And Then, with Blanklet Pulled Up to My Chin, I Whisper to Bruce Willis, “I See Spread Vulva” But He's Not Really There, Not Really.

Growing up, Nancy Redd had a poor relationship with that part of her body that rhymes with Mulva, as Seinfeld famously noted. “I grew up in southern Virginia, where you're lucky if it's referred to as a hoo-ha," said Redd, 26. Then she majored in women's studies at Harvard, won Miss Virginia 2003 and placed in the top ten at Miss America 2004. With a postfeminist résumé like that, it was probably inevitable that she would write Body Drama, a version of Our Bodies, Ourselves for the self-image-addled teen girls and young women of Generation Z, coming out December 27. Covering everything from woes about lopsided boobs and personal smells to serious health issues, it's full of un-retouched photos of buck-naked everyday women, all New Yorkers whom Redd found over Craigslist—including a centerfold of 24 vulvas that gives new meaning to the term “full spread.” Redd recounted that shoot to Tim Murphy. …

So what did the Craigslist ad say?
It said, “Come show your vagina for a good cause.” We ended up shooting about 50. We wanted a variety of colors and shapes, hair and without hair. We concocted this table in a photo studio like you'd have at the gyno—a clean, sterile table with disposable paper. I paid $50 a vulva. …

How do women relate to their vulvas?
You'd be surprised about the shame they feel. They say it's too dark, it's too deep, it's too hairy, it's not feminine—which is the most ironic. How can your vulva not be feminine? …

Do you wax?
I was totally into it, but in doing my research and realizing what it takes for a place to be sanitary, I went on a panic attack. So right now I'm au naturel. But I don't see the point of just removing some from the sides. For me it's a Brazilian or nothing.

Do you think the shoot would've gone differently if you'd done it in L.A.?
Absolutely. They're way more manicured. People are more real in New York. I had Indian, Hispanic, Asian, white, and black women who were all so full of spirit. New York is a city of dreams.


Yes, dark, deep, hairy, feminine (in an ironic sort of way)—and quite possibly wet— dreams. Start spreading the news.