(originally published in the Facebook Moon Tree Group)
by Lilamayi
In recent years there has been a growing trend that seems to be a sign of a perverse social condition, and it is extremely disempowering to women. Women are secretly spending thousands of dollars to have a surgeon mutilate their vaginas to look more like the vaginas they see in pornographic photos. The problem is that pornographic images are not an accurate representation of women's genital anatomy. For one, pornography originated as a magazine business, and there are laws restricting the display of genital detail in these larger distribution magazines. Because of these laws, they have traditionally chosen to display women who had childlike vaginas (i.e. no protruding inner labia). In addition to these laws, many of the men who created and sought pornographic material had unhealthy sexual fantasies about pre-pubescent girls, and they promoted the display of nude women with childlike sexual anatomy. It is extremely common for women seeking work in the porn industry to undergo "labial reduction surgery."
So women are basing their ideas about what is normal on these trends. Because so many women have been made to feel ashamed of their bodies during their childhood, they attach to the media that they see and find a reason to be ashamed of their sexual anatomy. To make matters worse, many men are addicted to porn and some express their disgust for female anatomy that does not correspond with what they see in pornographic images.
Fortunately, there are a few excellent resources for women and men to become exposed to the wonderful variations of female vaginas. In a 4 part British documentary (http://documentaryheaven.com/the-perfect-vagina/) Lisa Rogers takes us into the lives of women who are considering this surgery. We are also introduced to an artist who has taken on the project of making clay masks of hundreds of women's vaginas and displaying them as wall art. Here the viewer can see that a woman's anatomy has many variations, and, although some women may look like the images commonly found in pornography, most of them do not.
In fact, if we learn about the history of tribal people and their social education regarding female sexuality, we find that the archetypal references for a woman's vagina are colorfully poetic and varied. A woman's yoni is commonly referred to as a butterfly, or bird, or a flower to symbolize the variations of wings and blossoms that a woman's labia bring to mind. The Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society, which is a society that conserves generations of sacred Native American knowledge, performs coming of age rituals for girls who are around the age of puberty as well as for women of all ages who have never had the honor of experiencing such a ritual. They refer to the woman's vagina as a "tupuli" which means "feathered flying serpent." During a rite of sacred sexuality with a Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society shaman, women sit in a circle with objects that symbolize the four directions and the four elements. They are shown photographs of vaginas which represent the animal aspects that Mother Nature expresses through a woman's body. A wolf woman's vagina will have a different type of anatomy when compared to a deer woman or a buffalo woman. There are also different types of orgasms which are associated with these elemental types. At the center of the circle is the Creative Mother of all life, the no-thingness, or the black hole. This is where all women are combined. If we are experiencing this dimension, the orgasmic experience is total body and beyond, connecting us to the Infinite.
We in the so-called "civilized" world have this idea that we know more than the so-called "primitive" people of the past. We can access practically any piece of data from any corner of the world at any moment... we can genetically mutate our food to match our preferences and carve up new and supposedly improved bodies. But somehow we must bring back the wisdom that can only be found when we look to the ways of nature. It is tragic that women are mutilating their bodies in so many ways in order to be the way they think men want them to be.
Please pass a link to this page to other women (and men) who are confused and seeking the answers that their parents, friends and the media are unable to answer for them. The truth is empowering.
References:
http://www.dtmms.org/ (Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society)
http://www.scarleteen.com/article/advice/giveem_some_lip_labia_that_clearly_aint_minor
http://www.examiner.com/multicultural-in-seattle/where-have-all-the-vaginas-gone
http://documentaryheaven.com/the-perfect-vagina/
Moon Tree Women's Circle
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=156922074338046&ref=ts
Moon Tree Art Courtesy of Toni Salerno
www.tonicarminesalerno.com
Artist, Toni Salerno, says that it is only when we let go of ‘control’ that the eternal source of creation within each of us, streams through. "Preconceived ideas usually only serve to limit or restrict the true essence of the creative energy that we each possess.” He believes that this principle can be used not only to create art; but in every area of our lives. Our intuition helps us to connect with our spiritual selves. It helps us to connect to a timeless place that exists eternally within our hearts; a place where all is energetically interconnected and nothing is ever truly missing. Intuition is the guidance that stems from our soul.
