Dutch women are pushing to strip shame from their medical charts, quite literally. The country's leading dictionary, Dikke Van Dale, is adding "vulvalippen" (vulva lips) as a new term for the labia, to sit alongside the long-used "schaamlippen," which translates as "shame lips" or "pubic lips," reports the BBC. Activists behind the Schaamteloos ("shameless") campaign say the goal is simple: language that describes anatomy without implying embarrassment. "Language shapes how we see ourselves," says co-founder Shari Klein, who argues that a neutral term can subtly change how women experience medical care and their own bodies. She adds, per Metro: "I advocated for this word change because we shouldn't be ashamed of any part of our body."
Dictionary editor Ton den Boon says the word has earned its spot by showing up in biology texts, medical leaflets, even the media. Campaigners now want doctors and officials to adopt it in consultations and brochures, amid a broader EU push to rewrite what critics see as loaded or inaccurate terminology. Sweden has already swapped a term meaning "virginity membrane" for "vaginal corona," while campaigners in Germany and the UK are challenging phrases like "Shamlippen," "hysterectomy," and "incompetent cervix." Supporters say these shifts won't fix everything, but they argue what we call women's bodies can either reinforce stigma or help dismantle it. "We simply have to mention these parts in our upbringing of children and young people," an artist who's pushed for smashing body stigma tells the NL Times. "People now know that this is a normal word. With that, we can break the taboo."
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