Artist Jamie McCartney is trying to start a sexual revolution… but not the kind we usually think of.
He is attempting through art to change female body perceptions and show us that every woman’s vulvas are normal. McCartney is a life cast artist; he spent five years collecting casts of volunteers’ vulva mounds and has turned the result into The Great Wall of Vagina.
The work includes 400 casts, as accurate as photographs, displayed in ten wall panels. They range in age from 18 to 76 and include mothers and daughters, identical twins, transgendered men and women, women pre and post natal, and another one pre and post labiaplasty. It is impressive and at times overwhelming, but by reducing the body part to a simple white plaster cast, he removes the sexualization we would typically attach to such a display. His use of spectacle shows us how absolutely diverse each and every woman’s vulva is – on the website it mentions how each one is as unique as a face. And they are!
“For many women their genital appearance is a source of anxiety and I was in a unique position to do something about that.” - Jamie McCartney
There are several things I find interesting about this art project. First, by bombarding us with 400 vulvas in a small space, he reduces the body to a single part, from a view many of us have never seen. And while we ARE viewing the diversity and differences in vulvas, it also manages to emphasize the similarities. We see the similarities in our differences.
And second, if women are shocked and surprised at the diversity shown here – why is that? Is it simply because most heterosexual women haven’t seen other women’s open vulvas? Or is it the “pornification” of our modern culture? If labiaplasties are on the rise, do you think an exhibit like this would help stop that trend? Do you think hetereosexual men and lesbians are surprised by this diversity?
So, would you go see the show? And if you are the owner of a vulva, are you looking for one that looks like yours?
“It’s time our society grew up around these issues and I’m certain that art has a role to play.” - Jamie McCartney
Unruly Bodies 
This is most definitely interesting. I kind of like the idea behind the artwork. He desires to show everyone that there are many different vulvas. And this is not something that we would otherwise see and know. Growing up is a difficult time and even after adulthood you can still wonder or have insecurities. There is a lot of differing views of what is considered “normal.” By creating the Great Wall of Vagina everyone (especially women) can see that their private area is indeed “normal” because everyone’s looks different. It also shows that being different is normal in a way. This is similar to the idea that no two fingerprints are the same. I don’t have a problem with this exhibit at all because I feel that the artist’s purpose was to show the differing shapes, sizes, variations, etc for an enlightening purpose and not a sexual one as a lot may assume.
I love the comparison to fingerprints – that’s exactly what it’s like!
It’s really interesting how objectification ends at the point at which it begins to actually represent the sort of telos of sexuality…the genitalia. It brings up questions about the limits of objectification and where we begin to employ ‘objectification’ to politically relevant ends.
I think it’s great to show the variety of nature. Because the casts are one color, relatively the same size, and therefore somewhat uniform, it takes the sexuality out of the presentation and lets the viewer focus on form. I would think this would be reaffirming for many women who are not familiar with their own bodies (I’m always amazed when women have no idea what the most intimate parts of their bodies look like).
On the other hand, the first thing I thought was “how many of the models immediately had urinary tract infections after having the materials on their skin?”
I am interested in seeing the show. Too often are certain body parts not addressed enough, due to people’s perceptions of them being used as vehicles for sex. I think the exhibit may help remove the taboo towards discussion of these parts. Also, it would definitely be intriguing to see the diversity in vulvas.
Not only did i find this post very intriguing, found the reactions that i received just as interesting. I showed the pictures of the various vulva’s to a few of my male friends and it was interesting to see how differently this one group of friends reacted to the photos. One person did not seemed at all phased by the fact there are so many different looks and variations of a woman’s private part. My other friend on the other hand couldn’t believe or really understand why at first someone would choose to the exhibit. What i found most amusing however the word each person used to refer to pictures upon first glance. Each and every person used the word “pussy” to describe what images were in front of their face. I think that it is so interesting the discourse that different people use in instances like this and i find it funny how similar people are in this respect.
I love this post and this art project! We talk about genitals all the time, but we hardly ever see them. I think this normalizes difference, which is refreshing.
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