As a childbirth educator and doula, I see my share of female body parts. I warn my students that they will be watching videos of actual births and that at first they may feel slightly voyeuristic. I assure them that after a while they will come to realize they are watching something completely normal and natural. Sure enough, they end up being swept away by the raw emotion of birth and cease to think of it as watching a naked woman on a video. By the time the birth of their own child begins, my students and their partners are completely at ease with the process and the body parts involved in bringing their newborn into this world.

As a society, we give great lip service to embracing and accepting our bodies. Our bodies are art; we should treat them as temples! The funny thing is that so many people with whom I come in contact outside of my class are not comfortable with the terminology for the place from which a baby emerges. I hear this all the time—“She had a natural birth, she didn’t have a c-section.” Oh. You mean she had a vaginal birth. The baby wasn’t surgically removed; it passed through the birth canal and came out of its mother’s vagina. That is what you meant, right? Say it with me:

Vah. Gy. Nah.

Why is that word so difficult to say for so many people? And good grief, the euphemisms are endless. We have hoo-hoo, private parts, tuna taco, bearded clam, down there, tunnel of love, muff, juice box, whisker biscuit, lawn (as in, “I’m going to mow it!”), trim, beaver, cooter, va-jay-jay, and yes, even the dreaded “c” word. I must admit, some of the names are indeed quite funny and I use them myself.

What’s In A Name

The problem lies not so much in what we call it, but in the insinuation that it’s dirty and should never be spoken of in public. People have no problem stating that a baby was born via c-section, but to state that it was born vaginally is socially taboo. And that is what bothers me.

As women, our vagina is the core of our body. It is what makes us uniquely female. We can do with it what we choose, whether that be give birth through it, pierce it, shave it, allow fingers, tongues, penises, and/or vibrators to enter it, or even surgically transform it into a male sex organ.

Do With It As You Wish—As Long As You Don’t Mention It In Mixed Company

Before you start thinking that I’m trying to start a movement in which all of us should open up the topic of vaginas to the floor at our family Christmas dinner, that’s not where I’m going with this. What I’m advocating is that our vaginas cease to be women’s “dirty little secrets” and be given the respect they deserve. They are soft, they are strong; they are fun, they are serious; they bring joy, they bring tears; and they don’t warrant the shame and indignation that is so often associated with them.

Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That

There is nothing wrong with our vaginas and it’s time we realize it. They are as wonderfully varied as penises—short, long, narrow, thick—and labia are as beautifully diverse as snowflakes. We should celebrate them! After all, none of us would be here without one.

Stop Being Embarrassed About What’s Down There

Start by using proper terms with your children, both male and female, without embarrassment, to teach them that our bodies can be private but need not be shameful. Consider a trip to the theater for The Vagina Monologues, where the “V” word is the norm. Or visit All About My Vagina, where you can discuss relevant topics and learn more information about vagina-related issues than you knew existed. And for the love of all that is good and healthy on this planet, start talking about VAGINAL births!

So this year, don’t just celebrate the season. Celebrate the mighty vagina. If not yours, then one you love.

Photo by: Nicky Fern