In the past, we have talked on this discussion list how the word "vagina" seems to be a taboo word in our society, and that this taboo creates discomfort in health literacy classes when it is necessary and appropriate at times to discuss the vagina. A word that is even less frequently mentioned is "vulva." In fact, many of us don't even know what the vulva is. The vulva is the word that is used to label all of the external female genitalia, such as the labia and the clitoris. It is not the same as the vagina which is the internal structure. Harriet Lerner in Lilith, Spring 2005, page 30 writes:

"The persistent misuse of the word 'vagina' impairs a girl's capacity to develop an accurate and differentiated 'map' of her internal and external genitals. And if sexual violations occur in childhood, inaccurate labeling increases shame and complicates healing."

Do you any of you teach health literacy classes? How easy is it for you and your students to use accurate terminology to label female body parts?

Daphne