Ask Ellie: Is Flip Through My Flaps Appropriate for Children?
One of the most common questions I’ve received since launching Flip Through My Flaps: An Exploration of the Vulva is whether it’s suitable for children. The short answer? Yes.
Comfortable In My Skin: The Movement
Comfortable In My Skin is a movement to empower people to love the skin they’re in born out of my bedroom in Manly.
I want to share the story of Comfortable In My Skin came to be: Like so many stories, and insecurities, mine starts in high school. I was 13 when a boy tapped me on the shoulder and passed me a note reading, “Do you have an innie or an outie?” And no, he wasn’t asking about my belly button.
At this age, I had never seen another vulva so I had no idea where I sat on the vulva spectrum. I didn’t even know what an outie was. This is when my vulva anxiety began and I started to question, “Am I normal?”
My vulva anxiety grew and I ended up in a surgeon's office having a consultation for labiaplasty. I had three consultations with the first two in Sydney and both surgeons offering to slice into my vulva without as much as seeing her. The third was in India, where I was nannying at the time. This surgeon, after seeing my vulva, said to me: “Ellie, Madam, have you ever seen another vulva?”
Looking at my vulva, he explained it was completely “normal” and encouraged me to Google other vulvas.
He also suggested I'd be better off getting a chin implant as more people would see it than my vulva - but that's a separate story! This consultation started my vulva self-love journey and eventually led to the idea for the Flip Through My Flaps. Imagine if there was somewhere vulva owners could go and see the beautiful diversity of vulvas everywhere? That’s what I wanted to create to ensure that no one felt alone and shameful about such a sacred part of their bodies.
The Pussy bus on tour!
The concept of Flip Through My Flaps built into what we now know as Comfortable In My Skin. Through my photoshoots, I recognised that so many people out there were in need for more education and resources about not just vulvas but body confidence, consent, STDs, self love and more.
As I saw my community grow on social media and the incredible response across Australia, I wanted to take Comfortable In My Skin national. I kicked off my Pussy Tour on my bus, shooting vulva owners all across the country and expanding Comfortable In My Skin to events, workshops, a podcast and, of course, sex toys.
Today, Comfortable In My Skin is a national movement followed by more than 100,000 people globally. I am so so proud to be raising vulva awareness and helping vulva owners love themselves. With labiaplasty now the fastest-growing surgery in Australia, it has never been more important to educate people about all the beautiful vulva diversity that exists in this world.
Love Ellie xxxx
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