I... well, firstly, haven't ever heard of it, and my instinct would be to say it'd be breasts/cleavage rather than genitalia for women, but... um. That begs the question of why.
And I think it's that - surely even in lesbian circles - vaginas aren't the equivalent of penises.
Sending someone a picture of a penis says 'here is something that I can use on you'. Sending someone a picture of a vagina says 'here is something you can do something to'. Even in exclusively female-oriented circles... a vagina remains a passive symbol, I think? Breasts are something you can wield, dress, flaunt, lean forward to display - or, you know, in a less sexual way, lean your cup on, use to steady something again, you can use the bra as a handy couple of pockets, and so on. We can relate to our breasts, and use them. Vaginas... okay, so we relate to them a bit but usually only when it's explicitly sexual, and only by doing things to them.
A lot of the time, when men flaunt a penis, it's not about sex but about social interaction - about dominance in some way. It's a symbol of more than sex.
There's no way to make a vagina its equivalent. And even with all that aside.... even if you are thinking in a non-misogynistic way, thinking as somebody who likes vaginas, you'd be thinking about 'what can I do to that vagina to make it feel good'. It's still an object to be approached, rather than a subject that approaches you So sending a picture of a vagina just... doesn't equate, imo.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2015-11-16 08:17 am (UTC)And I think it's that - surely even in lesbian circles - vaginas aren't the equivalent of penises.
Sending someone a picture of a penis says 'here is something that I can use on you'. Sending someone a picture of a vagina says 'here is something you can do something to'. Even in exclusively female-oriented circles... a vagina remains a passive symbol, I think? Breasts are something you can wield, dress, flaunt, lean forward to display - or, you know, in a less sexual way, lean your cup on, use to steady something again, you can use the bra as a handy couple of pockets, and so on. We can relate to our breasts, and use them. Vaginas... okay, so we relate to them a bit but usually only when it's explicitly sexual, and only by doing things to them.
A lot of the time, when men flaunt a penis, it's not about sex but about social interaction - about dominance in some way. It's a symbol of more than sex.
There's no way to make a vagina its equivalent. And even with all that aside.... even if you are thinking in a non-misogynistic way, thinking as somebody who likes vaginas, you'd be thinking about 'what can I do to that vagina to make it feel good'. It's still an object to be approached, rather than a subject that approaches you So sending a picture of a vagina just... doesn't equate, imo.