Hear her Roar: Abi Rose

Up until the eighth grade, I never knew how to like my body, or that it was even possible to look into the mirror and not see a lanky, too skinny body, or a weirdly shaped nose. In eighth grade, I started listening to punk rock music, which taught me not to worry about what others thought, and that I didn't have to fit in. But even my favourite bands couldn't teach me to love all of myself, even what I saw in the mirror.
But then I found feminism. And in the first feminist anthology I wrote, I read about all kinds of different women who loved their bodies for what they were; fat, skinny, in-between, big boobs, no boobs, post-op, black, white, whatever. Then I started reading articles on my then-favourite feminist blog, and there I found this site, VulvaLoveLovely.
At first I felt weird about seeing all these vulva necklaces. And then, suddenly, I loved it. I loved that these women loved their bodies enough to send a stranger pictures of them and then wear them proudly. I loved that they were taking control of their bodies, putting them on display in a way that was beautiful and not sexual. And I loved that it was very in-your-face, and made people re-think their assumptions, which appealed to my punk side.
A few months after I found VLL, I decided it was time to take a truly punk leap and pierce my clitoral hood. My ears were all pierced up, and my nose, and I had four tattoos at the time, and I wanted my yoni to feel the rock, too. The day when I took my pants off in front of my piercer and got a barbell downstairs, too, was the day I truly fell in love with my body.
Ever since, I've been so much happier. I don't feel shy taking my clothes off in front of new partners, or wearing bikinis on the beach or the pool. I modeled for my friend's figure drawing class. I ripped up the page I'd taken out of Cosmo about how to lose my belly and decided I liked that, too. I never complain about my body anymore, and when my friends tell me I'm too skinny I just shrug instead of feeling uncomfortable. I'm very happy being me, the size I was meant to be. I'm very comfortable in the skin I'm in, and the only change I'd ever want to make is to add more tattoos.

Taking Photos? There is a magic to it:

This information has long been available to our models and then it hit me:
I'll bet our portrait pendant customers would find this mad helpful. The pictures really are the trick to getting a perfect portrait piece.

So, here it is: The Model Photo Taking Magic.

Model Photo Taking Tips:

*The best light is natural light. Be sure your flash is off and take the photo where you get a lot of sunshine coming through a window. Flash distorts the color of the photo.

*If your camera has a macro setting use that while taking the photos. It’s the little icon that looks like a tulip (fitting, right?) . If not use the auto setting.

*When you go to push down the button and take the picture hold your breath. This will minimize how much your body shakes the camera and make for a clearer picture.

*If your having a hard time getting a photo with your vulva actually in it (taking a photo of something you can’t see can be tough) try setting up a mirror system so you can see the screen on the back of the camera in the mirror. If you don’t have a mirror you can take a picture and then look at it, use that to gauge how much and which direction you need to move the camera in.

*Think about if you want your pieces to represent your more natural look or if you want to have your inner labia splayed out. Use a hand mirror prior to snapping the photos to arrange your Vulva as you love her best.

*Don’t feel required to shave before taking your photos. We here at VLL love bush. How can you play bumper cars without bumpers? If you do rock your bush before taking the photos spread your labia apart, sort of pushing the hair “out of the way” so that the details of your inner labia are visible.

*Take as many pictures as you have the patience to, the more you take the better the chances are that there is one fantastic, clear picture in the lot. Send 2-3 photos with the name you would like to use. As far as the story goes there are no ‘rules’, speak your truth in whatever manner comes naturally.

*Most of all, enjoy this! I know it sounds awkward, but things are what you make of them. Take this opportunity to explore a part of yourself you can’t see with your own eyes. Celebrate it. When your taking the photos and looking at them later, don’t glance at them and decide they are horrible. I promise they are not. Look at them, look at the colors and the curves. Find something you love in them and own it.

Thank you so much for deciding to take part in our model program! I hope that it is an empowering experience for you and all of the women visitors that come across the piece. No matter what you look like you are beautiful, no matter what scars you have you are perfect. A shimmering white and silver portrait piece will be mailed to you in 5-6 weeks as a thank you and once your photos are received you will be e-mailed a life-long 10%off coupon code.

