The Clitoris is Bigger Than We Thought

By Dalila-Johari Paul

There's a real buzz (vibrator not included) about the size and power of the clitoris.  Thanks in part to artists Sophia Wallace and Lynn Schirmer. 

Last year, Schirmer mounted an "After Dinner Party" exhibit.  The takeaway from that party: accurately representing the shape of the clitoris, in as many art forms and in as many venues or public spaces as possible, all over Seattle, Wash. Yes, giant Clits. Everywhere. This year, she's took on Lady Parts.

Sophia Wallace is educating the masses with, "Cliteracy: 100 Natural Laws." Apparently even literate women are illiterate when it comes to the power of the clitoris. Her New York-based show has been getting a lot of attention.

Clitoris 101

How could we be so uninformed about the clitoris? Unlike men's precious jewels, lady parts are a bit more hidden. The result: Some of us have been misinformed about the exact size. And many images don't exactly depict how big it really is.

Those illustrations staring down at you at your local OB/GYN's office fail to show that the clitoris has 10 times more erectile tissue than what's visible. And that anatomy textbook in sex ed apparently was a bit off as well.

So here's a brief refresher aka "Adult Sex Ed 101: Get to Know Your Clitoris."

Apparently, all babies have the same genital tissue up until about 12 weeks and then each newborn's genitalia begins to differentiate into a penis or labia. So women and men are more alike than we knew. Difference is, you won't find a woman comparing the size of her clitoris to her best friend or sister. They also come in different sizes.

Here's another tidbit: The clitoris grows during a woman's lifetime thanks to hormonal changes. When those tweens start puberty the clitoris will start increasing in size along with that bad attitude. At the end of those pubescent years, the clitoris will be about 1.8 times larger. Once a woman hits her 30s, the clitoris will be close to four times the size. And wait for this one. After menopause, it gets even bigger. Seven times bigger in fact. 
Don't be a a prude, get a mirror and get reacquainted with your lady parts.

Oftentimes, when the "experts" talk about that special place where orgasms are supposed to occur, we imagine a knob-like button. Yet in reality that "nubby button is connected to a neck the size of the first joint of your thumb, and stretching from that neck are two arms that flare like a wishbone—arms that can be as long as three-and-a-half inches. The two bulbs that also extend from the center, which make the clitoris look like a penguin, were thought to belong to the vagina until recently," Jen Graves writes in her piece, In Her Pants.  

And check out artist Betty Dodson's creative process when it comes to all things clitoris.

Images from After Dinner Party exhibit: Neon by Shellee Miggins
                                                          Inflatable clit

Screenshot from Vimeo Sophia Wallace's Cliteracy.