An Analysis of Vulva Appearance in Video Pornography

Abstract

Media uses implicit imagery to tell women which genital standards are deemed acceptable by society. Explicit depictions of genitals are usually reserved for pornographic materials, which women often describe as depicting uniform vulva appearance. It is possible that viewing invariable images of vulvas could have a negative impact on women’s self-perceptions. To better understand the vulva representations women are exposed to, the current study collected images (N = 743) of vulvas from video pornography via two websites: Pornhub.com and Bellesa.co. We categorized images based on the level of pubic hair grooming and labia minora protrusion. Bellesa did not differ from Pornhub for the labia minora feature. We found that the majority of images from both websites had barely any protrusion of the labia minora past the labia majora. Pornhub showed vulvas with no hair most often, whereas Bellesa had slightly more variation in level of grooming. It is evident that both websites are depicting mostly uniform vulvas—small, groomed, and tidy. Undeviating depictions could influence women’s genital ideals, pushing them to seek out extreme surgery and beauty measures in order to adhere to the standards presented. Much like clothing advertisements, which now present a range of body shapes and sizes, presenting a diverse set of images of vulvas could be beneficial to viewers. Based on the impact these images have on women’s psychological wellbeing, makers of pornography should consider diversifying their search and hiring criteria when selecting actresses, while also providing image disclaimers for their viewers.