Dear V,
My boyfriend told me that I have “long lips,” and he wasn’t talking about the lips on my face. What is the normal length of inner labia?
Sincerely,
Lippy
Dear Lippy,
First of all, don’t let anyone (including your boyfriend) compare your body parts to others. He should know girls can be self-conscious, especially about their private areas. But if you must know, this is something that can vary just as much as any other body part.
In some women, the inner lips are completely enclosed by the outer lips. In other women, the inner lips (labia minora) are larger than the outside lips. Many pornographic images have been retouched, causing a lot of men to expect a certain look below the belt, but you shouldn’t be ashamed of your body. Advertising may try to convince women that they are larger than the norm, but it’s really something that comes in a wide range of sizes. The size of your lips doesn’t affect anything about your sexual experience, they may just look different and that’s all.
If you’re really curious, you can try visiting a genitourinary medicine clinic. These clinics deal with a variety of sexual and genital issues, and they see more labia a day than pretty much anyone else. They can take a look down there and let you know if anything is abnormal, but most likely they’ll tell you you’re perfectly fine and that everyone is different. So embrace your body!
Hope this helps,
V
Have a question for V? Hit up DearV@themiamihurricane.com.