal River Publishing, 2003.

N. Karras and B. Peacock.
Petals: A Journey into Self-Discovery
. Video (the making of the book). Berlin: Rogner & Bernhard, 2010.

Cunt Coloring Book: Drawings

Although there are no vulva photographs in the
Cunt Coloring Book
, there is a diverse range of vulva drawings. We think that the book is a lot of fun and a great way to open dialogue about genital diversity.

T. Corinne.
Cunt Coloring Book: Drawings
. San Francisco, CA: Last Gasp, 1988.

Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers

Although this is a great book for everybody (complete with pictures of women of many body types), this book is particularly suited for young women. Author Nancy Redd fought to include vulva images in the book, and we praise her for that.

N. Redd.
Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers
. New York: Gotham Books, 2007.

Annie Sprinkle

If we wanted to list every video with images of vulvas in it, we wouldn’t have room for anything else. However, we made an exception for Annie Sprinkle’s videos. These are not pornography; they celebrate the diversity of women’s genitals—and we wanted to celebrate Annie.

J. Kramer and A. Sprinkle.
Fire in the Valley: Female Genital Massage
. Oakland, CA: New School of Erotic Touch, 2004.

A. Sprinkle and J. Kramer.
Zen Pussy: A Meditation on Eleven Vulvas
. Oakland, CA: EroSpirit Research Institute, 1999.

Web:
www.anniesprinkle.org

Vulva Health (General)

The V Book: A Doctor’s Guide to Complete Vulvovaginal Health

The V Book
is one of our favorites, and it’s packed with illuminating and easy-to-understand information.

E. G. Stewart and P. Spencer.
The V Book: A Doctor’s Guide to Complete Vulvovaginal Health
. New York: Bantam Books, 2002.

Web:
www.thevbook.com

Vaginas: An Owner’s Manual

A book about the vulva from an OB/GYN mother and her daughter.

C. Livoti and E. Topp.
Vaginas: An Owner’s Manual
. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2004.

Vulva Culture

Cunt: A Declaration of Independence

Personal vulva stories sprinkled with facts and filled with empowerment.

I. Muscio.
Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
. Seattle: Seal Press, 2002.

Public Privates

Although vulvas may not play the lead, they do a great job in their supporting role in Kapsalis’s interesting analysis of the gynecological exam.

T. Kapsalis.
Public Privates: Performing Gynecology from Both Ends of the Speculum
. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1997.

Betty’s Work

Betty Dodson has produced a range of important work related to women’s bodies and sexuality. Among our favorites:

B. Dodson.
Sex for One: The Joy of Selfloving
. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1996.

B. Dodson.
Orgasms for Two: The Joy of Partnersex
. New York: Harmony, 2002.

B. Dodson.
Celebrating Orgasm: Women’s Private Selfloving Sessions
. Video. New York: Betty Dodson, 1996.

B. Dodson.
Viva la Vulva!
Video. New York: Betty Dodson, 1998.

B. Dodson.
Orgasmic Women: 13 Selfloving Divas
. Video. New York: Betty Dodson, 2005.

B. Dodson, K. Decosterd, and ITC Communications.
Selfloving
. Video. New York: Betty Dodson, 1991.

The Dinner Party

Invited to a dinner party with some fabulous women? Forgo the wine and consider this interesting hostess gift instead.

J. Chicago.
The Dinner Party: A Symbol of Our Heritage
. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1979.

The Story of V: A Natural History of Female Sexuality

Coochie culture at its best.

C. Blackledge.
The Story of V: A Natural History of Female Sexuality
. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2004.

The Vagina Monologues

This series of monologues by Eve Ensler popularized vagina love.

E. Ensler.
The Vagina Monologues
. New York: Villard, 2001.

E. Ensler.
The Vagina Monologues
. Video. New York, NY: HBO Home Video, 2002.

Web:
www.vday.org

OUR CHANGING BODIES

General Health

Our Bodies, Ourselves

A book by women, for women. There are now many editions on numerous relevant topics. All are highly recommended.

Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.
Our Bodies, Ourselves: A New Edition for a New Era
. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

Puberty and Your Period

Get a little help navigating those tricky topics with some of these parent-approved titles:

K. Gravelle, J. Gravelle, and D. Palen.
The Period Book: Everything You Don’t Want to Ask (But Need to Know)
. New York: Walker & Co, 1996.

M. Jukes and D. Tilley.
Growing Up: It’s a Girl Thing: Straight Talk about First Bras, First Periods, and Your Changing Body
. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998.

J. A. Loulan, B. Worthen, C. W. Dyrud, and M. Quackenbush.
Period: A Girl’s Guide to Menstruation with a Parent’s Guide
. Minnetonka, MN: Book Peddlers, 2001.

A. B. Middleman, K. G. Pfeifer, and American Medical Association.
American Medical Association Girl’s Guide to Becoming a Teen
. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2006.

P. Schwartz and D. Cappello.
Ten Talks Parents Must Have with Their Children about Sex and Character
. New York: Hyperion, 2000.

Pregnancy

Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.
Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth
. New York: Touchstone Book/Simon & Schuster, 2008.

Web:
www.ourbodiesourselves.org

Menopause

Boston Women’s Health Book Collective.
Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause
. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.

Web:
www.ourbodiesourselves.org

SEX

Although a little older, this book is a classic:

J. Heiman and J. LoPiccolo.
Becoming Orgasmic: A Sexual and Personal Growth Program for Women
. New York: Prentice Hall, 1988.

Does this name look familiar? If you liked this book, chances are you may enjoy Debby’s first book:

D. Herbenick.
Because It Feels Good: A Woman’s Guide to Sexual Pleasure and Satisfaction
. Emmaus, PA: Rodale, 2009.