Everything you ever wanted to know about vaginas … but were too afraid to Google

The vagina is the whole genital area

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“The word vagina only refers to a specific internal part: the muscular tube leading to the cervix. The outside part, including the labia (or lips) and clitoris, is called the vulva,” says Zoe Williams, interim director at the Vagina Museum. “There isn’t really a good word to describe both … apart from slang words,” she laughs. It’s no wonder that 45% of women couldn’t accurately label the vagina in a 2019 YouGov survey. “The recommendation is that children know the proper terms by the time they’re 10,” says Dr Maureen Whelihan, an obstetrician and gynaecologist and fellow of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “But parents can only teach them what they know.”