I’ve come a long, long way in loving my vulva. I remember the first time I thought there was something wrong with my anatomy. I was in 5th or 6th grade; my menstruation had already arrived and I began to grow pubic hair. I was scared. Why couldn't I just keep being a girl? Why did I suddenly become a woman? For me, those little pubic hairs filled me with fear and shame. I didn’t want to become a woman. Since that day, for about 9 years, I shaved my pubic hair non stop.
The second time I thought something was wrong was in middle school. By this time I'd had one serious boyfriend and my first sexual experience with him. I was in my room and I decided to have a look in the mirror I felt devastated, why was my vulva so ugly and brown? Why couldn't she be 'normal', like the women that work in porn? I immediately called my best friend at the time and I told her I needed to get a labiaplasty surgery. I don’t even remember what she told me, but I think she thought I was crazy. Or at least I think I was. Because now when I look at my vulva I see one of the prettiest things I’ve ever seen.
