Anatomy Education

Cliteracy

Most women were never taught how their anatomy actually works. Cliteracy changes that.

"Women have been subjected to a psychological clitoridectomy."

— Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth (1990) Wolf used this term to describe how women are systematically deprived of knowledge about their own bodies — a form of disempowerment that mirrors physical mutilation in its effect on female autonomy and pleasure.

The gap in women's education

What no one told you

The clitoris was largely absent from medical textbooks until the 1990s. Its full internal structure — including the internal bulbs, crura, and vestibular tissues — was not comprehensively mapped until 1998. For most of modern history, female anatomy was either ignored, misunderstood, or described only in relation to reproduction.

This is not a minor oversight. It means that generations of women grew up without accurate information about their own bodies — about what they contain, how arousal works, what pleasure actually requires, and why so much of what they were told about sex was built around anatomy that was never theirs.

And this is not ancient history. It is 2026 — and anatomy textbooks published as recently as 2023 have continued to misrepresent or omit the full structure of the clitoris. The information gap that Wolf named in 1990 has not been fully closed. Women studying medicine, nursing, and sexual health are still being taught from materials that get this wrong.

Cliteracy is the work of closing that gap. Not as a political statement — as a straightforward act of education.

Cris de Andrade holding clitoris and uterus anatomy models

Hands-on education

Making the invisible, visible

Understanding your anatomy shouldn't require a medical degree. Cris uses tactile, visual tools — including anatomically accurate models — to make clitoral and reproductive anatomy tangible, approachable, and real.

Because a woman who understands her own anatomy has no reason to fake an orgasm ever again.

What you will learn

What cliteracy education covers

The full anatomy of the clitoris

The clitoris is not a small external button — it is an internal organ with multiple structures. Understanding its full shape and location changes how women understand arousal, sensation, and pleasure.

Vulva anatomy and diversity

Vulvas vary as much as faces — in shape, size, colour, and structure. Understanding this variation normalises what women see in their own bodies and dismantles decades of comparison and shame.

Sexual arousal pathways

Arousal in women follows two distinct pathways — psychogenic (from the mind and context) and reflexogenic (from direct physical stimulation). Understanding both helps women work with their bodies rather than against them.

Pleasure and the orgasm gap

Research consistently shows that women experience significantly fewer orgasms than men during heterosexual sex — not because of biology, but because of education. Cliteracy addresses the information gap directly.

Shame, history, and reclamation

Why was this information withheld? Understanding the history of how female anatomy was ignored and misrepresented is part of how women reclaim authority over their own experience.

Why anatomy and desire are connected

Knowledge changes everything

When women do not understand their own anatomy, they cannot communicate what they need. They cannot recognise when sex is designed around their pleasure — or when it isn't. They are more likely to endure rather than enjoy, to perform rather than feel, to conclude that something is wrong with them rather than something is missing from their education.

Research shows that sexual agency — a woman's sense of ownership over her own sexual experience — is strongly associated with sexual wellbeing. And agency starts with knowledge. You cannot advocate for your own pleasure if you don't understand what your body is capable of.

Cliteracy is not just anatomy education. It is the foundation of everything else.

A trusted resource

Cliterate — anatomy education for all bodies

NurtureU draws on resources from Cliterate, an Australian organisation creating inclusive, interactive, and evidence-based anatomy education. Their 3D model and educational resources are used by health professionals and educators worldwide.

Explore Cliterate's resources

Ready to understand your own anatomy?

Cliteracy education is woven through all of Cris's work — from individual sessions to the Intimacy Reset. If you have questions or want to explore this further, a Desire Clarity Call is the place to start.