In this talk academic Emma Rees considers why British and US culture has such a problem talking about the female body. She will map the long history of advertising that profits from the taboo of the vagina, reflecting on how writers, artists and filmmakers have been influenced by, or even perpetuate, this ‘shame’. And, as she will argue, it’s not all in the past - the vagina still causes outrage, derision and discomfort today.

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