There are so many wonderful words to describe our below-the-belt bits besides the cold and clinical-sounding "vagina." It's important not to shy away from correct, medical terminology, but I think we'd all agree that it's pretty fun to explore all the options we have at our fingertips for mentioning our unmentionables. One country in particular has the name game on lock: Swedish words for vagina are pretty adorable, and to a foreigner, roll off the tongue delightfully.
Although certain English slang terms for vagina are reviled for their negative connotations ("c*nt" and "twat") or violent ones ("gash" and "slit"), one Swedish slang term for vagina just so happens to have feminist origins. According to The Guardian, Anna Kosztovics, a Malmö social worker, coined the word "snippa" and spread the snippa gospel by visiting local nursery schools (I know, those crazy sex-positive Swedes!). She managed to raise so much solidarity for this vagina diminutive that it was officially included in the dictionary in 2006. There may be a fascinating history of vagina slang in the English language, but compared to our Nordic friends' vernacular, they don't sound nearly as nice. Here are five Swedish terms for vagina that are too cute to handle:
1. Snippa
How cute is this word? Not only was it designed by a sex-positive feminist, it also happens to be the name of a fab cartoon with dancing genitalia, called Snoppen och Snippan. Snippa for the win!
2. Fitta
Apparently this one is a bit harsher to Swedes, but to a dumb American it sounds adorbs!
3. Slidan
So the clinical term for vagina basically sounds like "slide in": how can you go wrong?!
4. Mus
"Mus" means mouse, which is an interesting animal to liken a vagina to. I'm all for the cute and furry associations — not so much the pesky, destructive connotations.
5. Muff
While Americans do use muff, it seems more of a '90s thing. Since I'm totally down with the turn of the century decade, why not take a cue from the Swedes and bring it back?
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