Clitoraid, an organization that has devoted six years to humanitarian work such as repairing clitorises that have been harmed by genital mutilation, is happy to announce, its "first annual International Clitoris Awareness Week, May 6 to May 12," said Nadine Gary, Clitoraid spokesperson. She continues, "This year, we'll celebrate the sexual pleasure of all women, since all can benefit from more sexual appreciation."
Aside from genital mutilation, the clitoris is victim to prejudice and is often seen, even by many women, as "ugly." A friend of mine who wants to remain anonymous says that she "hates the way it protrudes from [her] body," and often thinks hers is too large in comparison to others she's come across. (I try to tell her this is a good thing, as the clitoris has about 8,000 nerve endings whereas the penis has only 5,000). Still, hegemonic views of vaginal beauty, whether perpetuated by pornography, airbrushed images of female genitalia, or the catty, insensitive remarks of other women prove we have not come a long way, baby, especially in a generation where Our Bodies Ourselves is old news.
Why should we love the clit? Well, for one, the stimulation of this organ is an easy way to an orgasm, mostly due to the vast number of nerve endings it contains, as noted above. Two, just like every penis comes in different sizes and shapes, so do clitorises. This is cause for celebration, as diversity adds to the beauty that is vital to celebrating women. (Folks, if you need some info on how to best stimulate the clitoris, click here.) And now, the third reason to love the clitoris: after five million years of human evolution, the clitoris is the one organ in the human body (sorry, guys) that exists purely for pleasure. Let me repeat: this organ's sole evolutionary purpose is to provide women bliss. So, there are a couple more days to this week of celebration. What can you do to celebrate? Well, there's the obvious. Aside from that, there are myriad ways of feting the clitoris in art, discussion, women's groups, education to younger women, and men. But most of all, feel special, women: our bodies are truly remarkable.