“Ignore Matt Rife: Your Clit Size Is Perfect”
No Matt, our bodies aren’t a joke (Picture: Stiff Socks Podcast)
Hairless, tight, tucked. Sometimes, it feels like women can never escape judgement.
After Tiger Woods handed his competitor a tampon, presumably because he ‘played like a girl’, women the world over took part in a collective eye roll.
And now, Matt Rife is the latest public figure to make a ‘joke’ at the expense of women.
The American comic appeared on the Stiff Socks Podcast, where he had some pretty choice things to say about the clitoris.
He told hosts Trevor Wallace and Michael Blaustein: ‘Am I supposed to fuck you or thumb wrestle you. I don’t love a giant clit.
‘I don’t want to look down and feel like God left the tag on you. I don’t want your pussy to look like the gum from Sausage Party.’
Sigh.
Whether it’s comments about ‘gross’ periods or gummies to make our vaginas smell better (PSA: your vagina is meant to smell of vagina), women are already dealing with a lot when it comes to their anatomy.
And Zoya Ali, a sex educator and scientist specialising in gynaecological issues, says it’s jokes like Matt’s that can be detrimental to female health.
Zoya told Metro.co.uk: ‘Rife perpetuates the notion that women must conform to an impractical and unachievable beauty ideal to be considered appealing.
‘The question arises as to why we continue to impose such standards on women, and endorse the objectification of individuals, while valuing them solely based on their physical appearance.
‘Such comments can potentially negatively impact an individual’s psychological and physiological wellbeing.’
While some may see the comments as trivial, they contribute to a wider feeling of shame around women’s bodies.
In fact, according to a recent government survey, 65% of under 18-year-olds believed there was an ‘ideal’ body type and over six in 10 women felt negatively about their bodies.
Zoya said: ‘Billion-dollar industries thrive on capitalising on these insecurities by promoting products like vaginal tighteners, whiteners, and fresheners, promising to make one’s genitalia “normal”.
‘However, there is no standard definition of “normal”, as every vulva is unique, coming in various shapes, sizes, and shades.
‘Your vagina is not supposed to smell like flowers, taste like candy or look like the filtered images you might see in porn.’
The internalised shame and external pressures can cause people to resort to surgery.
Zoya said: ‘It is concerning that there is a reported increase in people, including children, opting for labiaplasty without any medical need.
‘It is interesting to note that Rife goes on to make comments about his partner’s surgical enhancements, mentioning that they should look natural, and how it can make him feel insecure about his own body.’
A GP gives us the lowdown on the clitoris:
Dr Hana Patel, a GP specialising in women’s health and GP at Expert Witness, said Matt Rife’s comments were ‘awful’ as well as ‘damaging and horrible’.
She told Metro.co.uk: ‘As a GP I see many women who come and have a consult as they are unsure what different parts of their anatomy look like, especially their clitoris.
‘The skin around the clitoris has a function similar to the foreskin of a male penis, “clitoral hood” and it comes in different shapes and sizes just like women’s labia do, and there is no “normal shape”.
‘Just like the male foreskin of the penis, the clitoral hood does retract when we are aroused and it’s function is to prevent excessive stimulation of the clitoris and any external irritants affecting the clitoris.
‘After we reach puberty, our bodies change from a similar body image that girls share to a unique individual image that all women have.
‘This means that as adults it is easy to imagine why abnormal perceptions of what a woman’s body actually ought to look like, due to these changes in the appearance and function of the female body in somewhat earlier periods.’
But isn’t everyone allowed to have a sexual preference? Well, that’s not the issue at hand.
Zoya said: ‘While having preferences and attractions to physical appearances is natural, individuals must vocalise their choices without invalidating others or fueling the culture of body shaming and discrimination.’
Matt Rife on “Open Mic” Episode 102 (Picture: Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
And making women feel insecure about their bodies will hinder men in the bedroom too. You can’t truly pleasure a woman if you’ve made her feel insecure about her body.
‘Feeling insecure about your body can cause someone to feel nervous and stressed, more likely creating a barrier to intimacy and sexual pleasure.
‘I often get asked by women about how to improve how their vulva looks, why their labia are so big, why their inner thighs are too dark, and how to deal with the perceived smell. The focus is usually on how to make their partner feel satisfied, and the focus on their own pleasure often takes a backseat,’ said Zoya.
‘Statistics about the orgasm gap show that heterosexual women often get the shorter end of the stick when it comes to pleasure in intimate relationships.
‘Sex should feel liberating, and no one should settle for someone who makes them feel insecure and ashamed about their body.
‘Trust, communication, mutual consent and respect are essential for healthy and pleasurable sexual experiences.’
She added: ‘Understanding and accepting that our bodies come in different shapes, sizes, and shades can be a complex process involving unlearning what we have been conditioned to believe and making space for self-exploration about our perceptions of intimacy and pleasure.’
Matt Rife has been approached for comment.
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