Can you draw a penis? Of course you can! Now, can you draw the clitoris? Foxed, eh? Don’t be, it happens to most men!

Let’s now get some more facts straight –

While, the best and the most common path to orgasm for men is penile stimulation through oral sex and intercourse, for women (95%, mind you!), it’s clitoral stimulation for orgasm.

‘Cliteracy’ or literacy of the clitoris, the primary sex organ of a woman is in an abysmally low state not only in men but also in women. The fact that scientists discovered the full anatomy of the clitoris only in 1998 shows how the clit has historically been ignored. Interestingly the clit is not just a button like structure, but a big and primarily internal female body part.

Many feel that ‘illcliteracy’ is a significant metaphor of the larger issue of the female bodyas this type of illiteracy is a deliberate attempt to dominate women. It is a clear manifestation of the fact that power shapes knowledge. It’s a travesty that even though the term sexuality is epitomised by the female body, her primary sex organ –clitoris - is the only human organ existing only for pleasure – was never given importance.  Against this sad reality, Cliteracy, is actually a counter-culture movement that deconstructs the myth of women body as sex object, means to a man’s end, and that female sexual pleasure is unimportant.

What makes you illcliterate?

The answer is –

age old patriarchal practices that belittle feminine pleasures in sexual encounters created the idea that female body is docile hence to be dominated. Moreover, Societal silence, lack of awareness of clitoris, slut shaming, incorrect depiction of women getting quick orgasms solely from penetration fuels an orgasm gap.

Illcliteracy is pervasive and has the following misconceptions -

·        Talking about female genitalia is a taboo

·        Penetrative orgasm is the only objective

·        Female pleasure and bodies are objectionable

·        Women only think of family and protection, and do not have biological desire for bodily pleasure

·        Women only have to blame themselves if they aren’t satisfied by penetrating sex

·        Giving a woman pleasure is not a man’s responsibility

How to become cliterate?

The first and foremost thing required is awareness and acknowledgement of the fact that your partner’s body is equally important and deserves pleasure. Once you are there, follow the following steps to be proudly called a cliterate -

·        Know about the clitoris and care about your partner’s pleasure

·        Practice touching the clitoris in circular or up-and-down movements with clean hands, use lubricant

·        Watch Traversy – an award-winning animated short film by French filmmaker Lori Malépart.

In the last one decade, major scientific advances have created a lot of buzz around the word clitoris. We have come to known that contrary to the popular belief the clit is immensely bigger and more intricate. What we see of the clit, is just the tip of the iceberg. However, it was the iconoclastic project named ‘CLITERACY’ by American artist Sophia Wallace in 2012, that the world was suitably nudged about need for addressing female body sovereignty. The project aims to "dismantle the taboos associated with female and feminized genitals." (Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Wallace)

Be on the learning curve, always!!