Jewellery, tattoos, vajazzling and muff stylin’
Adorning your vulva with art, jewellery or a fancy hair-do is not new, but the extremes we can now go to with less expense and effort are wondrous.
Vulvar piercings1,2
You can get your clitoral hood pierced, or your actual clitoris pierced, and less commonly, your inner and/or outer labia.
Only use a respected, experienced piercer, since you really don’t want that to go badly. Things that can go wrong include minor or major (disfiguring) infection and if they hit the wrong spot, nerve pain that never goes away.
Disfigurement can occur if the piercing healed oddly. Follow your piercer’s after-care instructions strictly and don’t do anything stupid like have an amazing orgy the day after.
Pubic and vulvar tattoos3
Genital tattoos are most often done around the vulva, but can be done on the labia – there is no reason why not besides the obvious searing pain.
Again, make sure your artist is very hygienic and competent, and even better, has done it before lots of times. You don’t want a beginner tattooing your labia, and be judged by all visitors. Forever.
Vajazzling
Vajazzling is the brightening up of the shaved pubic area with stick-on jewels and gems. Usually the vulva is left out of it, but it can include any part you fancy, so long as the jazzles stick.
Muff hairstyles4
Muff hairstylin’ is probably the most common way we jazz up our vulvar and pubic region. We are all just a razor blade away from a new style every week, but there are plenty of longer-lasting pubic-hair removal systems to keep a design you like.
The options are numerous, but choosing a style can work best when you take your vulva shape and size into consideration, just as you would take your body shape into consideration when choosing clothes.
Don’t forget that in the old days, nobody used to care how big your luxurious labia were – you had pubes and your lovers were just excited about the prospect of your vagina!
Oh, the good old days, when pubes were so long that strays got caught in your throat, and milk was delivered to your door in a glass bottle.
References1–3,5–9
- 1.Millner VS, Eichold BH II, Sharpe TH, Lynn SC Jr. First glimpse of the functional benefits of clitoral hood piercings. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Published online September 2005:675-676. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2005.02.130
- 2.Moulton LJ, Jernigan AM. Management of Retained Genital Piercings: A Case Report and Review. Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Published online 2017:1-3. doi:10.1155/2017/2402145
- 3.Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance. Published online 2012. doi:10.1016/c2010-1-66177-9
- 4.Bercaw-Pratt JL, Santos XM, Sanchez J, Ayensu-Coker L, Nebgen DR, Dietrich JE. The Incidence, Attitudes and Practices of the Removal of Pubic Hair as a Body Modification. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published online February 2012:12-14. doi:10.1016/j.jpag.2011.06.015
- 5.Deans R, Cui CK, Tam C, Coronel ABL, Rosa G, Gerstl B. Attitudes and practices associated with pubic hair grooming behaviours: A cross‐sectional study. Aust NZ J Obst Gynaeco. Published online December 18, 2022:109-117. doi:10.1111/ajo.13633
- 6.Rouzi AA, Berg RC, Turkistani J, et al. Practices and complications of pubic hair removal among Saudi women. BMC Women’s Health. Published online October 22, 2018. doi:10.1186/s12905-018-0661-6
- 7.Gaither TW, Fergus K, Sutcliffe S, et al. Pubic Hair Grooming and Sexually Transmitted Infections: A Clinic-Based Cross-Sectional Survey. Sexual Trans Dis. Published online June 2020:419-425. doi:10.1097/olq.0000000000001176
- 8.Ryu SR, Suh J, Kim H, Shin K. The surface and internal features of pubic hair: A comparative study with those of scalp hair. Experimental Dermatology. Published online June 15, 2023:1509-1520. doi:10.1111/exd.14855
- 9.DeMaria AL, Rivera S, Meier S, Wakefield AL, Long LF, Miller AR. “You have to be clean:” a qualitative study of pubic hair grooming behaviours among women living in Italy. Culture, Health & Sexuality. Published online February 18, 2020:593-607. doi:10.1080/13691058.2020.1717631
Jessica is a degree-qualified naturopath (BHSc) specialising in vulvovaginal health and disease, based in Melbourne, Australia.
Jessica is the owner and lead naturopath of My Vagina, and is a member of the:
- International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD)
- International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH)
- National Vulvodynia Association (NVA) Australia
- New Zealand Vulvovaginal Society (ANZVS)
- Australian Traditional Medicine Society (ATMS)