A leading Dutch dictionary has introduced a new word for labia, adding “vulvalippen” as an alternative to “schaamlippen” after a successful campaign to reduce shame around women’s bodies.
The traditional Dutch term for labia, “schaamlippen”, literally translates to “shame lips” and is just one example of the outdated and stigmatising language that has historically been used to describe women’s body parts.
The new term, “vulvalippen”, is considered to be a neutral, anatomically correct term for the body part, removing any element of shame that contributed to the ongoing stigma surrounding the female anatomoy.
The dictionary update is considered a huge win for women in The Netherlands and it comes after a years-long campaign to see change.
In 2024, several advocacy groups joined forces to launch the Schaamteloos campaign, asking why it was still acceptable to call the labia “shame lips”. Why should our language for women’s bodies carry an instruction that the labia is shameful or embarrassing, they asked, even hosting a march in Utrecht earlier this month to bring attention to the issue.
The campaign was inspired by Ellen Laan, a professor of sexology who argued for the change before passing away in 2022.
“Language shapes how we see ourselves,” Shari Klein, a founder of the Schaamteloos campaign, told the BBC.
“It’s crucial people have a more neutral, anatomically correct word – not a word that links to shame, whether consciously or sub-consciously.”
A similar effort has been made in Germany, with a petition launched in 2018 to replace “shamlippen” with “vulvalippen”, although this has not been picked up by any dictionaries yet.
This shift got us thinking about other words that tie shame or stigma to women’s bodies.
Hymen
In 2009, Sweden introduced a new term for hymen, with the traditional word “mödomshinna” translating to “virginity membrane”, which was considered anatomically incorrect but also too closely connected to the concept of virginity which reinforced patriarchal myths. It was replaced with the term, “slidkrans”, translating to “vaginal corona”.
Hysterectomy
Academics and campaigners have also argued that the surgical removal of the uterus should no longer be called hysterectomy, instead pushing for the term uterectomy to be adopted. Of course, hysterectomy is derived from the term “hysteria” which was formally defined in the 5th century BCE and was once thought to be a mental health condition that affected women. Today, we know “hysteria” doesn’t exist and it was rooted in deeply misogynistic thinking.
Pudendum
Then, there’s pudendum, the Latin term for vulva. It translates to “the part to be ashamed of”. It was once used by the Romans to mean the external genitals of men, women and animals, but over the years it only stuck to women. The word still appears in almost every medical textbook.
Incompetent cervix
It’s hard to believe a term like ‘incompetent cervix’ is still commonplace in the medical world, but it’s a term used every day to describe when a woman’ s cervix shortens or opens too early in pregnancy. The terms shifts a sense of personal failure onto women who may have experienced pregancy loss or a premature birth. It is sometimes called a cervical insufficiency.