Vulva, NOT Vagina

Most past generations and still sadly today, people learn about penises and vaginas when it comes to sex-Ed. If you learned about vulvas, bravo to your sex-Ed teacher, they’re ahead of the game. Let’s back up though. .
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The vagina is only part of the female genitalia. What most people refer to as the vagina is actually called the vulva. The vulva includes: mons pubis, the inner and outer labia, (labia minora and majora) clitoris, urethra and vaginal opening. .
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Despite what is taught in mainstream sex- Ed, the equivalent of the penis is the clitoris, not the vagina. The clitoris, like the penis, swells when aroused and is about the same size when you consider it’s inner and outer parts. ( future post just on this )
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The short answer as to why this is taught that way? Patriarchy. Historically, women’s sexual health and pleasure came secondary to men’s and was only discussed in terms of reproductive goals. Therefore, if we continue this train of thought the vagina is really the only part that matters. So instead of learning about all the parts of the vulva - we learn about the vagina and forget the rest. .
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This might not seem like a big deal - vulva, vagina who cares? Turns out we should all care because if we dismiss the proper terminology, we’re also sending the message that women’s sexual health and pleasure doesn’t realllyyy matter and we don’t realllllyyyy need to know about the other stuff. So as difficult as a shift in language is - I encourage everyone to try and be mindful by using the term VULVA! (When appropriate of course - if you mean vagina use vagina!)