Apple Rejects Masturbation Game, Hates Vulvas

In a not entirely surprising turn of events, Apple has turned down the opportunity to sell HappyPlaytime, an app designed to teach women how to masturbate and lessen the stigma surrounding the activity. (I must admit I wasn't aware of this stigma. Which is lucky because with a sex drive like mine, if I hadn't been wanking myself silly for the last couple of decades I might have assaulted someone by now.)

'Happy', the 'friendly neighbourhood vulva' who has a urethra for a mouth

Apple has become somewhat notorious for its whimsical stance on whether or not an app is acceptable for its store. In this case, it deemed HappyPlaytime to contain 'exceptionally objectionable or crude content' and 'pornographic material'. The designer of the app, Tina Gong, has argued that the vulva in question is 'entirely illustrated in a friendly cartoon manner. It doesn't contain any photographic nudity and its interactions are abstract'. Apple were not to be moved however, and Tina has resolved to launch the game through Android and web. It's worth noting that at the time of writing, various illustrated apps depicting the Kama Sutra were still available in the App store, which seems a bit unfair.

This isn't the first attempt to reassure people that the vaj is a happy place to be celebrated. Performance artist Casey Jenkins uses hers to knit. "I'm spending 28 days knitting from wool that I've inserted in my vagina," she explained about her 2013 piece 'Casting Off My Womb'. "If you take a good hard look at a vulva, you realise it's nothing shocking or scary… nothing's going to run out and eat you up." 

Casey Jenkins knitting up a storm

Here in Brighton in the UK, we have what is known as The Great Wall of Vagina, an ongoing project by artist Jamie McCarthy, who likes to spend his spare time taking plaster casts of different vulva to add to his ever-growing wall of 400 ghost-vaginas, aiming to help women feel less self conscious about their junk. What a philanthropist. At his shop you can buy plaster cast kits to make a mold of the vulvas in your life, if you're so inclined.

The Great Wall of Vagina

Here at Fleshbot we love vulvas. Possibly not as much as this guy though, who thought he'd get one tattooed on his neck. His mum must be so proud.

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