#Shaved chimpanzee muscles skin#

It varies in size from person to person it can be small or large, and it protects the shaft and (in some cases) the sensitive clitoral glans from chafing and dryness.

#Shaved chimpanzee muscles skin#

The clitoral hood is a fold of skin that covers (or ‘hugs’) the clitoral glans. The glans varies greatly in size, from barely visible to up to several centimetres long it isn’t always visible, sometimes only showing itself during arousal (when getting erect). Only the glans and part of the body are external, the rest of the organ is buried under the vulva and sits around the urethra and the vagina. The clitoris consists of a glans, a body, two pillars (or crura) and bulbs. They both fill up with blood upon sexual arousal and become erect – so yes indeed, if you have a clitoris, you can have erections too! The two organs are thus very similar in shape and function. The clitoris is a wonderful part of human anatomy, devoted purely to sexual pleasure! It is an erectile organ and has the same embryonic origin as the penis. Instead of thinking of them as identical twins, you can see them as siblings! :) When you're aroused, more blood flows to the inner labia: they become more sensitive and swell up, making the labia function as a ‘cushion’, which makes a lot of sex acts more comfortable.įinally: inner labia are often asymmetrical. As the inner labia contain many nerve endings, blood vessels and erectile tissue, they can serve a very important function during sexual activities. The function of the inner labia is to protect your vulvar vestibule and vagina from irritation and friction, and from bacteria and dirt. After menopause the inner labia may change in shape again, causing them to become smaller and thinner. Pregnancy often changes the shape and colour of the inner labia, causing them to become darker and bigger. The shape and colour of the inner labia continue to change during your lifespan, due to changes in hormone levels. With the onset of puberty, due to changes in hormone levels, they often become larger and they may darken in colour. Like the outer labia, the inner labia may change quite a lot during a lifespan. After menopause, due to the decrease in oestrogen, the mons pubis may change in shape again. As the fatty tissue of the mons pubis is sensitive to the hormone oestrogen, the shape of the mons pubis may change (and become more prominent) with the onset of puberty. If you gain or lose weight, you may notice that the shape of your mons pubis changes as well. The size of the mons pubis varies according to hormone levels and body fat, and there are many possible variations in shape and size the mons pubis can be skinny or chubby, round or flat. The fatty tissue of the mons pubis protects the pubic bone, like a soft cushion. The mons pubis divides into the outer labia on either side the point at which the labia divide is called the pudendal cleft. It consists largely of fatty tissue, and its skin contains hair, sweat glands and many nerve endings, which makes it a sensitive area. The mons pubis (also called mons Venus or pubic mound) is the hairy area above the pubic bone (or the hill at the top of the vulva) and covering the pubic bone (you can feel the bone underneath the soft tissue if you press on it). Learning about diversity will create an understanding and respect for the diversity that's out there ♡ I feel that anatomical diversity should be a fundamental part of any book on anatomy, sexual health education or biology. In my book, A Celebration of Vulva Diversity, I'm showing a variety of vulvas seen from below – in addition to the frontal perspective I usually paint in the gallery. In the following pages, you’ll find a variety of vulva shapes and skin tones – one of these might even resemble your own anatomy. Each and every vulva is unique, so it would be impossible to represent all shapes and sizes in one book. When opening a textbook about anatomy, you may find that your vulva looks different from the vulvas depicted there. By noticing such changes, you’ll be able to get a timely check at your medical health provider if anything seems off. This way you will be aware if anything changes: sudden skin discolouration or moles, lumps or a change in the smell or structure of your discharge. You can explore your vulva with your eyes and fingers to get to know its shape, and even smell your own scent. Not only can it be very enlightening to see it and get to know all its parts, but knowing your vulva is also very useful as you’ll be able to observe possible changes throughout your life.

Do you know what your vulva looks like? An easy way to find out is to take a look using a hand mirror.