WEBVTT - The episode all vulva-owners need to hear

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Healthy Ish. Thanks for joining us today on

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<v Speaker 1>the Body and Soul podcast. I am your host for listening, Haley,

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<v Speaker 1>how do you feel about your LaBier or perhaps it's

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<v Speaker 1>your partner's labia. Well, my guest today is here to

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<v Speaker 1>reassure us all whatever you've got down there, it's absolutely normal.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, there is no normal, photographer, Ellie Saidwick joins

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<v Speaker 1>us to discuss the pervasive issue of vulva anxiety and

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<v Speaker 1>the societal pressures that lead well a lot of women

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<v Speaker 1>to seek cosmetic procedures. Actually, have you heard of the

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<v Speaker 1>new one? It is called labia puffing, and yes we're

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<v Speaker 1>going to talk about that as well. If you do

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<v Speaker 1>want more from Ellie actually, in fact listening to our

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<v Speaker 1>chat on extra Healthy Ish, where she shares more on

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<v Speaker 1>her own struggles with volver anxiety. You can catch that

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<v Speaker 1>wherever you get your podcasts. Ellie, thanks for joining us

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<v Speaker 1>on health yesterday.

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<v Speaker 2>My pleasure. Felicity, so happy to be here.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, before we talk about your phenomenal project, I have

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<v Speaker 1>to run this latest Evolver trend past you that we

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<v Speaker 1>are actually we had on the site last week because

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<v Speaker 1>it is well obviously calling it out as something horrifying

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<v Speaker 1>laby are puffing? Have you come across this one? I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>do people actually get this shit done?

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, let's be honest, men don't get this done

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<v Speaker 2>to their scrotums. But yes, why do we feel like

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<v Speaker 2>we have to get this done to our bolvers? Mental?

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<v Speaker 2>It's crazy?

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<v Speaker 1>I know, what is it? Right? I mean, I just

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<v Speaker 1>can't understand people wanting a treatment, a cosmetic filler or

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<v Speaker 1>fat being injected into your labia to basically normalize the area.

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<v Speaker 2>I know, and like with the lack of research on

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<v Speaker 2>women's health and anatomy, we have no idea what this

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<v Speaker 2>is doing to impact our sensation. Like there's just not

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<v Speaker 2>enough knowledge around laby plus volver puffing or whatever it's called.

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<v Speaker 2>We have no idea of what that does to our

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<v Speaker 2>anatomy or our pleasure, Like whether it's later in life

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<v Speaker 2>or now. There's so many nerve endings in that part

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<v Speaker 2>of our body, So we're really messing with a part

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<v Speaker 2>of our body that we that is really pleasurable if

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<v Speaker 2>we learn how to touch ourselves properly.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that's a really good point. Now, before we get

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<v Speaker 1>to your amazing project, talk to us about vulva anxiety.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, it's out there, you experienced. What is it exactly?

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<v Speaker 1>Can you describe it to us?

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<v Speaker 2>So for me personally, it was that I felt I

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<v Speaker 2>wasn't worthy of pleasure because of the way that my

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<v Speaker 2>vulver looked. I felt a lot of shame and I

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<v Speaker 2>felt that I didn't have this I mean quotation design

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<v Speaker 2>of vagina that I thought. I know I'm wrong now

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<v Speaker 2>after photographing five hundred people's bolgers, but I thought we

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<v Speaker 2>all had that like Bali design of vagina where you're

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<v Speaker 2>all tupped up and there's nothing there that you see

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<v Speaker 2>sort of you know, in bikinis they often edit out

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<v Speaker 2>photoshop any sort of labor, so you just see like

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<v Speaker 2>a flat and you know it is full of anxiety.

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<v Speaker 2>Was definitely personal issue for me. But now I totally

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<v Speaker 2>believe that it's becoming a health crisis.

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<v Speaker 1>Well a health crisis talked about this. I mean, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps first tell us about your project, because that'll give

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<v Speaker 1>shed some light on how you've got insight into it

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<v Speaker 1>being a crisis. Tell us about your project.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, So in twenty and eighteen, I started photographingvolvers. So

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<v Speaker 2>I put up a little Facebook post saying that I

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<v Speaker 2>was going to photograph five hundred people and make a

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<v Speaker 2>coffee table book. And I wanted that book to be

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<v Speaker 2>used in gynecologist offices, schools, libraries all around the world.

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<v Speaker 2>I just wanted it to be in the people's hands

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<v Speaker 2>that are like me, where they felt their body wasn't

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<v Speaker 2>right because they didn't see others. So I have been

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<v Speaker 2>on a national tour all around Australia and New York

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<v Speaker 2>and London photographing people. And yeah, my books just come

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<v Speaker 2>out this very week. It's been printed and it's going

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<v Speaker 2>out to all the homes all across the world. And yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>it's not just I think when people think of it,

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<v Speaker 2>they think it's just all photos. But there's five hundred photos, yes,

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<v Speaker 2>but there's also about one hundred photos that cover topics

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<v Speaker 2>such as thrush, vaginismus, back to your vaginosis, miscapurages, all

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<v Speaker 2>those women's health topics that we all quietly suffer with,

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<v Speaker 2>and that there's you know, there's still although there is

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<v Speaker 2>a big change happening, they're still very taboo.

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<v Speaker 1>Tell us about the crisis. I mean, what did you

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps take away from photographing all these volvers going through

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<v Speaker 1>different women's health issues? I mean, are women concerned about

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<v Speaker 1>what's going on with their volvers.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I think that histics from the Women's Health Victoria.

