Happy International Women’s Day, a celebration of feminist origins, promoting women’s rights, universal suffrage & women worker solidarity. I am empowered and forever inspired by the work of women throughout history, and stand in solidarity with the current fight for equal rights of women across the globe. In honor of International Women’s Day, I’m sharing this enlightening post about the mysterious female organ, the clitoris!
The Clitoris
The clitoris is the only organ in the human body whose sole purpose is pleasure. It is also the only organ that doesn’t age. For those of you who know very little about this fascinating sex organ, you are not alone. Sexual education about this highly pleasurable part of the female body is under-taught and under-valued in our society yet half of the population has one. Here is some information to help you demystify the wonders of the clitoris.
Anatomy and Physiology of the Clitoris
Imagine a strangely shaped humanoid creature, with a small head, super long arms, and bulbous legs. What most of us think of as the clitoris is only about five to ten percent of it. In fact, the average size of the clitoris is ten centimeters long. Our accepted notion of this organ is, truly, just the tip of the iceberg. That little nub wearing a hood is just the head. Anatomically, this part is known as the clirotal glans and is roughly about the shape and size of a pea. The other 90% is known as the clitoral body. It has two arms that sprawl widely, pointing out toward the thighs when it’s at rest and curling inward when aroused, kind of like a hug. It has two bulbs that are between the arms. Erectile tissue is one component of its makeup (the same as the penis) and causes it to engorge during arousal and grow up to three times its normal size! 
The innervation of the clitoris is impressive. It is the most innervated of all sexual organs, trumping even the penis. It contains approximately 8,000 nerves compared to the penis’s 4,000 nerves. The vaginal walls are far less innervated than the clitoris, and thankfully so. Can you imagine giving birth through something with that much sensation? Sex is so much more than vaginal stimulation. A little known fact is that because the vulva and vagina are embraced by the clitoris, internal and external orgasms are both considered clitoral. Learning your anatomy helps you understand why different sensations and places feel pleasurable. Have you ever explored what feels good to you?
Self Pleasure
Exploring the pleasure in your own body is natural, safe and healthy. We live in a world that unfortunately often delegitimizes female and nonbinary sexuality. If you are curious about self-touch, have trouble seeing yourself as deserving of pleasure, or have unresolved trauma hindering your experience of pleasure, you may benefit from the guidance and support of a sex coach! When you become comfortable and intimate with yourself, you can also share what you have learned with your partner(s). The clitoris is packed full of nerve endings, so you could start out by beginning to explore your vulva with your fingers and some lubricant. If you’d like to add to the sensation, or build on your pleasure, explore with a vibrator or a dildo. I compiled a list of toys that suit all sorts of play, alone or partnered, in this recent blog here. I’ve also listed some great books on self pleasure here. Remember, taking ownership of your pleasure will help you create a more fulfilling sex experience with yourself and/or with your lover. Embrace your sexuality and love up your beautiful body!
History of the Clitoris
If you’re wondering why you were never taught this stuff before, you’re not alone! While we have known about the clitoris for thousands of years, there has been a tremendous lack of understanding of its purpose and power. Doctors like Siegmund Freud, are largely responsible for downplaying the importance, let alone the size, of this incredible sex organ through the disinformation he propagated. He conjured up shamefully belittling ideas of female sexuality and claimed that vaginal orgasms were far superior to clitoral orgasms (little did he know, it’s all about the clitoris) and that if you weren’t having vaginal orgasms, you needed therapy! Only in recent decades has the clitoris received the research it so rightly deserves including the very first MRI image of the clitoris finally being realized circa 2000s.
Deficits in Sex Education
Sex is a major part of the human experience and expression. Learning about sex, which could be a comprehensive and exploratory experience for students, is most often reduced to a two dimentional human function. In health classrooms in the US, while sex education is mandated, the curriculum and funding for it is largely up to the schools themselves. Most schools opt for a risk-reduction model, which places the focus on minimizing harm on a personal and societal level. While this approach is somewhat helpful in that it reduces unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, one could argue that not learning about pleasure and healthy sexual expression is just as detrimental. Suffice it to say, comprehensive sex education is lacking and it’s time for sex positive, pleasure based comprehensive sex education. Understanding the clitoris is empowering for all of us, not least of all, for transgender folk. Knowing the form and function of the clitoris has been imperative in making gender confirmation surgeries more successful. This gives people hope for a pleasurable and fulfilling sex life in the future, with their sex organs in harmony with their gender identities. Much of the current zeitgeist of feminism, sex positivity, and the ensuing sexual revolution is based in female sexual empowerment and redesigning our poorly executed public sex education. Learning about the pleasure centers of our body is one of the many ways we can care for ourselves and those we love.Take the time to get to know yourself, your lover and ask for help if you would like guidance. That’s what people like me are here for! If you would like to learn more about your own sexuality, get in touch!