The vagina: an analysis

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The vagina: an analysis
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the
vagina: an analysis
By
Virginia Braun
A doctoral thesis
in fulfilment the
submitted partial of requirements
for
the
award of
Doctor Philosophy Loughborough University
of of
November 2QOO
@ by Virginia Braun 2000
I dedicate
this thesis to
vaginas everywhere,
in hope for better future!
the
a
p.
Acknowledgments
When I began this thesis, I into the I
was venturing unknown... was researching a'new'topic,
taboo topic, I had idea how it. But barring few
a and as such, no people would react to a
uncomfortable situations, the odd salacious comment, the experience has been an
overwhelmingly The have listened to have
positive one. people who me ramble on, and who
discussed the (you know ), have
enthusiastically vaginas with me over years who you are!
to believe that it is important And it is. As this
encouraged me and worthwhile. well as general
input, have
specific people made more specific contributions:
To this thesis have thank With
my participants: without you, could not existed, you! varying
degrees laughter(! ),
of enthusiasm, embarrassment, and you shared something so private, so
the differing tales told have depth to data.
publicly avoided, and you added a richness and my
Sue Wilkinson Celia Kitzinger, insight,
and as supervisors, you provided endless amounts of
inspiration. Without I have found
challenge, and your support and encouragement, would
'taboo' topic to be far daunting task.
researching such a a more
A Commonwealth Scholarship to this Unfortunately, they
enabled me undertake research.
to Loughborough in the Midlands, but the lovely lovely friends, know
sent me people my you
-
than for the location (and the ). You've
who you are more made up weather! seen me
-
through the highs lows (! ) these (seen best,
and of years of study me at my and often at my
), it have been (much Victoria, have
worst! and without you, would more of) a struggle. you
demonstrated that friends have daily I And
can almost vagina conversations. won't apologise!
the level the Victoria, Sharon, David, for
thanks
at mundane of practical, and many many
to during last homeless in Loughborough.
providing me with somewhere stay my weeks
The in the department
postgraduate group provided a supportive, stimulating, and challenging
to Victoria Clarke, Sara-Jane Finlay, Pirjo Nikander, David
environment conduct my research.
Weltman, Sonja Ellis, Sue Speer Liz Peel feedback (not
and provided useful on work always
). Victoria Sara-Jane in I
agreeing with me, of course! and particular, thoroughly enjoyed the
debates had. You have both to think further better (as
many we challenged me and a
feminist). My involvement in the Women's Studies Research Group the Discourse
and and
Rhetoric Group has this thesis. Thanks to Derek Edwards
strengthened specifically
and
Jonathan Potter for time feedback to Alan Radley for
and given my analysis, and
advice and
Thanks to Antoinette Hardy Dennis Howitt for input.
encouragement given. also and
statistical
Outside the department, thanks to Suzanne Zeedyk, for throughout, Brown
encouragement
for literature, Leif for finding things, Liz Stokoe Hannah Frith.
great suggestions and and and
RIC hope for life beyond the thesis in dark (that'll be 10 Vic! ).
gave me some moments
quid,
Almost last, but least, I thank has been,
certainly not must my mother who always
and
-
be, inspiration to for
to that
continues an me giving me a name so closely resembles
-
'vagina' (and for calling my little brother 'willy' [sorry Will]). I found out, over the course of this
research, that both 'virginia' and'ginny' are slang terms for vagina. So there's no escaping it.
IV
Finally,
thanks to the English language, for inventing brilliant
must go such words as
'interesting'
'problematic', I have liberally throughout the thesis.
and
which sprinkled
Parts
this thesis have been have been for
of already published, or accepted publication,
References for these
elsewhere.
are:
Braun, V. (1999). Breaking taboo? Talking (and laughing) the Feminism &
a about vagina.
Psychology, 9,367-372.0 Sage Publications.
Braun, V. (2000). Heterosexism in focus Collusion Feminism
group research: and challenge.
& Psychology, 10,133-140. @ Sage Publications.
Braun, V. & Ensler, E. (1999). Public talk 'private in Eve
about parts': conversation with
Ensler. Feminism & Psychology, 9,515-522.0 Sage Publications.
Braun, V. & Ensler, E. (2000). Public talk In M. Crawford & R. Unger
about'private parts'.
(Eds. ), In Own Words: Readings from Women's Lives. New York: McGraw-Hill. 0
our
McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Braun, V., & Kitzinger, C. (in The Size Culture Health &
press). perfectible vagina: matters.
Sexuality. @ Taylor & Francis.
Braun, V., & Kitzinger, C. (2001). Telling it Dictionary definitions
straight? of women's genitals.