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<v Speaker 2>They just brought out some statistics that say almost one

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<v Speaker 2>quarter of women aged eighteen to twenty four feel anxious, embarrassed,

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<v Speaker 2>or unhappy about the appearance of their labor, which obviously

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<v Speaker 2>then has damaging impacts on their physical, mental, and sexual

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<v Speaker 2>health and well being. And then it was like one

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<v Speaker 2>in ten, so that's the equivalent of more than half

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<v Speaker 2>a million women say that they have or have had

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<v Speaker 2>or considered lavier plasty. So that's showing now to be

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<v Speaker 2>one of the fastest growing cosmetic procedures among young people

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<v Speaker 2>and worldwide. And the same research paper found that gen

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<v Speaker 2>z Labyer shame is significantly heightened, with almost one in

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<v Speaker 2>four people aged eighteen to twenty four reporting that they

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<v Speaker 2>feel anxious, unhappy, or embarrassed about their laber. Yeah, that's

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<v Speaker 2>so it's very concerning. And I mean I was recently

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<v Speaker 2>quite trolled online, which I mean I always get backlash,

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<v Speaker 2>but a couple of Moskin's always created conversations since very

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<v Speaker 2>first started, but everyone was just sort of saying, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>how can you worry about this stuff? When there's so

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<v Speaker 2>much worse stuff going on in the world. But I

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<v Speaker 2>do think, you know, like it is really important to

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<v Speaker 2>have sex education and start this conversation and slowly help

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<v Speaker 2>remove like the stigma, will to spread awareness of vulvar diversity,

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<v Speaker 2>because going under the knife, you are cutting it off

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<v Speaker 2>to fit society's idea of beauty, which is forever changing.

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<v Speaker 2>And we, as I said before, we just don't know

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<v Speaker 2>the damage that that's doing. And you know, I know

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<v Speaker 2>that in the past enlargements breast fillers were so popular,

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<v Speaker 2>Whereas I speak to a lot of cosmetic surgeons because

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<v Speaker 2>of the research that I do and have done throughout

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<v Speaker 2>the past six years, and they all say they're starting

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<v Speaker 2>to do more lavier plasties. And then when you think

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<v Speaker 2>of like b am I, which is a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>symptoms of that for people getting breast in plants, there

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<v Speaker 2>was so much like brain fog, you know, there was

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of illnesses that we only found out later.

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<v Speaker 2>And as I said before, this lavier plasty isn't researched enough,

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<v Speaker 2>like women's health in general for our bodies isn't research stuff.

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<v Speaker 2>So we don't know yet what what could happen after

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<v Speaker 2>this procedure. I mean it's irreversible. We know that once

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<v Speaker 2>you cut off your LaBier laby plasty, you can never

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<v Speaker 2>get that lavia back, I mean lavier plus puffing. It's

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<v Speaker 2>sane that you know you have to get it done

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<v Speaker 2>every six months, So I don't I think it's just

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<v Speaker 2>absolutely crazy.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean sorry, I can't even like, I don't even

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<v Speaker 1>want to think about having something like a needle into

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<v Speaker 1>my my lay. Yeah, excruciating. It's just crazy.

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<v Speaker 2>And it's just another thing. Every single day you're reading

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<v Speaker 2>something new that women have to live up to to

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<v Speaker 2>be beautiful, and it's all just absolute rubbish.

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<v Speaker 1>What just before we go, what's one thing that you

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<v Speaker 1>want women to know or learn or something that perhaps, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>that you've learned from photographing all these volvers.

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<v Speaker 2>Gosh, you are also unique, and I know that a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of people have asymmetrical labia, so some of them

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<v Speaker 2>are longer and shorter and you know, wavy like mine's

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<v Speaker 2>a little bit like a little oyster. And that used

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<v Speaker 2>to really upset me, but now I have completely come

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<v Speaker 2>through the realization that that is what makes me me.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think if someone is negative about the way

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<v Speaker 2>your body looks, then they don't deserve to be.

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<v Speaker 1>Down there, you know.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And you just have to love. We have one life,

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<v Speaker 2>one body. Just the sooner that you can love the

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<v Speaker 2>skin you're in. You've got to live a happier, more

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<v Speaker 2>out there, more out there, you know, joyous life. And

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<v Speaker 2>we have so many things that create shame around us.

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<v Speaker 2>And I always say, shame can't live behind a voice,

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<v Speaker 2>So speak loud and live large, and just go out

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<v Speaker 2>there and have fun and just do all the things

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<v Speaker 2>that you can with your beautiful body, like walk, run, play, masturbate.

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<v Speaker 2>You know. Just there's so many pleasures, especially in that area,

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<v Speaker 2>so I say, go and live and enjoy it.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, well done, Ellie, Thank you for coming unhealthy ish pleasure.

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<v Speaker 1>Ellie's book is called Flip through My Flaps and it

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<v Speaker 1>is out now. By the way, I encourage you to

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<v Speaker 1>jump on her website and take a look at all

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<v Speaker 1>the volvers and the penises and everything else on there.

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<v Speaker 1>It is, I don't know, perhaps really reassuring in many ways.

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<v Speaker 1>I will also leave a link to the EP we

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<v Speaker 1>did on the Labia Diversity Report, which is published by

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<v Speaker 1>Women's Health Victoria. That was a goody anyway. I hope

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<v Speaker 1>you did enjoy the chat, Head to body andsoul dot

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<v Speaker 1>com dot or if you want any more info, you

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<v Speaker 1>can follow us on socials. I am at Felicity Harley

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<v Speaker 1>For any feedback, grab our print edition which is out

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<v Speaker 1>in your local Sunday paper. Thanks again for listening and

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<v Speaker 1>stay healthy.