# Female genitalia and genetics **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2018, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641 "2018-08-15T06:23:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/21 "2018-08-16T09:24:11Z")
Google “Wall of Vulvas” for a sculptural example of how variable female genitalia are. No link of course it’s just a tad NSFW. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/22 "2018-08-16T13:16:59Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Is Apple working on genital recognition software? 🙂 Next time you’re meeting someone for the first time, step back a bit mentally and watch what you do as you’re shaking their hand. You scan their face, glancing at various points, then you look down at their crotch, even if it is clothed. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I hate to tell you guys, but female genitals are nothing to write home about. As far as looks, I mean. While I would disagree (I find them and their variability fascinating), there is the expression, ‘bumping uglies.’ ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/23 "2018-08-16T13:33:39Z")
Who looks at their newborn and coos adoringly, “oh look, she has her mother’s vulva”? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/24 "2018-08-16T14:15:13Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Choices & more choices… ain’t it grand? > [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Is Apple working on genital recognition software? > [@md2000](#): > > The story of the Oxford students skinny-dipping when a boatload of young ladies rows by. Everyone grabs their clothes and holds them in front of their crotch except one fellow, who holds them in front of his face. The others ask why he did that… > He says “I don’t know about you guys, but around this town I’m recognized by my face.” > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I hate to tell you guys, but female genitals are nothing to write home about. As far as looks, I mean. > > ( altho’ they have other redeeming qualities) > [@Procrustus](#): > > Some people would say the same about male genitals. > > I disagree with you about the female variety, however. > [@jaycat](#): > > I think I inherited my penis size from my mother. > [@harmonicamoon](#): > > yes. Tell us about the power of female genitals. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Dear Mom and Dad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFVzql3qoe4)… > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Working on? It’s been working on iPhones for the past 3 years, if you’ve been trying at all. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > You can butt dial. Whole other thing, I guess. > [@Duckster](#): > > Loose lips sink … > 😃 > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > No you ditint!! > [@Ambivalid](#): > > Genitalia are just like people. Most aren’t all that special or nice to look at but every now and then… > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > There was no way I was going to pass this thread by without opening it. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Responding to post 18: You’re so right. As a woman I haven’t had a huge experience. But, as a woman I have my own and I have heard talk. It ain’t pretty folks. Just saying. > In the throes maybe you…oh, nevermind… > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Google “Wall of Vulvas” for a sculptural example of how variable female genitalia are. > > No link of course it’s just a tad NSFW. > [@DesertDog](#): > > 🙂 > Next time you’re meeting someone for the first time, step back a bit mentally and watch what you do as you’re shaking their hand. You scan their face, glancing at various points, then you look down at their crotch, even if it is clothed. > > While I would disagree (I find them and their variability fascinating), there is the expression, ‘bumping uglies.’ > [@brainstall](#): > > Who looks at their newborn and coos adoringly, “oh look, she has her mother’s vulva”? **Moderating** This is GQ. I don’t think that enough of an attempt has been made to answer this question factually for it to degenerate into nothing more than opinions and jokes about genitalia. If you want to discuss your personal opinions about the subject, open a new thread in MPSIMS. If this continues to be just a series of non-factual responses, I’m going to close it. Yes, I know I’m no fun.😉 Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/25 "2018-08-17T15:34:49Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderating** > > This is GQ. I don’t think that enough of an attempt has been made to answer this question factually for it to degenerate into nothing more than opinions and jokes about genitalia. If you want to discuss your personal opinions about the subject, open a new thread in MPSIMS. If this continues to be just a series of non-factual responses, I’m going to close it. > > Yes, I know I’m no fun.😉 > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator OK, seriously - other than face, who really looks at body parts enough to distinguish them? Most body parts are the product of multiple influences from multiple genes from both parents. Even prominent characteristics like “big nose” or other characteristics like “big breasts” are not 100% heritable or equally pronounced in the offspring, although the influence is obviously there - most of the time. The variation is obvious in how different siblings can look. Rarely do they look like identical twins. A female is obviously carrying X-chromosomes from both sides of the family, and different genes are randomly expressed… so a mix. Why would you expect anything different of any other body part? ---
