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| New York artist Sophia Wallace promotes what she calls "cliteracy." |
I don't blog about sex. Mostly because it's none of your damn business. And partly because both me-n-T's mothers tend to keep up with my writing.
But I can't help but bring to your attention artist Sophia Wallace's work promoting and educating about the clitoris. (If I just lost half of you, gentle readers, I'm sorry, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled PG content soon!)
Wallace's art addresses misconceptions about the only human body part which functions purely for pleasure and asks people to become "cliterate," aka understand the clitoris and how it works.
Some stats from Wallace's work that surprised me:
- The clitoris was only discovered (in modern medical literature anyway) in 1998. 1998!
- Rather than a tiny external "button," the clitoris is a huge, mostly internal organ
- Only a handful of doctors know how to repair the clitoris after genital mutilation (e.g., "female circumcision")
What I appreciate most about Wallace's work is how she problematizes (a nice $10 grad school word there) the lack of knowledge about the clitoris and showcases how it's not just a nice accessory but a major sexual organ. Her art encourages gender equity in the sex department, and I applaud her work to educate people. As a communication scholar, I can't help but think how cliteracy will translate to better sex which may result in stronger relationships and probably, eventually, world peace. Go, Sophia!
xoxo,
shawna
Labels: artist, cliteracy, cliterate, clitoris, equity, female, feminism, gender, installation, NaBloPoMo, organs, personal, sex, sexuality, Sophia Wallace
