Laura: Alright Sophia, I'm going to say a book title, and I want your gut reaction. The Vagina Bible. Sophia: My gut reaction is that my high school health teacher owes me a massive apology. And probably a refund. Laura: I think that’s the reaction of millions of women. It’s exactly why today we are diving into The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina–Separating the Myth from the Medicine by Dr. Jen Gunter. Sophia: I’ve heard of her! Isn't she known as "the Internet's OB/GYN" or something like that? The one who is constantly fighting misinformation online? Laura: That's the one. She’s a practicing gynecologist, and she wrote this book as a direct response to what she calls the "maelstrom of misinformation" that profits from female shame and ignorance. The book became an instant bestseller, and for good reason. It’s less a story and more of an encyclopedia of empowerment. Sophia: An encyclopedia we desperately need. Because if my health class was any indication, the official curriculum is basically a pamphlet from the 1950s. Laura: Exactly. And Dr. Gunter starts with the most fundamental error of all, one that most of us make every single day. It’s about the words we use.

Laura: She points out that most people use the word "vagina" to refer to everything down there. But that's anatomically incorrect. The vagina is the internal muscular tube. The external parts—the labia, the clitoris, the opening—that's all the vulva. Sophia: Okay, I can see that. Vulva is external, vagina is internal. But does the terminology really matter that much? Isn't it just semantics if everyone knows what you mean? Laura: That’s the perfect question, because Gunter argues it matters immensely. She says this linguistic error isn't an accident; it's a symptom of centuries of medical neglect. The vagina is defined by its relationship to the penis—it’s Latin for ‘sheath.’ The vulva, the center of female pleasure, has been linguistically and medically erased. Sophia: Erased? That feels like a strong word. Laura: But she backs it up. She tells this incredible story from 1938 about a teacher named Helen Hulick who was called to testify in a Los Angeles court. The judge refused to let her speak because she was wearing pants. He demanded she go home and change into a dress. Sophia: He demanded she change her clothes to testify? Laura: Yes. And when she refused, he held her in contempt of court and sentenced her to five days in jail. For wearing pants. Gunter uses this to illustrate a point: male-dominated institutions have always sought to control women's bodies and dismiss their experiences as irrelevant. The erasure of the vulva is part of that same pattern. It’s been deemed unimportant. Sophia: Wow. Getting jailed for wearing pants and not knowing the correct name for your own anatomy… it’s all connected. That's a powerful link. It makes me think about the clitoris, which is part of the vulva. It feels like that’s been the most ignored part of all. Laura: Absolutely. Gunter explains that the clitoris is the only organ in the human body solely designed for pleasure. And it's so much more than the tiny visible part. It has a huge internal structure—a body, roots, crura—that is all erectile tissue. She points out that one reason we know so little is that it's harder to study than the penis. Cadaveric studies are limited, often using only a few bodies of elderly women, which doesn't give us the full picture. Sophia: So, the part of the female body designed exclusively for pleasure has been historically under-researched and misnamed. That doesn't feel like an accident. Laura: That's precisely Gunter's argument. And this historical neglect and misinformation has created a perfect storm for another problem: a culture obsessed with the idea that vaginas are inherently unclean.

