"It’s mine and no one else’s"

“Ever since puberty, my battle with low self esteem has meant I’ve had a complicated relationship with my body. That same insecurity also reflected on my opinion of my vulva. Her appearance, smell and pubic hair just wasn’t okay – not because I found any of these things gross in isolation, but simply because it was me.

I never saw a vulva with longer inner labia in diagrams. It wasn’t represented in the porn I watched. I remember googling what the hell that ‘thing’ poking out from between my legs was and I couldn’t find an answer because I didn’t know what I was looking for. At one point I even considered cutting it off with a pair of scissors. I wouldn’t dare to even look at her with a hand mirror, seemingly afraid of what I might see.

Now, I know all vulvas are different. I know vulvas aren’t supposed to smell like a bouquet of roses. I know pubic hair is perfectly natural and normal, and that I don’t have to completely remove it for the sake of others at the expense of my comfort.

I have a lot to learn and my journey towards self acceptance has merely begun. I wholeheartedly believe all bodies are beautifully unique – so why shouldn’t I have this view on myself? This is my reminder, to me, that I own my body. I own my vulva. It’s mine and no one else’s. And I have every right to love her as much as anybody else does.”

– Anonymous, 19, UK (she/her)