Femalia [Paperback]

Joani Blank (Editor), Michael Perry (Photographer), Michael A. Rosen (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1993

Thirty-two full-color photographs of women's genitals reflect the diversity of women's bodies. Therapists, sex educators, women's health clinicians -- and all women -- will find this volume a welcome addition to their libraries. "You will find these images some of the most beautiful you've ever seen, or be shocked by them. This book is a magic mirror letting you know exactly how you feel about female genitalia. It's a perfect coffee table book." Annie Sprinkle, Performance Artist "In these photographs of the vulva the hidden is revealed--as a reality and as an art form. The anatomic variability which makes each human face distinct is clearly reflected all over our bodies, and is now appreciated in the 'femalia'." Sadja Greenwood, M.D., M.H.P., Author, Menopause, Naturally

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"You will find these images some of the most beautiful you've ever seen, or be shocked by them. This book is a magic mirror letting you know exactly how you feel about female genitalia. It's a perfect coffee table book."-- Annie Sprinkle, Performance Artist

"In these photographs of the vulva the hidden is revealed--as a reality and as an art form. The anatomic variability which makes each human face distinct is clearly reflected all over our bodies, and is now appreciated in the 'femalia'." -- Sadja Greenwood, M.D., M.H.P., Author, Menopause, Naturally --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Joani Blank has been working in the field of sexuality as a writer, editor, counselor, teacher, community volunteer and entrepreneur for more than thirty years. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: Down There Press; 1 edition (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940208156
• ISBN-13: 978-0940208155
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important book, July 20, 2000

By 

Mike Rust - See all my reviews

This review is from: Femalia (Paperback)

These photographs are shockingly beautiful, largely because ofthe deceptive simplicity of style.

[Some] have complained that the photographs in this book are not "artistic" enough. As I see it, the importance and beauty of this book is its willingness to portray women's genitals in an honest, non-sexualized way. Art or abstraction is entirely opposite to the purpose of portraying the reality of women's bodies, as free as possible from the typical conceptions of Western culture (think of how naked women are usually shown in canonical art, or, better yet, pornography). The remark one reader made that many of the vulvas depicted would scare male readers is quite telling. They might scare a lot of readers, and the confrontation and analysis of that fear is what makes this book immensely important rather than just visually beautiful.

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars such a useful teaching tool, March 13, 2005

By 

Penelope Ocha "readwrite" (NorCal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Femalia (Paperback)

I used Femalia in a variety of workshops I present for women, many of whom previously didn't even have words for their sexual parts beyond "down there."

And I've found that looking at and talking about these photos often enables women to talk about sexual issues, trauma, abuse or sexual joy, often feeling safe to do so for the first time in their lives.

Now that I've begun reading about the horrible new plastic surgery they call "labial beautification," I wish more women had access to a book like Femalia to see how diverse and wonderful women's bodies are.

It's intriguing to me that many of the reader reviews posted here by by men who complain that the photos didn't do a thing for them. I don't think these were intended to be sexual turn-ons. And those who've complained that these photos are merely gynecological are missing the point. Unlike men, women can't easily see their own sexual parts. It's important and helpful that these show--in a very realsitic fashion--just how we are made.

Bottom line--if you'll forgive the pun--is that I find Femalia to be an incredibly empowering book for the women who've seen it and one of the best teaching tools available as far as female sexuality is concerned.

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Work of Art, September 27, 2003

By 

Kate Mckenzie (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Femalia (Paperback)

A number of reviewers here have objected to the classification of the images in 'Femalia' as art, on the grounds that they fail to measure up to their aesthetic ideals. But art, as any public gallery worth the name will attest, is far more than mere pretty pictures.

True Art challenges one's worldview. And 'Femalia' certainly does that. It is a brave and lonely voice challenging the contemporary view of the female body, so overwhelmingly submerged in fantasy and falsification.

This is an important work. I highly recommend it to any man genuinely interested in the female form, and to any woman estranged from her own.