text: WUERZBURG, BAVARIA, GERMANY - 2015/01/27: A close up of a white and purple blossom of an Orchid (lat. Phalaenopsis) blooming. (Photo by Frank Bienewald/LightRocket via Getty Images)LightRocket via Getty Images
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  WUERZBURG, BAVARIA, GERMANY - 2015/01/27: A close up of a white and purple blossom of an Orchid (lat. Phalaenopsis) blooming. (Photo by Frank Bienewald/LightRocket via Getty Images)LightRocket via Getty Images
  A little porn viewing can lead to ​questions. Not just the “How did they defy gravity to do that?” kind but also questions about ladyparts: Does everyone have perfect pink ones like those onscreen? How come their labia are so small? What exactly is normal? “With the rise of porn, I’ve seen women really asking and comparing,” says Katharine O’Connell White, M.D., director of the family planning fellowship at Boston University. But porn is not reality. Those women are waxed, plucked, and often surgically altered, which can make the rest of us start to question what we’ve got going on downstairs. What’s more, the move toward removing all pubic hair has made women more aware of what their body looks like, and how it differs from other women’s, says Leah Millheiser, M.D., the director of the female sexual medicine program at Stanford University Medical Center. (Worth mentioning: Dr. White says most of the concerns she hears are from heterosexual women.) So—answers:
  First Up, the Labia
  Here’s an anatomy refresher: There’s the majora (the larger outer lips) and the minora (the inner area connected to your clitoris—you know what that is!). The labia minora, especially, are the source of many questions: Doctors Glamour spoke to reported that women worry their inner labia are too long, too short, too lumpy, or too lopsided. Says Nicole, age 22, “When I was about 15, two friends and I compared. Ever since then I’ve wondered if something was wrong with me, because mine are bumpy and stick out.” Kathleen Valenton, M.D., an ob-gyn at the Rodeo Drive Women’s Health Center in Los Angeles, explains that these bumps and ridges in the labia form naturally, and they can and do look like broccoli—nothing weird there. “All of this is normal and healthy,” says Dr. Valenton. Asymmetry is also standard for any body part that comes in twos (see: your almost-definitely-not-the-same-size boobs). As for length, short and long are both common. The only time you should worry is if your labia cause you any pain, especially if they are getting pulled into your vagina during sex. This is probably the only scenario, Dr. Millheiser says, that would justify labiaplasty, a surgical procedure that shortens or reshapes the lips. “That’s a functional issue, not a cosmetic one,” she says.
  Next, the Clitoris
  Bigger doesn’t mean better (though it might make the spot a little easier for your partner to find). One caveat, says Dr. Millheiser: If your clitoris is protruding past your labia when you’re not aroused, it could be a sign of excess testosterone, which in rare cases can be a sign of an underlying ovarian mass that could be cancerous. Check with your doctor if you’re concerned, but otherwise, experts say, all shapes and sizes lead to the same good time.
  Finally, the Mons
  Nakedness and tight yoga leggings alike, docs say, cause women to worry about their mons, the fleshy mound above your vulva. Its size often fluctuates as you gain or lose weight, but there’s no point in stressing out about it. If you’re a healthy weight overall, there are no health risks here. “As long as your ladyparts feel good and are working for you,” says Dr. White, “congrats—they’re as normal as they come.
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