“There is a sacred and miraculous energy to the vulva,” says Fran Bouwman, creative force behind the new initiative Viva La Flying Vulva. “It is a portal to life!”
And as Fran sees it, a portal to positive dialogue that helps women understand the diversity and brilliance of their vulva while clarifying some misinformation that’s out there. For example, did you know that the vulva is not actually the vagina? And that the clitoris is an entire system and extends 4 inches into the body? This is the kind of discussion that Fran wants to have with men, women and members of the LGBTQ2IA+
As a man, I’ll admit that a discussion of this kind would be very illuminating for me and most men I know. I have already learned a lot just by asking Fran a few questions of my own, and I’m starting to realize just how much the vulva has disappeared from our society. There are some reasons for this and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the patriarchy is to blame – and one man in particular, says Bouwman, who’s always lurking behind conversations on sexuality. You guessed it: Freud.
The journey Bouwman is on has been a learning experience for her, as well.
“I called the vulva a vagina for the longest time, thinking that was the right word,” she says. “I was finally corrected and then became curious about why the word was pretty much erased from our vocabulary.”
What Fran is doing is aiding in the resurgence of “vulva energy”, as she calls it, by reclaiming the vulva as a sacred icon. She added the wings – the outer labia extended – because she wants women to fly free in confidence, esteem, power, and joy.
“What I was finally discovering in my late 40’s and early 50’s was both liberating and shocking. Liberating in that all this knowledge made me feel much more confident, and shocking because I started to wonder how many other women were living in limited knowledge about one of the most incredible parts of our anatomy.”
When I saw the giant wooden vulva sculpture that Fran created, I recognized it from an article I had done many years ago on a local entrepreneur, Sarah Fowler. Her business was called Her Wellness in Owen Sound and it catered to women’s health and sexuality. It turns out that sculpture was Fran’s creation on loan to Her Wellness. While chatting with Fowler in 2017, the vulva sculpture came up in our conversation when Sarah mentioned how mixed people’s reactions were to seeing a giant vulva in her front display. Some loved it, some complained, but people were referring to it incorrectly, calling it a vagina, which I now know is not the right nomenclature.
If you want to learn the right vocabulary, and lots more, the official opening of her Viva La Flying Vulva project is happening at Mantra Yoga Studio in Thornbury on April 20 from 3 – 6pm. The community is invited to participate in some dynamic discussion, an introduction to the project by Fran at 4:30 followed by a Q + A.
As an artist, educator, musician, world traveler, comedian, and with a degree in philosophy and world religion, Fran is the perfect person to facilitate a question period on this topic. She is well informed and curious herself. And she’s concerned. She sees the vulva as often being undervalued, disrespected, misunderstood, and feared in modern society. As gender equality strengthens, so does awareness and empowerment around women’s health.
“It really concerns me that labiaplasty is the fastest growing plastic surgery. That doesn’t surprise me after I read that 44% of women are embarrassed by their vulva. The majority of women get this procedure done for aesthetic reasons, which makes me think that there is a real shortage of realistic and healthy perceptions out there,” she says.
“I used to be very embarrassed of my vulva when I was a teenager and in my early twenties. One labia was longer than the other one and I was pretty freaked out about how abnormal that must be. I eventually asked my doctor about it and he said it was perfectly normal.”
“Vulva’s are like faces, no two are the same. It’s time to celebrate that diversity!”
Join the Viva la Flying Vulva movement with online and in-person workshops, educational videos, original art, t-shirts, hats and more. Find your community on April 20 in Thornbury and celebrate the power of the vulva!
“How our vulvar anatomy has evolved to keep us healthy and happy is pretty mind blowing,” she says. “So my inspiration for this portal is to keep that going, to keep our vulva’s healthy and happy.”
Words Jesse Wilkinson
