Penis and Vulva

[Trionyx]

It rolls off the tongue .

If you’re lucky.

 

[Trionyx]

You are incorrect with this definition. The vagina is inside the body. The vulva is outside the body.

Thank you. I was hoping someone else noticed it. And it is funny when a guy is looking at a woman from across the room and says she has an attractive vagina. Yeah, they be inside the pelvis, Dude.

 

[Zootonius]

Way back, SNL did a public service announcement, You and Your Uvula!

 

[EmilyMiller]

Thank you. I was hoping someone else noticed it. And it is funny when a guy is looking at a woman from across the room and says she has an attractive vagina. Yeah, they be inside the pelvis, Dude.

Do I need to give you boys an anatomy class?

Em

 

[Zootonius]

It rolls off the tongue .

Em

Almost mellifluous

 

[Zootonius]

Do I need to give you boys an anatomy class?

Em

Don't tempt us!

 

[EmilyMiller]

Almost mellifluous

Languid glossal massages of his taut frenulum. Hypotrochoid circling of his pulsating glans. Lingual flicking of his twitching urethral meatus.

Ah! Anatomy.

Em

 

[djrip]

I use vulva a lot. In stories! It's a beautiful word.

I agree about vulva - it's euphonious.

As is euphonious. One of those homologicals.

 

[djrip]

Do I need to give you boys an anatomy class?

Em

Like this?

 

[EmilyMiller]

Like this?

You didn’t?

Em

 

[AG31]

"penis" is what doctors call the penis. It's not sexualized. It's the most neutral word for the penis I can think of. You can sexualize "head" (and people do), but that's something else.

Well, "vulva" is what doctors call the vulva.
I totally agree with the OP, but maybe there are better ways to describe the difference.

 

[Wriggle]

The penis, mightier than the sword...

As a follow on from this - the etymology of vagina is "sword sheath", which probably makes it the most vulgar name for genitalia.
Especially from a feminist perspective.

 

[EmilyMiller]

As a follow on from this - the etymology of vagina is "sword sheath", which probably makes it the most vulgar name for genitalia.
Especially from a feminist perspective.

Etymology <> current medical usage

 

[Wriggle]

Etymology <> current medical usage

What do you mean?
Sword sheath is not offensive, because that's the word science uses?

 

[EmilyMiller]

What do you mean?
Sword sheath is not offensive, because that's the word science uses?

What a word is derived from is not offensive to me, no. All sorts of words we use have different original meanings. It’s the scientific / medical term and I have no problem with it.

Em

 

[intim8]

I use vulva quite frequently. It’s not an ugly word, not sure why you think it is. Now gash is an ugly word. I also use vagina and vaginal opening quite frequently.

I’ve never had anyone complain about vulva. But I have about glans. I use frenulum sometimes. Don’t see any issues with using the correct anatomical words.

Em

I didn't say 'ugly', I said 'clunky'. And that is mostly in the sense that it's a word people aren't familiar with and even if they are, they rarely hear or see it. It's actually a nice word that rolls off the tongue easily, so to speak.

Nothing wrong with using the correct clinical terms, but for making prose that doesn't jar the reader, it might be a problem.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I didn't say 'ugly', I said 'clunky'. And that is mostly in the sense that it's a word people aren't familiar with and even if they are, they rarely hear or see it. It's actually a nice word that rolls off the tongue easily, so to speak.

Nothing wrong with using the correct clinical terms, but for making prose that doesn't jar the reader, it might be a problem.

I tend to expect my readers to have a grad degree in a scientific subject and to be au fait with every quotable line in: Star Wars, Raiders, Firefly and others .

Em

 

[intim8]

Language is context. Penis is ABSOLUTELY sexualized.

No, it is a clinical term that has become commonly used. It refers to a sexual organ, but it is not sexualized.

Where do you grocery shop that you can roll down the cereal aisle dropping "penis" and mothers aren't going to recoil and fathers aren't going to immediately get in your personal space?

Very unlikely at the grocery store. I said that it is the neutral word in any context where it is appropriate to reference it at all.

Which is rare. It's not like it comes up every day (in conversation, I mean ), but it can happen in conversations where you definitely don't want to reference sex.

 

[samhasstories]

I prefer hoo-ha and tallywhacker*.

* I don't.

 

[Euphony]

No, it is a clinical term that has become commonly used. It refers to a sexual organ, but it is not sexualized.

How pedantic.



the "or" portion you choose to only recognize in your "argument" is not the full scope of the definition.

Let's see "sexual's" 3rd definition.



I can see you parsing this up into the definition of gender debate but most here would argue the very imperfect but quick hand measure we socitally use to define male/female is organ presence.

Very unlikely at the grocery store. I said that it is the neutral word in any context where it is appropriate to reference it at all.

Which is rare. It's not like it comes up every day (in conversation, I mean ), but it can happen in conversations where you definitely don't want to reference sex.

Sure, chop down most common context down to your through the eye of a needle scenario and yeah, you're technically correct.

It's generally illegal to light a person on fire but if you are a stunt coordinator on a movie set, it's common.

Human beings make blanket statements based on common occurrence/probabilities b/c our brains are designed to do so (as part of our evolutionary efficiency)

MOST people here would disagree with your assessment that "penis" isn't sexualized.

MOST interactions generally defined as "casual" aren't appropriate context to use throw out the word penis.

But sure, move the goalpost enough, you can be technically correct. IF you need that sort of W.

 

[AG31]

I think trying to characterize the terms as "sexualized" or not isn't helpful. The big, glaring difference is that EVERYONE knows what a penis is. Whereas a large portion of the population don't know what a vulva is. How do I know this???? Duhh... But it's true, right?

 

[Kumquatqueen]

You are incorrect with this definition. The vagina is inside the body. The vulva is outside the body.

Is there a reasonably polite American word for the combo of vulva and vagina (apart from euphemisms like 'lady parts')?

Pussy is less rude than cunt, but still not exactly a word you can say to your mum. In the UK it's your fanny, but that gets moved when crossing the Atlantic.

 

[AG31]

Is there a reasonably polite American word for the combo of vulva and vagina (apart from euphemisms like 'lady parts')?

Pussy is less rude than cunt, but still not exactly a word you can say to your mum. In the UK it's your fanny, but that gets moved when crossing the Atlantic.

I wish there were. I'm gravitating toward normalizing cunt. I hate the infantilization of "pussy."

 

[YDB95]

I'm interested to hear thoughts on this writing dilemma. Is it even a dilemma? Are there words I'm not aware of or haven't thought of that work for this?

It's not a dilemma for me. I think vulva is a beautiful word, and it's actually kind of a trademark of my writing. Almost all my stories feature it at least once - just usually not in conversation (although occasionally there too), more often in descriptions of what my female characters are either doing to themselves or having done to them. If it's "clunky", I find it less so than the great majority of the euphemisms for it.

And occasionally it does work well in conversation. For example, in my story City Girl in the Desert, we have:

"It's not just that," Katie said. "Every time was so gentle, so magical. He had a way of tickling my vulva that made me climb walls..."

"Vulva!" I laughed. "God, listen to you, Katie, are you a grade school sex-ed teacher now?"

"That's the real word for it, and I think it's got a wonderful dignity," Katie said. "You've got your opinion, I've got mine."

Katie's response is my own.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Do I need to give you boys an anatomy class?

Em

Girls too if it involves a demonstration. I'm always willing to learn!