Here's What Happened When I Threw A Vulva-Cloning Party

The “vulva cloning” party I recently hosted was not something I’d ever expected to do, but I’m so glad I did. It all started, like many things, with a twist of serendipity.

I taught my class, 'Mapping the Vulva: Anatomy, Communication, Touch and Pleasure' at SheBop a couple months ago, and a blogger from Clone-A-Willy was in the audience to write about the class. I knew she was there, but I never got to talk to her. A little while later I found the write-up, and it was fantastic.

As I read the article I realized that they could help me address an issue I’d been struggling with — how to make my vulva class as useful as possible to students when I’m doing it without a live demo.

You see, sometimes when I do the class, I have someone up on a massage table and I demo the touch techniques I’ve discussed. But at many venues, this isn’t possible. So I demo on a fleshlight and sometimes a vulva puppet.

This does pretty well, and I still get great feedback on the demo portion of the class, but I’m always looking for ways to improve.

One point that I stress in my classes is the wide variety of forms that genital anatomy can take. I show pictures to illustrate my point, but again, there’s always room for improvement.

So I wrote to the Clone-A-Willy folks and asked if they’d send me some kits to use for making teaching models. That way I’d be able to show a range of anatomy to my students and show demos on different body types. The Clone-A-Willy folks responded immediately and enthusiastically.

Before I knew it I had a box on my doorstep containing 6 complete kits and 6 extra bags of molding powder.

Next up was the rather odd task of going through my mental Rolodex of friends and partners to figure out who to ask if they's be willing to allow me to clone their vulva. I wanted to be sure to find folks who have bodies you don’t see as much of in the mainstream, such as people with larger inner labia, or a larger clitoris.

It turns out I have a pretty great group of friends and everyone I talked to was enthusiastic about the idea. Several people even suggested other folks that might be a good fit.

What was born from these conversations, was what became my #PussyParty.

Although the cloning certainly didn’t have to be a group activity, it seemed a lot more fun to do it that way. So I set a date, sent some invites, and planned snacks.

I also told the internet to follow along. Because why not. 

The evening started with a just a couple of friends and we had a while to chat. Later, more people showed up, and soon I had six guests in my small living room, all ready for an adventure. 

We talked for another hour at least before any cloning started. And we read the directions and reviews online.

Finally, I made the first attempt. Despite the strange feeling of the casting material on my genitals, the mold didn’t take. The casting power had clearly set before it ever touched me. As the night went on, it was a comedy of errors. The next several attempts were the same, with no impressions being made.

But as it turned out, that didn’t matter much.

We had a room full of women talking and sharing about their bodies and having a marvelous time.

We got to hear about one woman who’d had a labiaplasty as a teenager. We got to hear about one woman’s particularly sensitive clitoris. And we got to hear about another woman’s difficulty reaching orgasm.

The Clone-A-Pussy activity was facilitating conversations about bodies and sexuality that rarely happen, and that was the real value of the night. But, we were also a very determined bunch. I was amazed by how committed everyone was to the task at hand. So many of my own hostessing anxieties were quelled by seeing what a good time people were having. We spent a solid three hours just working on making molds.

That extra casting powder came in very handy as each of the 7 of us tried a cast, and then two people made second attempts.

Top two above = duds. Bottom two = the two best (filled with silicone).

Between each attempt, we all brainstormed about what had worked and what hadn’t and formed a plan for the next try. It was like the best science project that ever happened.

(If only I could have taken this to my high school science fair!)

We tried varying the temperature of the water and varying the mixing time. We tried several different positions. 

Ultimately, we came up with two casts that we decided were worthy of silicone.

The silicone had its own challenges. Because the mold presses flush against the body, there isn’t any extra space for the silicone, so the finished product is pretty thin. I also wish there was a bit more silicone in each kit — for one of the casts I had to use the silicone from two kits. I also used duct tape to build a lip around one of the molds to try for a sturdier result.

The two finished products are a lot of fun. 

But they’re almost beside the point. 

What I was most excited about is how this tool facilitated a long evening of exploration, silliness, and body positivity.

I hope everyone decides to host their own #PussyParty!​

Stella Harris is building a world where everyone has the confidence to explore their sexuality safely and free of shame. As a certified Intimacy Educator and Sex Coach, she uses a variety of tools to guide and empower her clients and she teaches everything from pleasure anatomy, to communication skills, to kink and BDSM. Stella has been widely quoted in the media including Cosmopolitan, Thrillist, The Philadelphia City Paper, and The Toronto Sun, and she’s made guest appearances on numerous podcasts including Sex on the Brain and Playboy Radio.

Follow @stellaerotica on Twitter.