Sophia: Right. This idea of historical neglect is fascinating. It feels like it connects directly to this cultural obsession with vaginas being... 'unclean' or needing to be 'fixed.' Laura: It’s a direct line. Dr. Gunter calls out what she terms the "feminine hygiene industrial complex." Her central, most repeated point is that the vagina is a "self-cleaning oven." It has a complex microbiome of good bacteria, mainly lactobacilli, that maintain a healthy, acidic pH. It doesn't need help. Sophia: A self-cleaning oven. I love that analogy. It’s so much better than the messaging we usually get. Laura: And that messaging has a dark history. Gunter brings up the story of Lysol in the 1930s and 40s. It was aggressively marketed as a feminine hygiene douche. Sophia: Hold on. Lysol? The floor cleaner? You're kidding me. Laura: Not kidding. The ads were insidious. They preyed on women's insecurities, suggesting that douching with Lysol was essential for "marital happiness" and to avoid offending their husbands. Gunter argues there's a direct line from those horrifying ads to the scented tampons, vaginal steams, and "pH-balanced" washes we see today. Sophia: It's a business model based on misogyny. They create the shame, and then they sell you the cure for a problem that never existed. It's infuriating. Laura: It is. And it's not just unnecessary; it's harmful. Douching, steaming, using these washes—they all disrupt that delicate "self-cleaning oven," killing off the good bacteria and making you more susceptible to infections like bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections. Sophia: Okay, so if we're supposed to throw out everything in the 'feminine hygiene' aisle, what is the actual medical advice? What should we be doing? Laura: It's beautifully simple. For the vulva—the outside—water is perfectly fine. If you want to use a cleanser, use a gentle, fragrance-free one. And for the vagina—the inside—the advice is even simpler: do nothing. Leave it alone. It knows what it's doing. Sophia: Do nothing. That feels both revolutionary and incredibly freeing. It’s like the opposite of every message we’ve ever received. Laura: And that theme of unlearning harmful messages and misinformation extends right into the bedroom. The book's section on female pleasure is perhaps its most powerful.

Laura: Gunter takes on the biggest myths about female sexuality, head-on. She argues that so much of what we're taught is based on a male-centric view of sex. Sophia: Let me guess, the first myth on the chopping block is the G-spot? Laura: You guessed it. Dr. Gunter is unequivocal: the G-spot is a myth. There is no distinct anatomical structure, no magic button. She explains that the front wall of the vagina is where the internal parts of the clitoris are located. So, what people are likely feeling is simply internal clitoral stimulation. Sophia: That makes so much sense. It’s not a separate spot; it’s just more of the same amazing organ. Laura: Exactly. And that leads to her most powerful, quote-worthy statement in the entire book. She says: "Not orgasming with unassisted penile penetration is not a flaw, it’s a feature." Sophia: Whoa. Say that again. That flips everything we're taught on its head. So the idea of a 'vaginal orgasm' being the ultimate goal is basically a lie we've been sold? Laura: Pretty much. It sets women up for failure and anxiety. Gunter points out that this idea pathologizes the female experience. It makes women feel broken if they can't achieve something that is, for most, anatomically unlikely without direct clitoral stimulation. Sophia: It’s so validating to hear a doctor say that. It removes so much pressure. Laura: And she has the data to back it up. One study she cites found that 86% of lesbian women reported they usually or always orgasm during sex. For heterosexual women, that number was only 65%. Sophia: That says it all, doesn't it? When sex isn't centered around a penis, women have more orgasms. It’s not rocket science. Laura: It’s not. As Gunter says, "all pleasure roads lead to the clitoris." It's the pleasure aggregator and amplifier. The book is a call to unlearn the myths and focus on what actually works for the female body, not what works for a patriarchal script.

Laura: So when you connect the dots—from not even having the right words for our own bodies, to being sold harmful products out of manufactured shame, to being fed damaging myths about our own pleasure—you see the clear pattern Dr. Gunter is exposing. Sophia: It's a pattern of control through misinformation. And the antidote, as she says over and over, is facts. It's about reclaiming your body by understanding it. It’s not just a "Vagina Bible"; it's a manual for liberation. Laura: That’s a perfect way to put it. The book is more than a medical guide; it’s a political act. It’s a tool for empowerment. And if there’s one single message to take away from it, it’s a quote from the very first page of her chapter on the vulva. Sophia: What is it? Laura: "No woman has ever benefited by learning less about her body." Sophia: That's the perfect takeaway. It makes you want to go out and learn more, and maybe have a few overdue conversations. We'd love to hear what myths this book busted for you, or what you learned today. Join the conversation on our social channels. Laura: This is Aibrary, signing off.