New Exhibition 'PETAL' Honours the Beauty of the Female Form

by Christina Donoghue on 12 September 2023

Photographed by Bex Day, the photographic series pays homage to mother nature through literal and metaphorical references. What binds them altogether? An unequivocal appreciation of natural beauty.

Photographed by Bex Day, the photographic series pays homage to mother nature through literal and metaphorical references. What binds them altogether? An unequivocal appreciation of natural beauty.

When churlish insults are thrown, there's a good chance you may hear the word 'cunt' used, and even if it lies absent from the burly mouth expected to spit, there are plentiful names to pick from that stand in place; an 'idiot' can too often crudely translate to twat while someone deemed weak has a strong chance for being considered 'a pussy' or at least called one; often to men, by other men. The insults don't stop there, though. Many words mentioned above are frequently joined by a host of other rowdy expletives, leading many people to acknowledge that the proof is in the pudding regarding the vagina being seen as the 'lesser' genitalia.

Viola Tricolor Var. Hortensis, PETAL by Bex Day

Someone who knows this all too well is the photographer Bex Day, whose need to do something about the vagina's wrongful connotations has culminated in the launch of her first photobook, PETAL, which is accompanied by a solo exhibition set to debut at Have A Butchers in Dalston this week.

Made up of over 70 images, PETAL demystifies the experience and reality of what it is to own a vulva in society as we know it, with models of all different backgrounds, shapes, races, genders, and ages coming together - united in the act of choosing a flower to cover theirs. In addition, each person photographed has contributed text detailing their own feelings and experiences of their body: deeply personal stories of love, loss, pleasure, pain, survival, rebirth and reclamation all feature in PETAL, placed next to the women telling them.

Gypsophila Paniculata, PETAL by Bex Day

'I started the PETAL series three years ago during lockdown', Day told us over email. 'The series is about examining the experience of womxn, and dismantling the taboo of the female genitalia. In society as we know it, the vagina has for too long been perceived as the lesser sexual organ, conceptualised not on its qualities but what it lacks in comparison to the penis. Even the word vagina itself evokes a squeamishness amongst many, therefore highlighting the urgency and need for a change of perspective.'

But what exactly was the starting point for Day? Rather than personal experience of feeling victimised, it was a literary passage from Dr. Jen Gunter's book The Vagina Bible that sparked the initial idea for the project. The inspirational excerpt is written below:

'It is a wonderful (in a tragicomic kind of way) encapsulation of how society, including medicine, is obsessed with erections, while the clitoris barely registers a footnote. The clitoris, when it was considered by ancient physicians at all, was believed to be the female version of the penis. But lesser. (I'm sorry, but the organ, capable of multiple orgasms, only existing for pleasure is not lesser…)'

Hydrangea, PETAL by Bex Day

With the passage evoking such rage in Day, the photographer quickly 'began the project by photographing my own vulva'. The rest? History. 'I found it interesting how this thing between our legs makes us who we are yet we can choose to turn a blind eye to it if we wish - it can be so easily ignored. I didn't want to ignore my vagina anymore, and what better way to do that than to take a photograph of it. Then I photographed my mother's and then any friend who I was allowed to see during that time! This then spiralled to sex groups, life-drawing models, sex activists, porn stars and friends of friends'.

Digitalis, PETAL by Bex Day

The result is a divine combination of the ethereal, magnetic and intimate beauty that all vaginas possess, with raw and sensitive images designed solely to empower both their subject and their viewer. Dominating the viewers' gaze at every turn of the page, PETAL challenges the misconception of what is considered a 'normal' vagina, notions long reinforced by cultural censorship, type-casting in porn, and portrayals in mainstream media. 'Whether it's down to a lack of education or the influence of porn - I was keen to hear from each subject how they viewed their genitalia and what it's like being a womxn in this day and age', Day noted in the press release. 'How does porn and media impact how we view our genitalia? Why are we taught as children to sensor the female anatomy, and why are the slang names suddenly become negative swear words? Why do we as womxn have to battle to be seen? These are all the questions I wanted to answer through PETAL.'

Chrysanthemum, PETAL by Bex Day

There is so much more to PETAL, than what meets the eye, or the ear, as literal petals give way to metaphorical ones, each challenging and breaking patriarchal narratives one incusion at a time. Day's lens effortlessly subverts, provokes and redefines what it means to own a vagina in popular culture, a job men have been accustomed to for far too long.

Protea, PETAL by Bex Day
Zinnia, PETAL by Bex Day
Centaurea Cyanus, PETAL by Bex Day

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