At WooWoo, we strongly believe that we missed out on all the good stuff in sex-ed class... the stuff that really matters as you fumble your way through your sexplorations.
Let’s be honest, there’s a lot to take in when you’re learning not only about yourself, but how sex works in general – it can be rather overwhelming, so you can never have enough education in this department! Throughout school, we were taught about biology and anatomy, albeit one very important part of the female anatomy was left out – THE CLITORIS.
You’ve most definitely heard the word clitoris, maybe just the abbreviation of clit, or perhaps you’ve heard it referred to as ‘the bean’. This wondrous part of our body doesn’t always make it into the notoriously cringe sex ed talks, and it totes deserves to be shouted about. If we understood more about this epic pleasure centre early on perhaps more women would feel confident to explore this area and there would be better sex lives all ‘round with less awks situations (one could only hope). Let’s make it our own priority to get a little more… cliterate!
Did you know, the clitoris has 8,000 nerve endings?
Pretty impressive for a tiny area of the body, huh? It actually has double the amount of never endings than the entire penis – and it has one sole purpose… pleasure!
That’s just the tip of the iceberg though (no, really).
A clitoris resembles an iceberg with the majority of the clitoris being internal.
Have a look here.
The clitoris and penis are actually pretty similar…
The clitoris and the penis develop from the same structure in the womb – the addition of hormones make it grow into one or the other, however they both have a hood; they both have erectile tissue, and a small shaft. Clitorises range from 7-12 cm in length and swell by 50 to 300% when aroused - female boners? Yup, that actually happens…
Similar to the penis, when aroused, the blood rushes to the clitoris making it increase in size. It then goes back to normal size so it is anatomically correct to say we have a female boner! (Sorry guys, you can’t be having all the boner-fun).
Check out this article to find out more about fem-boners:
The clitoris only recently started to be understood, or even acknowledged –
we’re talking full discovery in 1998.
We’ve got Australian Urologist, Helen O’Connell to thank for the clitoris’s acknowledgement… Female anatomy and pleasure had been dismissed since… well, forever. That is until Helen came along and challenged nearly every belief to date – bad ass.
She revealed the true size of the clitoris through an internal and external map which was revolutionary. Helen, we salute you! Previously (around 400 years ago), Italian surgeon and anatomist Gabriele Falloppio had described the clitoris, and was ignored by his colleagues who said it was a new and useless part (USELESS?!) that had no function in healthy women – boooooo!
In 2009, a team of French researchers (nous t’aimons) carried out the first sonographic mapping of an erect clitoris. Technology had made these possible years before, but once again the clitoris was ignored.
Even vaginal orgasms come from the clitoris
Yup, the internal elements of the clitoris are to thank for your orgasms (there are 18 parts to the clitoris in total) – what a total multi-tasking babe.
The arms of the clitoris are said to give you an internal hug when you’re aroused making orgasm possible… we’re here for the internal cuteness and good vibes!
The clitoris is the only part of the human body which doesn’t age
Whether you’re 39 or 93 your clitoris will always look the same… however it does continue to grow, just like your nose. Weird and wonderful!
Female pleasure matters
Around 75% of all women cannot reach orgasm purely through intercourse (they need other stimulation). This can be through sex toys, a helping hand or from oral sex and stimulation of the clitoris and other erogenous zones.
Unfortunately, around 10-15% of women never climax. There are many reasons why this may be the case, but by normalising the conversation around sexual wellness, and starting conversations, we can hope that people begin to feel innately comfortable discussing female masturbation.
65% of women are embarrassed saying the word vagina… yet our male counterparts are more than happy to flippantly discuss all things ‘cock’, ‘dick’, ‘shlong’ or ‘penis’ in day-to-day conversations.
Let’s make it our mission to talk all things vagina. We totes understand that at a restaurant, on the bus or in the office you may want to switch it up a little… our customers are always sending us in new words from ‘lady garden, to ‘the notorious V.A.G’, to ‘love muffin’ – as long as we’re having the conversation we’re one step in the right direction! Read more here.
So just how do you stimulate the clitoris?
Well, there’s certainly no one-size-fits-all approach as everyone is different... Think of masturbation as a skill – the more you practice, the more comfortable you get and the likelihood of reaching orgasm rises.
*Cue experimental phase*
You of course want to feel ‘in the mood’ when getting to know yourself – whether that’s flying solo or with a partner. Dim the lights, put on some sexy music… maybe some visual or audio porn – whatever you find sexy! With a partner you could start by kissing and lightly touching… brushing over the clitoris through the underwear to start.
Solo, you could start by using your finger, a sex toy / vibrator, perhaps even a shower head to tease the area – don’t go in full throttle… take your time and give the clitoris a little TLC! The clitoris may look like a magic button, but you don’t achieve earth-shattering orgasms by pressing it. What one person finds too light, one person could find too sensitive – they come in different shapes and sizes, so it really is about finding your magic.
Use lubricant, vibrators, sex toys and finger’s with different intensity’s and speeds. You could try circular motions or tapping too! It can seem daunting to explore such a tiny area of your body but once you understand what you like, you can make your sex life a whooooole lot better. When you’ve discovered your likes and dislikes you can for sure communicate this with partners – say hell yes to more pleasure, you deserve it!
We have a lot to be proud of when it comes to our amazing anatomy. After being dismissed for FAR TOO LONG we’re saying yes oh yes to big clit energy!
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