Crochet artist Liza Mamali, who runs her own handmade crochet art label, Atelier Mamali, has launched a project titled Proud Vulvas to embrace women's empowerment and advocate for gender equality.
Within the project, Mamali creates vulva sculptures out of yarn in varying sizes. Starting from something so big that it can be used as a gate for a music festival to costumes for people to wear and even smaller pieces that fit in the palm of people’s hands that can be worn as pins.
These pieces help increase people’s exposure to genitalia, engaging them in crucial conversations around women’s sexual health that have otherwise been a taboo. They help people to correctly identify parts of the vulva, increasing women’s access to proper sexual health care and contributing to the quality of their lives, reflecting on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Gender Equality and Good Health And Well-Being.
Proud Vulvas first began as a costume and performance piece that was shown in June 2023 at Kuli Alma Rave. There, Mamali used a mix of yarn and scrap fabrics to create a wearable vulva, with a clitoris headpiece and a vagina dress. According to the artist, the piece was made to “reclaim the sacredness of a female body and celebrate the beauty and power of it.”
Mamali then continued leveraging the rave and music festival space, creating the next Proud Vulvas piece at TERRA open-air music festival. The piece again combined yarn, scrap fabric and crocheting to create a festival gate in the shape of a vulva.
By placing these pieces in music festivals and raves, Mamali effectively shares her work with a large crowd of people. This gives vulvas their much needed exposure, since a 2021 study conducted in the waiting room of a UK hospital showed that only 9 percent of the population was able to correctly identify all seven organs that make up a woman’s vulva.
This poor anatomical awareness, which the study found was prevalent in men and women, comes with real-life consequences. People’s inability to correctly identify parts of the vulva can prevent women from proper medical diagnosis and accessing adequate healthcare. In the long run, this has also been proven to jeopardize women’s psychological well-being, preventing them from living their full lives.
To share her work with an even larger crowd of people, Mamali has also created wearable crochet Proud Vulvas pins that anyone can purchase. As Proud Vulvas continue to gain visibility, Mamali continues to help empower women through access to education about their sexual organs, paving the way for a more inclusive and informed society.
You can find out more about Proud Vulvas by Liza Mamali by checking their Instagram on @proudvulvas.