With so much Vulva Love,

Jessica Marie

Spread the Love

Hello all of you Beautiful ladies!
I would like you to meet Chelle. She just turned 25 and for her birthday she had a talk with Lissa Rankin of Whats Up Down There. You can read the whole story here (you really want to, its fantastic! )but I will do my best to break it down for you.

Chelle was born with a Terrier Cleft. Its a type of facial cleft that goes all the way through her lip to her palate, through her nose and between what would have been her eyes, which she was born without. In those 25 years she has undergone 66 surgeries.She's one tough lady.

When she talked with Lissa she told her something amazing: her dream. Her very attainable dream. She wants to go to Africa to hold babies and help disabled children so that they know they are loved, that they are precious and that their lives matter. She wants to live in her own home surrounded by animals. It really boils down to: She wants to spread the love.

So, here's the deal. I've whipped up a custom Chelle uterus plushie and we are auctioning her off right here, right now, to get Chelle that new place, work clothes, money for the bus and anything else she needs.

Click Here to Place your bid!


That's all, Folks. Together, women can move mountains: so lets stop talking about it and do it!

With Vulva Love to all of you,
Jessica Marie

October's Clitorati Challenge: Feel your Boobies

This month's Clitorati challenge is to Feel Your Boobies,
and to promise to do so every month.
Why?

Because the earlier you detect breast cancer the more likely you are to undergo successful treatment. Early detection is key to survival. If breast cancer is found and diagnosed while still confined to the breast, the 5-year survival rate is more than 90 percent.

But that's only Part 1 of the challenge. Part 2 is to remind as many women as you can of the importance of preforming a monthly self exam. This is just as important as Part 1.

This month's prize:

A super cute Pink ribbon key chain.3" x 1" , 5" in total length

To win the goods preform a self breast exam, then remind 3 other women that its breast cancer awareness month and remind them to preform a self breast exam. You can do this in person or via a facebook or twitter post.

Once you have done both (Dont cheat on the self exam. 1 in 8 women in the US develop breast cancer in their lifetime and early detection is the key to survival) post a comment here saying "for the love of tatas, i felt mine" along with the first names of the women you showed Vulva Love to or the post you used to do so.

Remember, Clitorati, we are here for the love of women. Breast Cancer is killing them so do what you can to show the Love and save a life.

Breast Cancer FAQ

Its October, breast cancer awareness month.
So, to start the month of here are some tata factoids:

• About 1 in 8 women in the United States (between 12 and 13%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
• In 2010, an estimated 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 54,010 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
• About 1,970 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 2010. Less than 1% of all new breast cancer cases occur in men.
• From 1999 to 2006, breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. decreased by about 2% per year. One theory is that this decrease was partially due to the reduced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study called the Women’s Health Initiative were published in 2002. These results suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk.
• About 39,840 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2010 from breast cancer, though death rates have been decreasing since 1991. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances, earlier detection through screening, and increased awareness.
• For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
• Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. women. More than 1 in 4 cancers in women (about 28%) are breast cancer.
• Compared to African American women, white women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer, but less likely to die of it. One possible reason is that African American women tend to have more aggressive tumors, although why this is the case is not known. Women of other ethnic backgrounds — Asian, Hispanic, and Native American — have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer than white women and African American women.
• In 2010, there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.
• A woman’s risk of breast cancer approximately doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. About 20-30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer.
• About 5-10% of breast cancers can be linked to gene mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. Women with these mutations have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer during their lifetime, and they are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age (before menopause). An increased ovarian cancer risk is also associated with these genetic mutations. In men, about 1 in 10 breast cancers are believed to be due to BRCA2 mutations and even fewer cases to BRCA1 mutations.
• About 70-80% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic abnormalities that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.
• The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender (being a woman) and age (growing older).

This is a Problem

So Who Won July's Contest?

Foureyes, my friend, you have some big eggs.

Two free lip balms are your trophy. E-mail me at VulvaLoveLovely@Gmail.com with the 2 flavors you want and a mailing address. You can browse around in here http://vulvalovelovely.com/product-page/vegan-beauty-products/ to see the flavors we have in stock.

Honorable Uterine Mention goes to Danielle, that took some eggs.

Winners are chosen randomly, my Uterus doesnt play favorites. July's challenge can be found here:

http://vulvalovelovely.blogspot.com/2010/07/julys-contest-to-see-who-here-has.html

Winners are chosen randomly and honorable Uterine mention goes to the post with the most.