The term “Roast Beef Vagina,” was first used by cruel and sexist individuals who believed they had the right to make remarks about women’s vaginas.
Typically, a vulva with extended labia and the appearance of slices of roast beef is referred to as a “roast beef vagina.” The origin of the slang largely begins with the incel movement (a dangerous online subculture comprising men who identify as ‘involuntary celibates’ that regularly express deeply misogynistic views about women) in 2010. It was most prominent on 4chan (4chan is an anonymous English-language imageboard website). People enjoyed demeaning women in all manner of ways, especially when it came to their sexual organs. As a result, incels started calling meaty vulvas Roast Beef vaginas. It spread from 4chan to Reddit to Twitter and eventually became rampant on the internet. Though it is still almost solely used by sexists or people associated with the incel community, some sexual entertainment videos are being sold with these terms, just in case, someone is turned on by a meaty vulva.
The myths and misconceptions surrounding vulvas and vaginas are so intense that it’s hard to wade through. It makes it difficult for women to know what is true and what is false about vulvas, including what the organ is called. These myths have created a space where when things like this happen, when men decide they get to tell a woman what her parts should be called, she ends up believing it. It makes people with vulvas question how the organ should look. It makes them think there’s something wrong with what’s between their legs. Let me make this clear, “no two vulvas are exactly the same. Each vulva is unique to each person. This includes your labia, vagina, clitoris and so on. Basically, everything that makes up your vulva is intricately unique to you”. If you won’t take it from me, take it from a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. Planned Parenthood shares that “there’s really no such thing as a “normal” looking vulva. Vaginas and vulvas are as unique as faces — they all have the same parts, but everyone’s looks a little different. Labia (the inner and outer lips) come in all shapes and sizes. People can have dangly labia, puffy labia, or barely-there labia. Some people’s inner labia stick out past their outer labia, and others have inner labia that are more tucked in”. Essentially, ‘Roast beef’ or not, your vagina is normal and beautiful just as it is.
If for whatever reason you feel insecure about your vagina, do these:
- Look at your vagina: The more often you see it, the more normal it will look to you.
- Talk about your vagina: In my myths about the vagina article, I talked about how the easiest way to make a room uncomfortable is to say one word, ‘vagina.’ It is strange, alien and uncomfortable because it’s not talked about as often as it should be. The more you talk about your vagina the less likely you are to be insecure about it.
- Remember to love yourself: Society teaches a lot of self-hate in so many different ways. Be kind to yourself, and show yourself love and compassion. Be patient with yourself and your vagina. Give space for it to be however it was created to be.
- Walk or dance around naked while listening to a carefully curated playlist for a vagina self-love boost. I have taken the time to put together a “Pussy Power” Spotify playlist that you can listen to here.
- Never forget that that vagina makes you feel a countless amount of pleasure. How is that not beautiful?
- See every man that makes you feel insecure about your vagina with his words, gestures or whatever as horseshit. Picture him and see horseshit. I promise you’ll feel loads better.
- Always remember that most of what you see in porn is fake. It’s basically “social media”. Don’t hold yourself to such asinine standards.
For more answers to questions surrounding the vagina, check out the rest of our articles on vaginal health