**Author:** ![Trafalgar\_Laura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trafalgar_laura/32/2907_2.png) [@Trafalgar\_Laura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trafalgar_Laura)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/26 "2018-08-17T16:04:54Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I hate to tell you guys, but female genitals are nothing to write home about. As far as looks, I mean. > > ( altho’ they have other redeeming qualities) This is definitely a relative thing… as a lady’s lady, female genitals are lovely, mostly when someone consents to share them with you. (Having your own is a different thing entirely, and I think most gay dudes feel the same way about theirs…) I mean, yes, within the context of “genitals.” I don’t really want one framed on my wall. But I suspect if you like females, you’ll find that part more appealing, and vice versa. Male private parts are… well, gosh. I’m glad some people enjoy them, and it’s not really the fault of men that they were born with those things hanging off, right? It’s just genetic, and anyhow, like I said, some people are super into that! So good for penises, just please don’t make me look at the things. 😃 Why do they all look the way they do? Genetics? Whose genetics? The parents’. Which parents? Both of them. How is it divided? Well, determining the specifics for any tiny difference seems like trouble, much less figuring out how every variable in looks and size matches up to some specific genetic origin. Are we going to start breeding people for prettier genitals now? I say we just learn to accept them, and their beautiful diversity, according to our own tastes. From what I’ve heard from straight women, size and shape is less important to women than men anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/27 "2018-08-17T16:57:19Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > The story of the Oxford students skinny-dipping when a boatload of young ladies rows by. Everyone grabs their clothes and holds them in front of their crotch except one fellow, who holds them in front of his face. The others ask why he did that… > He says “I don’t know about you guys, but around this town I’m recognized by my face.” [It was a rabbi in the version I heard.](https://www.johns-jokes.com/a-minister-priest-and-a-rabbi-were-skinny-dipping) ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/28 "2018-08-17T17:03:59Z")
> [@](#): > > OK, seriously - other than face, who really looks at body parts enough to distinguish them? Sure, be the original question was about why inherited traits on genitalia for men were studied and for women seemingly not. I think it’s an interesting question (first thing being, of course, to confirm the premise). Rather like how external genitalia parts are so much less likely to be shown in science textbooks for the younger set than male. Even in drawing that show the external bits (just standing, not diagram), there’s usually just a cleft for women, despite more typically being visible when a woman stands that way. ---
**Author:** ![Warm\_blood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Warm\_blood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Warm_blood)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/29 "2018-08-17T22:33:14Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderating** > > This is GQ. I don’t think that enough of an attempt has been made to answer this question factually for it to degenerate into nothing more than opinions and jokes about genitalia. If you want to discuss your personal opinions about the subject, open a new thread in MPSIMS. If this continues to be just a series of non-factual responses, I’m going to close it. > > Yes, I know I’m no fun.😉 > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator My apologies for not doing enough to steer the discussion in a more serious direction. > [@md2000](#): > > OK, seriously - other than face, who really looks at body parts enough to distinguish them? Most body parts are the product of multiple influences from multiple genes from both parents. Even prominent characteristics like “big nose” or other characteristics like “big breasts” are not 100% heritable or equally pronounced in the offspring, although the influence is obviously there - most of the time. The variation is obvious in how different siblings can look. Rarely do they look like identical twins. > > A female is obviously carrying X-chromosomes from both sides of the family, and different genes are randomly expressed… so a mix. > > Why would you expect anything different of any other body part? Well, it’s not a body part that’s studied as extensively as other parts, so sometimes you can’t help but wonder if for example, the way someone’s labia hangs will be passed down to their daughter or their granddaughter through their son, the same way eye color, nose shape or penis size is passed down. It may seem like a stupidly obvious question, but it’s something that’s never really acknowledged due to the taboo around discussing genitalia. I have a lot of questions regarding the hereditariness of sexual organs and their resulting functions. Questions that aren’t asked. > [@Tzigone](#): > > Sure, be the original question was about why inherited traits on genitalia for men were studied and for women seemingly not. I think it’s an interesting question (first thing being, of course, to confirm the premise). Rather like how external genitalia parts are so much less likely to be shown in science textbooks for the younger set than male. Even in drawing that show the external bits (just standing, not diagram), there’s usually just a cleft for women, despite more typically being visible when a woman stands that way. Yeah that’s another issue I have, the phallocentricity of science. Why are dick sizes considered fascinating enough to study but not vulvas? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2018, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/30 "2018-08-17T22:53:17Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I hate to tell you guys, but female genitals are nothing to write home about. As far as looks, I mean. > > ( altho’ they have other redeeming qualities) Lucia: Vagina, vagina, vagina. Does that word do anything for you? Bill Truitt: I don’t think it does much for anyone, gay or straight. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/31 "2018-08-18T00:16:54Z")
> [@Warm\_blood](#): > > … > Yeah that’s another issue I have, the phallocentricity of science. Why are dick sizes considered fascinating enough to study but not vulvas? There’s a fascinating book called “Everyone Lies”. (_Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are;_ May 9 2017 by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz ) He analyzed our private google moments based on searches. One point he found - male insecurity lies in fear that they are smaller/shorter than average; but female insecurity revolves around “does my vagina smell”? Appearance is less of a concern… FYI also comes to the conclusion that approximately 5% of the population is gay. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/32 "2018-08-18T14:54:42Z")
