About the Blog

My decision to start this blog has its roots in a course I took in 2013/14 called AIDS and New Queer Cinema. This course woke me up and made me look at things differently. Most importantly I realized that my feminism was shit, and I needed to fix it. I also learned how passionate I can be about learning topics that resonate deeply with me.
So after I finished the course I made it my duty to keep learning. I started with a few books people recommended, and found what I love and it kept building from there. After the last few years I’ve been wanting to branch out into something other than just reading. So I started making feminist collages that often feature cats. I began just half assing it not knowing what I was doing, and I think that I am slowly getting better. So check out my art work section to see what I have made.
As well, I absolutely love researching and writing essays and since I graduated university I have missed that component. So I am going to be funnelling my energy and creativity into this blog. I will do my best to keep it interesting and fun. As a side note; I apologize ahead of time for my atrocious grammar and love affair with commas.

About the name

I want to make it clear that The Rugged Vagina does not refer specifically to the anatomy, this is an inclusive site.

The name Rugged Vagina is from a reading in the course I took (mentioned in about me) that discussed women and AIDS. One Dr stated that a woman’s vagina was much too rugged to be able to contract AIDS. On the other hand there was also the thought that the woman’s vagina was a receptacle that could hold onto the virus to pass along to her next unsuspecting victim.

It struck me as an infuriating kind of hilarity that even in the medical field women could not get away from the whore/madonna construct that has plagued women for centuries. So the name Rugged Vagina has stuck with me because the truth it, men have been fucking women over for millennia. Yes, we women are rugged we can handle shit. However, it is our vulnerabilities perceived or otherwise that makes us a target for men. I think the struggle between the tough and the soft is something all women, vagina or not, have faced.

(Special thanks to Moonicorn who helped me set up this site and keeps me motivated, and encourages me to be creative. BESTIES 4 LYF!!!)