The Unsolved Mystery of the Vagina Caper
<p>In 1840, Thomas O’Conor called them the “grossest idea of immorality and licentiousness.” He wasn’t referring to pornographic art. He was describing those wanton, vulva-flashing stone sculptures known as Sheela-na-gigs. (Pronounced <em>Sheila Nah Gig</em>)</p>
<p>Sheela-na-gigs (above) adorn many twelfth and thirteenth-century Romanesque churches, mainly in Ireland. They typically portray older women with lined, almond-shaped eyes and an incorrigible grin. But her most distinguishable trait is always her pose — squatting, her hands pulling apart her labia to expose her gaping vagina.</p>
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