Painting Hundreds of People's Vulvas with Hilde Atalanta
In this episode, Hannah is joined by Hilde Atalanta, who is an illustrator and the creator of The Vulva Gallery. Hilde discusses why they started The Vulva Gallery and the responses they have had to their work. They and Hannah talk about bodily diversity and inclusivity in art and sexual health education, as well as what Hilde wanted to achieve with the You’re Welcome Club. Finally, Hannah and Hilde discuss censorship on social media platforms, and how there’s no such thing as “normal” genitals.
Read the episode transcript here!
SHOW NOTES
What we chat about…
How The Vulva Gallery came about
Hilde studying psychology with a sexuality minor at university
The Netherlands prohibiting photographic material of genitalia in school sex ed classes
Fearmongering images of genitals with STIs
When Hilde first started, did they work from real images or from their imagination?
The perspective of most vulva imagery
Hilde choosing to draw vulvas from the front perspective
Hilde getting requests from people asking to be included in the Vulva Gallery
Did Hilde learn anything from the responses?
Stories Hilde has heard about doctors commenting on their patients’ vulvas
The positive stories that Hilde has heard from The Vulva Gallery that have stood out to them
People cancelling labiaplasty surgery after finding The Vulva Gallery
How people requesting to be involved in The Vulva Gallery works
What’s Hilde’s favourite area of the vulva to paint?
Has doing this project had an impact on Hilde’s own body image and body confidence?
How body acceptance can be different from body confidence
What is You’re Welcome Club?
Why and how The Vulva Gallery Kickstarter campaign came about
Collaborating with sexual health professionals to debunk myths about vulvas
Hilde’s vulva card game based on Go Fish
Patterns that Hilde has noticed in the way that people describe their vulvas
Hannah’s first experience noticing her own labia
The difference between the vagina and the vulva
What pubic hair is called in the Netherlands
Linguistic terms shaping how people feel about their bodies
Parents using The Vulva Gallery material to teach their children about body diversity
How nudity doesn’t have to be related to sex
Hilde’s experience with censorship on social media platforms
Censorship on Instagram
What is the main message Hilde wants people to take away from their work?
USEFUL LINKS
Mentioned in the episode:
The Vulva Gallery: https://www.instagram.com/the.vulva.gallery/
The Vulva Gallery book: https://www.thevulvagallery.com/
Labiaplasty: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cosmetic-procedures/labiaplasty/
You’re Welcome Club: https://www.instagram.com/yourewelcomeclub/?hl=en
The Vulva Quartet game: https://www.etsy.com/nl/listing/706768961/the-vulva-quartet-game-a-card-game-about?ref=shop_home_active_1
MORE ABOUT HILDE ATALANTA
Hilde Atalanta is an illustrator and painter whose work focuses on gender expression and body diversity and inclusivity. They are the creator of The Vulva Gallery and You’re Welcome Club, and they recently ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to produce a Vulva Gallery book.
Find out more about Hilde on Instagram, Etsy, and their website.
Find out more about The Vulva Gallery on Instagram and the Vulva Gallery website.
Find out more about You’re Welcome Club on Instagram and the You’re Welcome Club website.
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*affiliate links