Gillian Anderson’s 2024 Golden Globe dress made more headlines than some of the award winners.
The headline-making detail? Anderson’s white Gabriela Hearst-designed gown was embroidered with individually stitched vulvas.
In a sex-positive red carpet statement that extends from her sex therapist character on Netflix’s Sex Education and her own sexual wellness brand, G spot, Anderson’s look was described by the media as “needing to be seen to be believed”, “bold” and “shocking”.
When asked about her fashion choice, Anderson told Deadline (via People), “[I wore it] for so many reasons. It’s brand appropriate.”
While the statement gown garnered an overwhelmingly positive response online, the unfortunate issue, one far more shocking than the dress and quite telling of a larger issue, is that not many commentators could seem to describe the designs accurately: labelling them “vaginas.”
But no, the dress is not embroidered with vaginas. It is embroidered with vulvas. And vulvas are different to vaginas. They are not the same body parts.
This detail though seems far too complex for many, and even, Anderson herself, telling Deadline the design, “has vaginas on it.”
Not vaginas. They are vulvas.
Why does this matter? Well, for so many reasons.
For one – using the correct terminology is indicative of a basic understanding and a sign of respect for women’s anatomy.
Or, to put it bluntly, just like labelling a scrotum with the term testicles on a male’s body is factually and anatomically incorrect, so is labelling a vulva, a vagina, on a woman’s.
The fact that an abundance of international media outlets with influence and therefore arguably, responsibility, for representing correct information doesn’t know the difference, nor the actor who commissioned the dress, well, that speaks volumes.
Jo Corrall, founder and creator of This is a Vulva, a sex education and vulva diversity advocacy, highlighted this issue as the headlines about Anderson started appearing in news feeds and on social media across the world.
“Nope nope nope. @the.independent @instylemagazine and @people, I know a lot of people still get vagina and vulva confused, but as big publications I am holding you to a higher standard.
The vagina is inside and is where you put tampons.
The vulva is the outside, the bits that touch your pants. The labia, clitoris etc,” she posted on @thisisavulva’s Instagram account.
And while this mislabelling may seem innocent or harmless, in reality, this is far from the case, with some medical professionals even raising concerns over this specific issue (labelling a vulva as a vagina) and that it may contribute to worse healthcare and a plethora of miscommunication and medical research.
In addition, Corrall says that along with misusing terms, widespread social media censoring of women’s body parts (including the words vulva and vagina on Instagram), or renaming them with ‘user-friendly’ terms such as ‘down there’, ‘privates’ or ‘lady parts’ can impact health and charitable organisations who rely on using the correct name for women’s anatomy.
“According to The Eve Appeal [a UK gynaecological cancer charity], only 5 per cent of people have a good understanding of gynae cancers,” says Corrall. “This means that more of us are suffering and dying from cancers that we cannot explicitly talk about on Instagram without it being flagged in some way and not pushed out in the same way as other content. This information is vital and yet it’s being seen as dirty, as sexual and as shameful.”
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This issue is widespread, one of the many consequences of a conservative Western society’s views of women’s anatomy, Corrall believes.
While some media managed to get Anderson’s dress description right – CNN, Cosmopolitan and Harper’s Bazaar to name a few – the fact that so many got it wrong, including the star who wore the dress, the very one who was trying to make a sex-positive statement and be an advocate for women’s bodies, well that just shows how deep the problem goes.
Shona Hendley is a freelance writer.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiowFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9lbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50L2NlbGVicml0eS1saWZlL2NlbGVicml0eS1waG90b3MvZ2xhcmluZy1pc3N1ZS13aXRoLWdpbGxpYW4tYW5kZXJzb25zLXZhZ2luYS1kcmVzcy9uZXdzLXN0b3J5LzEyN2I1MDZlMmY5YzA3NTc1YjQyZGQyYTc3NDdkMDEy0gEA?oc=5
2024-01-09 05:26:15Z
CBMiowFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9lbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50L2NlbGVicml0eS1saWZlL2NlbGVicml0eS1waG90b3MvZ2xhcmluZy1pc3N1ZS13aXRoLWdpbGxpYW4tYW5kZXJzb25zLXZhZ2luYS1kcmVzcy9uZXdzLXN0b3J5LzEyN2I1MDZlMmY5YzA3NTc1YjQyZGQyYTc3NDdkMDEy0gEA
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