A Rose by Any Other Name

Yesterday, when I was walking along a street, I overheard a word that surprised me. There were many conversations that blended together, but a single word made itself heard, "cunt."

The word was not harshly said – though it is a hard word. And it got me to thinking about different words and how we use them. Not globally about different words, but for different words about a certain part of a woman's anatomy.

When I was in college, I am not sure I used many words for this particular part of the body – and the most comfortable word for me at that time was the more scientific term "vagina." Even now in my writings, this is my most comfortable word. It is the word I used, with my roomies, with my friends, with my boyfriends/dates, with everyone.

I don’t want to over-analyze things, but I think that I am more comfortable with the more scientific word because it is a bit more "clinical," more detached.

When I started saying the word "pussy", it was never comfortable. I would blush uncontrollably, even when I wanted to be seductive or worldly. I just could not say the word without being embarrassed. I am more comfortable with the word now, but it is still a little naughty. By the way, I blushed when I typed the word just now. Guess I have some more growing to do before the word elicits a different response.

Then there is "cunt," the bad boy of the vagina words. It is a harsh word, and I never thought I would ever want to be called that. One lover that I took when I was in my loose phase insisted on calling me his "little cunt." I grew to love that pet name. He said it so lovingly, though I was never deceived into thinking that he was ever in love with me. I was not even his girlfriend. I was just a fucking partner. Probably one of many. I have heard from others that calling a woman a cunt is always a demeaning term. I am sorry to disagree – at least in that one case. I felt special, loved.

In my loose phase, I also took a lover that would call me on the phone, and his special name for me was "his favorite pussy." He knew that the word made me blush, and when calling me, I think he wanted to embarrass me in a sweet, playful way. He would open the call with, "How is my favorite pussy?" And me, I would melt.

I know there are lots of other words - couchie, twat, poonani or punani, box, front bum, peanut, jenny, cat, and snatch. But I really have no experience with using these words. One funny story that I heard about fanny – it is an English word for vagina. Someone was exercising in the US, visiting from the UK, and every time the yoga instructor said "tighten your fanny," the young woman laughed. How funny. The instructor wanted a soft word for butt, and she ended up with something that is a bit harder for our Brittish cousins.

I guess I should borrow from Shakespeare: "A vagina by any other name would still smell as sweet."