I enjoy the idea and sentiment of the Great Wall of Vagina and I’d love to see it in person. Over the past few years, there has been an explosion in artistic projects exploring genitals—particularly those of women. Many have been very well-received. One of my favourites is Vulva 101 by Hylton Coxwell.
So, with all this interest, why am I confused? I’m perplexed because Jamie McCartney’s Great Wall of Vagina seems to be misnamed.
When I first looked at the photos of the exhibit, I immediately thought: those aren’t vaginas, they’re vulvas. And as much as I write on sex, I did some research to confirm that yes, indeed, the plaster casts McCartney displays are vulva, not vaginas. Vaginas are an internal part of female genitalia.
This is a common confusion—and here’s why I take issue with McCartney’s exhibit. The tagline, at the top of the website is “Changing female body image through art.” How can you change female body image through art if you don’t even get the body part names right? Doesn’t education begin with getting facts correct?
And I’m not about to let McCartney off easy here. I thought ‘maybe he’s just one of the many who do confuse the terms vulva and vagina.’ NOPE. Read the About section and other pages on the site—vulva is frequently used correctly.
So why the confusing name? Is there a gender issue here? Would a female artist have named the exhibit properly? Hylton Coxwell got it right…why not McCartney?
