I was fourteen years old when my journey with vulvar anxiety began.
Sitting in math class, a boy handed me a note with a question that would haunt me for years: ‘Do you have an entrance or an exit?’
And no, I wasn’t talking about belly button.
At that age, I had never seen another vulva, so I had no idea where I fell on the vulva spectrum.
During high school, the words boys used to describe vulvas (‘kebab’, ‘upside-down volcano’, ‘octopussy’) further fueled my doubts.
I started to wonder: was my vulva weird? Was it abnormal?
By the time she was in her early twenties, this anxiety had intensified to the point that she was considering labiaplasty, which involves the removal or alteration of tissue from the labia, the folds of skin found on either side of the vaginal opening of a women.
I hoped surgery could “fix” what I thought was wrong.
Ellie Sedgwick (pictured) wants to challenge the narrow ideals that have driven many of us to question our bodies.
Ellie’s book, Flip Through My Flaps: An Exploration of the Vulva, has been published.
I hoped surgery could “fix” what I thought was wrong.
I went so far as to book two consultations and both surgeons were very willing to go ahead with the surgery without even looking at my vulva.
In the end, a consultation in India, where I was working at the time, saved me from undergoing labiaplasty.
When I showed my vulva to this doctor, he informed me that what I wanted to surgically alter was completely “normal.”
She explained to me that all vulvas are unique and that it is normal not to have the ‘Barbie vagina’ that is portrayed in porn, movies and magazines.
He could have easily agreed to give me the Rolls-Royce of vulvas, but instead, he sent me with the task of researching what real, unedited vulvas are like.
I thought to myself, ‘If only there was a vulva book I could buy to help me.’
Inspired by this experience, I announced on Facebook in 2018 that I would be creating a coffee table book dedicated to photographs of vulvas to help educate the world about their beautiful diversity.
I started photographing women’s vulvas and now, seven years later, my book Flip Through My Flaps: An Exploration of the Vulva is finally here.
Featuring more than 500 vulvas along with personal stories covering critical women’s health topics, from miscarriages to herpes to body image.
While this journey was inspired by my experience with vulvar anxiety, it is no longer just a personal matter; It has become a public health crisis.
Flip Through My Flaps: An Exploration of the Vulva features more than 500 vulvas along with personal stories from vulva owners covering critical women’s health topics, from miscarriages to herpes to body image.
One in six Australian women is anxious or embarrassed about the appearance of their lips, according to a Women’s Health Victoria study.
Unfortunately, this problem is even more pronounced in Generation Z: one in four people between the ages of 18 and 24 face vulvar anxiety and almost a third associate their lips with negative words like “weird,” “disgusting” or “ugly.”
One in ten Australians (equaling more than half a million women) say they have undergone or considered undergoing labiaplasty, which is now the fastest growing surgery in Australia.
This anxiety is not just an emotional burden; It can affect physical, mental and sexual health.
In fact, one in eight women admit they avoid essential health appointments, such as GP check-ups or Pap tests, due to embarrassment about their labia.
This underscores the need for greater education and acceptance, which is why Flip Through My Flaps: An Exploration of the Vulva is needed now more than ever.
My hope is that the book encourages a new narrative about vulvar diversity, one that is rooted in acceptance and self-love rather than shame and secrecy.
Through each photograph and story, I want to challenge the narrow ideals that have driven many of us to question our bodies, helping others see what I discovered: that there is no such thing as a “perfect” vulva, only one that belongs to you.
By facing this cultural silence and creating this resource, I hope we can cultivate a world where vulvar anxiety is replaced with acceptance, self-love, and the freedom to celebrate our bodies as they are.
