Many peoples have no or few taboos on exposure of the breasts, but the vulva and pubic triangle are always the first areas to be covered.Saartjie Baartman, the so-called "Hottentot Venus" who was exhibited in London at the beginning of the nineteenth century, was paid to display her large buttocks, but she never revealed her vulva. Khoisan women were said to have elongated labia, leading to questions about, and requests to exhibit, their sinus pudoris, "curtain of shame", or tablier (the French word for "apron"). To quote Stephen Jay Gould, "The labia minora, or inner lips, of the ordinary female genitalia are greatly enlarged in Khoi-San women, and may hang down three or four inches below the vagina when women stand, thus giving the impression of a separate and enveloping curtain of skin". Baartman never allowed this trait to be exhibited while she was alive.

In some cultures, including modern Western culture, women have shaved or otherwise depilated part or all of the vulva. When high-cut swimsuits became fashionable, women who wished to wear them would shave the sides of their pubic triangles, to avoid exhibiting pubic hair. Other women relish the beauty of seeing their vulva with hair, or completely hairless, and find one or the other more comfortable. Depilation of the vulva is a fairly recent phenomenon in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, but has been prevalent, usually in the form of waxing, in many Eastern European and Middle Eastern cultures for centuries, usually due to the idea that it may be more hygienic, or originating in prostitution and pornography. Shaving may include all or nearly all of the hair. Some styles retain a small amount of hair on either side of the labia or a strip directly above and in line with the pudendal cleft. Many people object to pubic shaving, which can result in cuts to the vulva and clitoris, ingrown hairs, pseudofolliculitis barbae (razor bumps) and folliculitis.

Since the early days of Islam, Muslim women and men have followed a tradition to "pluck the armpit hairs and shave the pubic hairs". This is a preferred practice rather than an obligation, and could be carried out by shaving, waxing, cutting, clipping, or any other method. This is a regular practice that is considered in some more devout Muslim cultures as a form of worship, not a shameful practice, while in other less devout regions it is a practice for the purpose of good hygiene. (See Islamic hygienical jurisprudence.) The reasons behind removing this hair could also be applied to the hair on the scrotum and around the anus, because the purpose is to be completely clean and pure and keep away from anything that may cause dirt and impurities.

Several forms of piercings can be done in the female genital area. Piercings are usually performed for aesthetic purposes, but some forms like the Clitoral hood piercing might also enhance pleasure during sexual intercourse. Though they are common in traditional cultures, intimate piercings are a fairly recent trend in western culture.

Altering the female genitalia

The most prevalent form of genital alteration in some countries is female genital mutilation (FGM): removal of any part of the female genitalia for cultural, religious or other non-medical reasons. This practice is highly controversial as it is often done to non-consenting minors and for debatable (often misogynistic) reasons. An estimated 100 to 140 million girls and women in Africa and Asia have experienced some form of FGM.

Female genital surgery includes laser resurfacing of the labia to remove wrinkles, labiaplasty (reducing the size of the labia) and vaginal tightening. Some have likened labiaplasty to FGM.

In September 2007, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologistsissued a committee opinion on these and other female genital surgeries, including “vaginal rejuvenation,” “designer vaginoplasty,” “revirgination,” and “G-spot amplification.” This opinion states that the safety of these procedures has not been documented. ACOG recommends that women seeking these surgeries need to be informed about the lack of data supporting these procedures and the potential associated risks such as infection, altered sensation, dyspareunia, adhesions, and scarring.

Etymology

The word vulva was taken from the Middle Latin word volva or vulva ("womb, female genitals"), probably from the Old Latin volvere ("to roll"; lit. "wrapper"). This is similar to Sanskrit word ulva ("womb"). An alternate term, also from Latin, is genitalia feminina externa (female external genital organs).

Alternative terms

In slipshod colloquial speech, the term vagina is often wrongly used to refer to the female genitals generally. The vagina is a specific internalstructure, whereas the vulva is the whole exterior genitalia.

As with nearly any aspect of the human body involved in sexual or excretory functions, there are many slang words for the vulva. "Cunt," a medieval word for the vulva and once the standard term, has become in its literal sense a vulgarism, and in other uses one of the strongest abusive obscenities in English-speaking cultures.

Depictions of vulvae

Some cultures have tended to view the vulva as something shameful that should be hidden. For example, the term pudendum, which denotes the external genitalia, literally means "shameful thing".

Some cultures have long celebrated and even worshipped the vulva. Some Hindu sects revere it under the name yoni, and texts seem to indicate a similar attitude in some ancient Middle Eastern religions. As an aspect of Goddess worship such reverence may be part of modernNeopagan beliefs, and may be indicated in paleolithic artworks, dubbed by archaeologist Marija Gimbutas "Old Europe". Ancient Greek women kept their vulva hairless so to display their beauty.

Slang

There are numerous slang words, euphemisms and synonyoms for the vulva in English and in other languages. See WikiSaurus:vulva for a list of slang words for vulva.

Art

• L'Origine du monde, the first realistic painting of a vulva in Western art
• Sheela na Gig, ancient and medieval European carvings
• Yoni, Sanskrit depictions