The Neglected Reflections of Vulvar Pain. An anthropological research-action through Art and Science

Italian society does not acknowledge vulvar pain sufferers as patients affected by legitimate pain: the condition is not supported by the national healthcare system, besides being medically unexplored and socially invisibilized. Patients do not see themselves as deserving care until sexual intercourse is compromised. Vulva health gains awareness when feminine sexual performance deviates from heteronormative models and coital imperatives. In a feminist gendered perspective, this paper presents the artistic and scientific exhibition “Vulvar Pain”, based on anthropological research to explore vulvar pain experiences thought qualitative participatory methods. Research partners co-produced symbolic handicrafts revealing the difficulties of be seen as bodies deserving care. This effort aims to present scientific results through a public engagement event, including arts, workshops, and roundtables with health professionals and patient associations. The exhibition “Vulvar Pain” advocates considering genital pain beyond the cultural taboo of sexuality, privileging visual narratives to facilitate dialogue between biomedical discourse, social sciences, and the embodied knowledge of sufferers. Considering the multiple lens of this case study, the paper presents collaborations between ethnographers, artists and designers, engaging in the co-construction of new forms of knowledge that can be seen, touched, smelled, sat upon, and circulated to unfold vulvar taboos.