Joumal Sociolinguistics, 5,214-232 Blackwell Publishers.
of
.0
Braun, V. & Wilkinson, S. (2001). Socio-cultural
the Joumal
representations of vagina. of
Reproductive Infant Psychology, 19,17-32. C Carfax Publishing.
and
p. v
Table Contents
of
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IV
.................................................................................................................
TABLE OF CONTENTS VI
.....................................................................................................................
LIST OF TABLES x
.................................................................................................................................
ABSTRACT xi
..........................................................................................................................................
CHAPTER 1: RESEARCHING THE VAGINA AS A FEMINIST SOCIAL
CONSTRUCTIONIST
............................................................................................................................
FEMINIST CONTEXTS I
RESEARCH AND THE VAGINA:
...............................................................................
Academic 4
contexts
.............................................................................................................................
Defining feminist 6
research
................................................................................................................
Social 8
constructionist research
.........................................................................................................
Social body 10
the
constructionism and
...........................................................................................................
Feminism, ism, 12
social construction and multi-methods
...................................................................
MY Aims, 13
RESEARCH: APPROACH AND OVERVIEW
..............................................................................
PART ONE: RESEARCHING SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT 16
........................
INTRODUCTION TO PART ONE 17
.....................................................................................................
DEFINITIONAL NOTE 18
.........................................................................................................................
PART ONE: OVERVfEW
AND APPROACHES 20
...........................................................................................
CHAPTER 2: SOCIO-CULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE VAGINA 22
.........................
THE
VAGINA AS INFERIOR TO THE PENIS 23
...............................................................................................
THE
VAGINA AS ABSENCE 24
....................................................................................................................
THE (PASSIVE)
VAGINA AS RECEPTACLE FOR THE PENIS 26
.......................................................................
THE
VAGINA AS SEXUALLY INADEQUATE 28
.............................................................................................
THE
VAGINA AS DISGUSTING 29
................................................................................................................
THE
VAGINA AS VULNERABLE AND ABUSED 31
.........................................................................................
THE
VAGINA AS DANGEROUS 33
...............................................................................................................
"MY POWERS
MIGHTY MUFF": AND PLEASURES 35
...................................................................................
CHAPTER 3: DEFINING WOMEN'S GENITALS
39
.........................................................................
METHOD
41
..............................................................................................................................................
A
NUMBER OF WORDS 43
..........................................................................................................................
DEFINING
THE CLITORIS 44
.......................................................................................................................
What is
a clitoris 44
.............................................................................................................................
Miere do
yolifind a clitoris? 46
..........................................................................................................
vi
What is 46
a clitoris usedfor?
.............................................................................................................
DEFINING 47
THE VAGINA
.........................................................................................................................
What 47
is a vagina?
............................................................................................................................
48
Where do find
you a vagina?
...........................................................................................................
49
What is
a vagina usedfor?
..............................................................................................................
50
CHALLENGING
GENITAL DEFINITIONS
..................................................................................................
51
Activitylpassivity
.............................................................................................................................
53
Absencelpresence
............................................................................................................................
54
Heterosexual ity/h
eterosexisn i
..........................................................................................................
55
SUMMARY CONCLUSION
AND
..............................................................................................................
CHAPTER 4: 'SNA TCH', 'HOLF, OR'HONEY POT'9 THE VAGINA IN SLANG 57
.................
59
STUDY ONE: THEMES
IN FEMALE GENITAL SLANG
...............................................................................
59
Method
.................................................................................... ........................................................
59
Participants
.................................................................................... ..............................................................
60
Materials
........................................................................................ ..............................................................
Procedure 60
.......................... ........................................................... ..............................................................
Frequency 60
terms
of genital
...................................................... ........................................................
Themes in Exploring 63
genital slang: semantic categories
........ ........................................................
Standard 63
slang
............................................................................... ..............................................................
Euphemism 66
.................................................................................... ..............................................................
Space 66
............................................................................................. ..............................................................
Receptacle 67
..................................................................................... ..............................................................
Abjection 67
....................................................................................... ..............................................................
Hair 68
............................................................................................... ..............................................................
Animal 69
........................................................................................... ..............................................................
Money 69
........................................................................................... ..............................................................
Personification 69
............................................................................... ..............................................................
Gender identity 70
.............................................................................. ..............................................................
Edibility
70
......................................................................................... ..............................................................
Danger
71
........................................................................................... ..............................................................
Nonsense
72
....................................................................................... ..............................................................
Sex
72
and pleasure
............................................................................ ..............................................................
Other
72
categories
............................................................................ ..............................................................
