Vulva Power !

I read with much enjoyment this week how the design for Qatar’s new Al-Wakrah sports stadium has gone viral. Check out the pics of this supposedly innocent building for yourself and you’ll see why. With its shiny pink hues, its billowing, curved roof edges and that large opening in the middle, there’s no getting away from it. A Middle East nation’s World Cup stadium looks remarkably like a vagina.

Unintentional or not, I for one celebrate this shift in architectural trends. Look out across most city skylines and what do you generally see? Row upon row of phallic symbols dressed up as skyscrapers. From New York’s Empire State building to Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, architects have raced to build ever bigger, ever taller erections, thrusting them upwards into wispy clouds, and placing proud red flashing lights at their tip.

Us women have quite literally lived our lives in the shadow of these huge metal penises for decades. It’s about time we had a chance to have our bits immortalised in the world’s major buildings – so this is a good start, as far as I’m concerned.

What’s even more impressive is that a Middle Eastern nation has paved the way with such a feminist-friendly building. Personally, I’m taking it as a victory for Qatar’s often-oppressed women, a celebration of womanhood and a recognition of the beauty of the female form.

Greek mythology used to tell stories about how vaginas came armed with teeth. We’ve come a long way from the days where female genitalia was something to be feared. Nowadays it seems 45,000 people will happily cram themselves inside one – and the biggest threat once inside (at least to my sports-weary mind) is boredom!

That’s this week’s slightly tongue-in-cheek blog all wrapped up.

In love and light,

Taranga