Clitbait: 10 things you didn’t know about the clitoris
On Saturday night, Alli Sebastian Wolf delivered a sex-ed lesson in one of the world’s most famous performance venues. The Australian artist was pulled on to the stage of the Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall at the request of the musician Amanda Palmer, who had seen Wolf’s recent piece “Glitoris” online.
It’s much as it sounds: a giant, sparkling clitoris, a 100:1 scale model of the real thing, covered in intricate, sequinned “nerves” so that it lights up the room “like a divine disco ball”, says Wolf.
“It’s really interesting to me just how few people know about how the clitoris works, or what it looks like. I personally didn’t know until I was in my mid-20s, which seems like just such a shame.”
1. A clitoris is like an iceberg
Mostly invisible below the surface, wrapping around the vaginal tunnel and extending out towards the thighs. “
2. There are more than 8,000 nerve endings in the tip of the clitoris alone – double the number of those in a penis
A clitoris is made up of 18 distinct parts – a mixture of erectile tissue, muscle and nerves. “All those little pieces are working together to create the amazing sensations that anyone with a clitoris feels when they’re having orgasms.”
3. They can swell as much as 300% when engorged
Clitorises range from 7-12 cm in length and swell by 50 to 300% when engorged when aroused. It’s not “a zero to 100 situation”, says Wolf, but as you draw closer to orgasm, it increases in size.
4. G-spot and penetrative orgasms are clitoral
Both stimulate internal parts of the clitoris. “You can come from these different places that are all using the clitoris but using it in different ways,” says Wolf.
5. ‘Clit’ is relatively recent terminology
The first recorded use of the word “clit” was in America in the 1950s.
“Clitoris” dates back to the 17th century and could derive from words for “sheath”, “key” or “latch”, or “to touch or tickle”, says Wolf.
6. It is the only known body part with the sole purpose of pleasure …
But one in 10 women has never had an orgasm – and most, at some point, will have “a hard time” reaching orgasm with a partner, says Wolf.
She blames a “culture of shame” surrounding female sexuality that suppresses scientific research and personal exploration.
7. … But it has not always been just a good time
Throughout history, doctors have advocated for the removal of the clitoris to cure mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia, or “this pesky problem of women ‘unnaturally’ desiring sex”, says Wolf.
8. The clitoris can form a penis – and vice versa
9. It is the only part of the human body that never ages
An 80-year-old clit looks and works the same as a 20-year-old one. But it does keep growing – it could be 2.5 times as big in your 90s as it was in your teen years.
“They’re weird, fabulous little creatures,” says Wolf happily. (Your nose also continues to grow past the point you reach your maximum height.)
The Glitoris – a gold, 100:1 scale model of a clitoris devised by the Sydney artist Alli Sebastian Wolf to raise awareness of female sexuality. Photograph: Alli Sebastian Wolf/Supplied
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