Did you know? Not all women use the same words to talk about their gender. Some use very crude expressions, others prefer more tender nicknames. A detail that seems trivial, but which actually says a lot about their sexuality.
At least that’s what a study published in the journal has just shown
Sex Roles by psychologists Tanja Oschatz and Rotem Kahalon, who analyzed the words used by 457 American women to name their vulva and vagina, both in everyday life and during sexual intercourse. Their study highlights a direct link between these vocabulary choices, sexual pleasure, self-image and certain intimate behaviors (dirty talk).
Dirty talk, words for the vulva and female sexual pleasure
Is it useful to specify this? Language is not just decoration in a woman’s sex life.”For years, feminist scholars and sexuality educators have emphasized that language matters, that the words we use to talk about our bodies can shape the way we feel about them. Yet despite this widely accepted idea, there was surprisingly little empirical evidence showing how this plays out when it comes to women’s genitals.“, confides Tanja Oschatz to the media
PsyPost.
For this study, the participants agreed to reveal the nickname they give to their intimate organs on a daily basis (i.e. when they talk about it to a friend, a doctor and themselves) and then under the covers. Result ?
“We found that the ways of naming the genitals among women are very diverse, and that they strongly depend on the context“, explained Tanja Oschatz.
“For example, when women were asked, ‘What term do you usually use?’, the majority mentioned at least one anatomical term like “vagina” or “vulva.” On the other hand, when asked what term they use in a sexual context, most reported using more informal or ‘vulgar’ terms. Compared to data from twenty years ago, we also found that the term ‘vulva’ (which refers to the external parts of the female genitalia) and words referring to the clitoris have become more frequent, suggesting a more differentiated and anatomically informed vocabulary today.“.
When vulgar dirty talk rhymes with more orgasms
Once in bed, neutrality is over: nearly 45% of the women surveyed say they use terms considered vulgar to talk about their sex, while anatomical terms become secondary. Statistical analyzes show that women who resort to this vulgar register during intercourse report higher overall pleasure, more frequent orgasms and a stronger desire for oral sex.
But for the psychologist, everything depends on the moment experienced. “Context is really essential“, she emphasizes. “The links between language and attitudes differed depending on when the terms were used. For example, childish terms were only associated with more negative feelings when they were used outside of a sexual context, not during sex. Interestingly, the use of the word ‘pussy’ (colloquial English term for vagina) in sexual contexts was associated with higher sexual pleasure and more frequent orgasms. This suggests that a word once considered denigrating may now be reappropriated by many women“.
Still childish terms
Outside the bedroom, the atmosphere changes. While 75% of participants say they use at least one anatomical term on a daily basis, nearly 15% of them use childish or playful little names, and a comparable proportion uses expressions like “down” Or “private parts“.
“Our results show that the words women use are indeed linked to their attitudes and experiences“, Tanja Oschatz told PsyPost.
“Women who used childish terms tended to report more negative feelings about their genitals. These terms were also associated with behaviors and attitudes regarding sexuality and health, such as a more negative perception of the partner’s pleasure during oral sex, more frequent use of vaginal cleansing products and greater openness to labiaplasty.“.
In the study, these childish terms go hand in hand with a more critical image of one’s vulva and errors in intimate hygiene. The researchers point out that these correlations are partly explained by a more negative genital image, which seems to play a sort of bridge between language and behavior.
Talking about it without quoting it clearly
As for euphemisms, they don’t seem so negative: “We were surprised to find that the use of euphemisms, vague and indirect terms was not associated with more negative attitudes towards genitals.“, said Tanja Oschatz. “Yet we expected these terms to convey a certain degree of shame or discomfort. However, our results suggest the opposite“.
The authors point out, however, that their sample mainly brings together white American women, highly educated and all cisgender, and that the study establishes correlations without proving a cause and effect link: we do not know whether the choice of words directly influences sexual experience, or whether it is women who are already more comfortable with their sexuality who are more willing to adopt dirty talk and anatomical terms today.