Ah, the clitoris! This wonderful organ that gets so much bad press. There are so many myths and misconceptions around it; the biggest one being that it’s small and hard to find. Well, be prepared to get past the tip of the iceberg and get real intimate with this fantastic piece of anatomy in this article!
First things first; what we deem as the clitoris is actually ¼ of its whole size. The rest is located inside the body, and has a shape that resembles a wishbone, circling around the vaginal canal all the way down to the perineum. On average, the whole clitoris is usually from 9cm to 12cm long, which proportionately is the same size as a penis.
Back when humanity thought a woman needed to orgasm to conceive, there was more scientific interest around the clitoris. However, this has died out – even if we did know of its size and shape since the middle ages! It’s only recently we are seeing a “clit revival” with more research being dedicated to it.
Where is the clitoris? Basic anatomic principles
Clitoral parts
The clitoris is divided into bulbs, crus, and glans. The crus “anchors” the clit inside the body, while the bulbs are made of spongy tissue that fills with blood when the clitoris erects (more on that later!). The glans is the part most of us know; the head or the pearl located outside. It is the most sensitive part of the female body, rich in innervations.
The clit and the dick
We said before that the clit is the same size as the penis proportionately. This makes sense, considering the clitoris and the penis are homologous structures, and come from the same embrionary part.
Lady wood – the clitoral erection
There is also a very important similarity between clitorises and penises, the importance of erection. When the clit-owner is turned on, the bulbs are filled with blood; making them swell. When this happens, they glue to the vaginal walls, causing it to be more sensitive and allowing penetration to be pleasurable. This is why penetration can be uncomfortable if you are not turned on. Now you know!
Going deeper
The clitoris and reproduction
While the main function of the clitoris is to spark pleasure, it also helps reproduction. There are a number of anatomical changes the clit promotes when stimulated that facilitate fecundation. The cervix is lifted, so a semen pool can be formed at the bottom of the uterus. The increased blood flow provided by arousal also elevates the temperature and oxygen circulation inside the vagina, creating the optimum environment for fertilisation. While this is important? We are just starting to understand the whole scope of the importance of the clit in human anatomy, and while clit-owners do not need to have an orgasm to conceive, it most certainly seems to help a lot!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The clitoris and anal sex
The same way, anal pleasure has a lot to do with the clitoris. The blood vessels and nerve endings of the bulbs extend all the way to the muscles around the anus, connecting everything and allowing anal sex to be pleasurable for clit-owners. This is why it is so important to stimulate the clitoris always – and get rid of the idea that clit stimulation is “foreplay”.
Vaginal orgasm vs clitoral orgasm: The rivalry that never existed
You have probably heard that there is a difference between vaginal orgasms and clitoral orgasms. That the first occurs during penetration – and are more real and more intense. Well, everything about that notion is nothing but pure and utter bullshit!
Like we have said, the clitoris connects everything, the glans, to the vaginal canal, to the anus. So all the genital pleasure of clit-owners comes necessarily from the clit, making all genital orgasms clitoral orgasms. But then, where does this idea of the two orgasms comes from?
Basically, from Freud. While studying female sexuality, he proposed that the clitoral orgasm is “childish” – because it can be achieved through masturbation. And that vaginal orgasms were the real ones. This has caused generations of generations of women to be completely neurotic about their capacity to feel pleasure. All of this because – get this – most women need direct stimulation to the glans of the clitoris to orgasm!
This notion also centers heterosexual sex around penetration – and puts the blame on women for not feeling pleasure when their main sexual organ is being ignored during sex. It’s really messed up, so yeah, thanks a lot, Freud!
Turning tables: The clit front and center
The good news is, it’s literally in our hands to change this. The clitoris has been ignored for way too long and now it’s time for it to shine – and along with it, time for us to transform the way we see sex.
The pleasure gap is largely caused by the bypassing of the clitoris during sex. So it’s time to turn it around! There are plenty of ways to play with the clit and give it all the love It deserves!
Don’t ignore the shaft:
Think about it; behind the vulva lips there are bulbs filled with blood and nerves ready to be stimulated. Touch, lick, kiss the vulva – and don’t focus only on the glans.
But don’t ignore the glans, either
Remember this is the most sensitive part of the clit-owners body. So giving it love has nothing to do with “foreplay” – it should be a main event. Just remember to go slow – just like a penis, when it’s erect it’s more pleasurable to touch.
And forget about the vaginal/clitoral orgasm dichotomy
Most people need direct stimulation to the glans to have an orgasm – this is normal, common, and fair. Let’s stop putting pressure on penetration to be the main event. This a lesson to be learned from queer women, who on average orgasm 20% times more easily than straight women during sex.
The most important lesson to extract from this is to have sex with someone who has a clit and not touch it is the same thing as having sex with someone who has a penis and not touching it.
So let’s shower it in love and attention!
Did you have this information about the clitoris before? Did you learn something new? How is your experience with your clitoris in partnered and solo sex? We want to read all about it in the comment section on the very bottom of this page!