> [@Der Trihs](#): > > Google “Wall of Vulvas” for a sculptural example of how variable female genitalia are. > > No link of course it’s just a tad NSFW. > [@Colibri](#): > > This is GQ. I don’t think that enough of an attempt has been made to answer this question factually for it to degenerate into nothing more than opinions and jokes about genitalia. If you want to discuss your personal opinions about the subject, open a new thread in MPSIMS. If this continues to be just a series of non-factual responses, I’m going to close it. It wasn’t an opinion or joke; there actually is an artwork called “Wall of Vulvas”, made from impressions of the real thing from large numbers of women. I can’t think of a better example of the variability of that body part. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/33 "2018-08-18T16:16:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **md2000** : > > A female is obviously carrying X-chromosomes from both sides of the family, and different genes are randomly expressed… so a mix. Are you assuming that all of the genes for vulva shape are on the X chromosome? I mean, yeah, none of them are going to be on the Y, but there are 22 other chromosome pairs besides the X and Y. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/34 "2018-08-18T16:52:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Are you assuming that all of the genes for vulva shape are on the X chromosome? I mean, yeah, none of them are going to be on the Y, but there are 22 other chromosome pairs besides the X and Y. But of course the 22 autosomes are randomly inherited from both the mother and father, so the general conclusion is the same. Any genes influencing characteristics of female genitalia will be inherited equally from the mother and the father, since a woman receives half her autosomal genes, and one each of her X chromosomes, from each. This will differ for males, since their X necessarily comes from their mother, and their Y from their father. So if there are genes influencing genitalia on the X, it is quite possible for a male to have inherited genes affecting his penis size through his mother. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/35 "2018-08-18T17:01:35Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > It wasn’t an opinion or joke; there actually is an artwork called “Wall of Vulvas”, made from impressions of the real thing from large numbers of women. I can’t think of a better example of the variability of that body part. OK, that one was legit. I know about the project, also popularly known as the “Great Wall of Vagina” (colloquially using of “vagina” to mean vulva to make the pun). The artist is currently working on a new project to cast the genitalia of women from every country of the world. Spoilered because it is decidedly NSFW: [Meet Jamie McCartney, the Artist Who Wants to Cast Vaginas in Every Country in the World](https://news.artnet.com/market/jamie-mccartney-vagina-sculptures-321901) I imagine he might encounter some obstacles in Vatican City or Saudi Arabia.😉 While female genitalia are indeed very variable, I don’t know that they would be objectively more variable than male genitalia. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/36 "2018-08-18T17:31:19Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > Who looks at their newborn and coos adoringly, “oh look, she has her mother’s vulva”? Would the delivering mom then yell “Yeah, and tell her to let go!” ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/37 "2018-08-18T18:32:52Z")
> [@Warm\_blood](#): > > […] > > Another thing I’m curious about is whether genes determine your propensity for developing sexual disorders. Like if your father had ED, are you more likely to develop ED? If there was a gene that encoded for reproductive failure, it would disappear in just one generation, wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/38 "2018-08-18T18:40:19Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > If there was a gene that encoded for reproductive failure, it would disappear in just one generation, wouldn’t it? Of course not. If they are recessive, even completely lethal genes can persist in the population for a long time. And if the gene affects reproduction only in one sex, it can be passed on by the other sex indefinitely (unless, of course, it is on the Y chromosome). ED of course does not necessarily represent complete reproductive failure unless it completely prevents erections. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/39 "2018-08-18T18:44:20Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > If there was a gene that encoded for reproductive failure, it would disappear in just one generation, wouldn’t it? I don’t see why. A gene could be recessive, it could slightly lower the reproduction rate (but not to zero like lethal genes), it could interact with other genes in a complicated way (like some types of cancer genes), etc. Also note diseases like schizophrenia where there are both genetic and environmental factors. ETA n/m, ninja’d ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641/40 "2018-08-18T21:18:35Z")
ED most often affects older men, who may well have already had multiple children before it struck. And even with ED, sex is usually still possible, just more difficult (maybe it takes a few hours of foreplay, instead of a few minutes). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-genitalia-and-genetics/819641.md?page=1)