Womanhood

I have watched toddlers, young children, teenagers and adults alike flick through all of the brilliant books of this series in my house. All have come away with a greater knowledge, respect and fascination with the human body. That said, this is not the main reason I love reading this book — over and over again! It’s not just brilliant because finally, people who read it might be able to breathe out in the knowledge that no, we don’t all look the same, and that no, they are not abnormal, asexual or all the other nonsense that comes from lack of access to this sort of photography and literature. I love this book because it’s a bloody good read, which just happens to make you feel a weight off your shoulders and a much greater appreciation of your own, and every other human’s skin, by the end of it.

A revelation and celebration of everything being female means.

The vulva stories Dodsworth has collected made me laugh and cry, moved by the openness with which each person talks about sexual liberation, grief, loss, abuse and everything in between. The very fact that vulvas feel so controversial to look at underlines the power of the project.

Dodsworth’s project is a simple but groundbreaking idea that gives women back a sense of ownership over their own bodies.

Laura Dodsworth is a photographer who specialises in projects that explore people: our loves, our lives and our place in the world. Bare Reality was funded on Kickstarter, the online platform for creative projects, in just one day. An exclusive extract from Manhood: The Bare Reality was one of the top ten most-read articles on the Guardian website in 2017, with over 2 million readers.