Summary
73
.................................................................................. ........................................................
STUDY Two: THE
NON-SPECIFICITY OF FEMALE GENITAL SLANG 73
........................................................
Method
74
.................................................................................... ........................................................
Participants
74
.................................................................................... ..............................................................
Materials 74
........................................................................................ ..............................................................
Procedure
75
...................................................................................... ..............................................................
discussion
Results
75
and
............................................................. ........................................................
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 78
.................................................... ........................................................
vii
PART TWO: RESEARCHING WOMEN'S TALK 82
................................................
INTRODUCTION TO PART TWO 83
....................................................................................................
83
METHOD
..............................................................................................................................................
83
Focus
interviews
groups and as a method
......................................................................................
86
Participants
.....................................................................................................................................
86
Materials
.........................................................................................................................................
86
Procedure
........................................................................................................................................
89
Ethics
...........................................................................................................................................................
91
Analysis
.......................................................................................................................................................
92
PART Two: OVERVIEW
........................................................................................................................
CHAPTER 5: TALKING ABOUT THE VAGINA: LIABILITY OR ASSET? 93
.............................
93
TALKING 'THE .
ABOUT VAGINA
...........................................................................................................
THE 97
VAGINA AS LIABILITY?
.................................................................................................................
The 97
vagina as vulnerable
................................................................................................................
The 99
vagina as not quite nice
............................................................................................................
Summary 103
........................................................................................................................................
THE 103
VAGINA AS ASSET?
.....................................................................................................................
Satisfaction 103
....................................................................................................................................
Power 105
............................................................................................................................................
Pleasure 106
........................................................................................................................................
Summary 108
........................................................................................................................................
SUMMARY 108
AND CONCLUSION
.............................................................................................................
CHAPTER 6: THE PERFECTIBLE VAGINA: SIZE MATTERS 110
..............................................
WOMEN'S GENITALIA AS PROBLEMATIC 110
............................................................................................
THE CULTURAL VALUATION OF TIGHTNESS: VAGINAL SIZE AS AN ISSUE 112
...........................................
TALKING
ABOUT SIZE 118
.........................................................................................................................
The imperative: "Vaginas be ........................................................ 118
to tight
cultural are supposed
Personal Being
too tight 122
concerns:
...............................................................................................
DiscussION
129
.......................................................................................................................................
CHAPTER 7: WOMAN EQUALS VAGINA? VAGINA EQUALS WOMAN9 132
..........................
ON
GENITALS AND GENDERED IDENTITY 133
............................................................................................
IDENTIFYING
THE LINK 139
.......................................................................................................................
ExPLORING
THE LINK 142
.........................................................................................................................
The (hetero)sexiialm
142
vagina and ...................................................................................................
The
143
vagina and reproduction
........................................................................................................
QUESTIONING
THE LINK 145
.....................................................................................................................
DISRUPTING
THE LINK? 149
......................................................................................................................
SUMMARY
AND CONCLUSIONS 151
...........................................................................................................
Vill
CHAPTER 8: 'LIBERATING'THE 153
VAGINA9
............................................................................
SUMMARY: THE I 153
STORY HAVE TOLD
.................................................................................................
CONTRIBUTIONS 155
................................................................................................................................
Contributions knowledge 155
to the
about vagina
...............................................................................
Contributions 159
tofeminism
andjeminist research
..........................................................................
Contributions 165
to
social constructionism
........................................................................................
STORIES I 166
DID NOT TELL
.....................................................................................................................
Participants 166
...................................................................................................................................
Topics 168
............................................................................................................................................
Approaches 170
....................................................................................... ...... ....... ******,, **,
DOING PARTICIPANTS 172
RESEARCH, CHANGING LIVES? AND OTHERS
...................................................
DOING MYSELF 173
RESEARCH, CHANGING LIVES?
..................................................................................
REFERENCES 175
....................................................................................................................................
APPENDICES 220
.....................................................................................................................................
APPENDIX I TERMS FEMALE MALE GENITALS QUESTIONNAIRE 221
FOR AND
.........................................
APPENDIX 2 COMPLETE FEMALE GENITAL TERMS 222
LIST OF
................................................................
APPENDIX 3 COMPLETE MALE GENITAL TERMS 226
LIST OF
...................................................................
APPENDIX 4 SAMPLE FEMALE GENITAL TERMS WHAT Do THEY MEAN 231
OF QUESTIONNAIRE
-
.........
APPENDIX 5 SAMPLE Focus GROUNINTERVIEW SCHEDULE 232
.............................................................
APPENDIX 6 SAMPLE CONSENT FORM 236
...............................................................................................
ix