Views on pubic hair differ between people and between cultures. Some women prefer the look or feel of pubic hair, while others may choose to remove some or all of it. Temporary methods of removal include shaving, trimming, waxing, sugaring and depilatory products while permanent hair removal can be accomplished using electrolysis or laser hair removal. [14] In Korea, pubic hair is considered a sign of fertility, leading some women to have pubic hair transplants. [7] Labia without pubic hair Gruenbaum, Emma (2001). The Female Circumcision Controversy: An Anthropological Perspective, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, pp.2–3. A warm, moist swimsuit bottom, on the other hand, provides an ideal environment for yeast and bacterial infections. Synthetic Fabrics The darker skin down there is the result of melanocytes, which are cells in the skin’s basal layer that produce a brown pigment called melanin. Melanin is responsible for skin color.

Kreklau A, et al. (2018). Measurements of a ‘normal vulva’ in women aged 15–84: A cross-sectional prospective single-centre study. Find the right position. Though intercourse on its own isn’t as likely to get you to orgasm as clitoral stimulation, certain positions may give you the best of both worlds. Hunter JG. (2016). Labia minora, labia majora,and clitoral hood alteration: Experience-based recommendations. DOI: It's normal for the color of the labia to deepen or change with and through puberty. Just like there are changes to the penis and testicles during all of puberty, the vulva changes too, and it's more than just the growth of pubic hair. The mons, for instance, usually loses some of its fat and pulls up slightly, meaning that labia minora you couldn't see before may wind up being labia minora you now can see, even when you're just standing around. As well, both the labia majora and the labia minora will usually get larger over the course of puberty. Let's not forget that a lot of folks think all of puberty is a shorter process than it usually is: most folks aren't completely done until their twenties, and some finish a few years later than that.

The vulva is a portal for a variety of functions (reproductive and excretory) and has a unique role in sexual feelings and function. But for the most part, for nearly all people, your labia ARE normal, however much they vary. Beauty -- as ever -- remains in the eye of the beholder. When it all comes down to it, it's up to you (or anyone else you know getting up in arms about their labia) to put or dismiss value in the reality of what our bodies look like and how much they vary. It's up to you to take a look at a piece like this and accept the information or not, and then to decide how much energy you're really willing to waste -- and it is a waste -- in worrying about something you just don't have to be worried about, and where your stress and anxiety is what the real problem is, rather than our body. Variances happen because we don't all have the exact same genetics, nor the same hormonal levels or pacing as we develop before and after we're born. In terms of what color, texture or size they will ultimately be, that has to do with those unique genetics and hormones. Our labia are not fully developed when we're born, just like we're not born with a set of fully developed breasts. They change during our lives. It should also be noted that with inner labia that extend past the outer labia, it is more common to have labia be darker around the edges or more textured.

Minnesota Statutes: 617.23 Indecent Exposure; Penalties". Minnesota Legislature: Office of the Revisor of Statutes. It should not be done on girls younger than 18 because the labia continues to develop beyond puberty into early adulthood. Unless you have had or do have diverse sex partners with vulvas, work in direct reproductive health, or have friends who are very open to letting you look up-close-and-personal at their vulvas, you're not going to be able to see many labia, and you're going to have to take those of us who have at our word. What those who don't have those opportunities usually have as a basis of comparison is what male partners report (which isn't very reliable), or what we can see in pornography or art, which provide some representation, but are both limited in really showing what's real for real people in real life. (As a photographer myself I can tell you that I'd be unlikely to shoot a vulva in harsh lighting not because there's something inherently ugly about all our ingrown hairs, bumps and other texture, but simply because harsh lighting on people and bodies often just isn't particularly artistic to me or doesn't suit my own aesthetics.) But because there are more places where genitals are being seen more publicly than ever, it also makes sense that can result in worrying more -- rather than less -- about what your own look like. But not all clitorises are created equal: There isn’t an average clitoris glans size, and some may have a larger or smaller clitoral hood. Hair Betty, by the way, told me this to pass on to all of you, "After 30 some years of viewing women's sex organs in my workshops and private practice as a sex coach, I've shown thousands of women the beauty of their divine vulvas. MORE women have extended labia than those with small hidden ones. I love my dangles and would never part with them."It’s for ladies who want to “wear what they want” without feeling restricted by their underwear, according to Shibue. Blüm, Volker (2012). Vertebrate Reproduction: A Textbook. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p.74. ISBN 978-3-64271-074-2 . Retrieved November 19, 2023. The genitals begin to develop after approximately 4 to 6 weeks of gestation. [7] Initially, the external genitals develop the same way regardless of the sex of the embryo, and this period of development is called the sexually indifferent stage. [5] The embryo develops three distinct external genital structures: a genital tubercle; two urogenital folds, one on either side of the tubercle; and two labioscrotal swellings, each bounding one of the urogenital folds. [3] When standing or with the legs together, the labia majora usually entirely or partially cover the moist, sensitive inner surfaces of the vulva, which indirectly protects the vagina and urethra, [2] much like the lips protect the mouth. The outer surface of the labia majora is pigmented skin, and develops pubic hair during puberty. The inner surface of the labia majora is smooth, hairless skin, which resembles a mucous membrane, and is only visible when the labia majora and labia minora are drawn apart.

In several countries in Africa and Asia, the external female genitals are routinely altered or removed for reasons related to ideas about tradition, purity, hygiene and aesthetics. Known as female genital mutilation, the procedures include clitoridectomy and so-called " pharaonic circumcision," whereby the inner and outer labia are removed and the vulva is sewn shut. [15] [16] FGM is mostly outlawed around the world, even in countries where the practice is widespread. [17]This procedure, also called a hoodectomy or clitoral unhooding, is a surgical procedure to reduce the size of the clitoral hood by removing excess tissue. The procedure is usually performed alongside a labiaplasty, which reduces the size of the labia minora. In both cases, sex therapist Angela Watson (aka Doctor Climax) says you should seek medical attention.