The Vulva & Vagina Explained: Sex Ed #2

Are my labia too long? Does my vagina smell  bad? Am I supposed to be shaving my pubic hair?

These are just a few of the questions  I hear every day as a sex educator.

The vulva and the vagina can feel like they’re  shrouded in mystery. So let’s change that!

Because from the superstar clitoris to  the billions of microorganisms hanging  

out in vaginas, there’s a whole lot  of amazing stuff going on down there.

Hi! I’m Shan Boodram, and  this is Crash Course Sex Ed.

[THEME MUSIC]

You know how when someone makes a penis  joke, it’s usually lighthearted and funny, 

but then you go talking about vulvas and  suddenly you’re getting a weird side eye?

No? Just me?

Here’s what I’m getting at: what’s considered  “female anatomy” can be tangled up with shame.

Take the word “pudendum.” It’s a medical  term for genitals that usually refers to  

the Vulva & Associates, and it comes from  a Latin word that means “to be ashamed.”

And that matters.

Not just because we’re stigmatizing anatomy  that roughly half the population has,