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Insert here: Unpacking tensions in designing technologies for the vagina
KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Human Centered Technology, Media Technology and Interaction Design, MID.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7673-0822
KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Human Centered Technology, Media Technology and Interaction Design, MID.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0767-6973
KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Human Centered Technology, Media Technology and Interaction Design, MID.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2154-6945
KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Human Centered Technology, Media Technology and Interaction Design, MID.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9472-3805
2024 (English)In: DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA / [ed] Gray, C., Ciliotta Chehade, E., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P., Lloyd, P., Design Research Society , 2024, Vol. 2024Chapter in book (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

From sex toys to fertility trackers to vaginal fitness, the design of vaginally inserted technologies often mirrors gendered norms and societal taboos. These norms perpetuate the vagina as an obscure and mystified area, making it difficult for designers to find their way amidst a web of technical, material, and ethical concerns. In this paper, we present a mingling of our experiences as designers, together with feminist and posthuman literature, to discuss the challenges and tensions arising when designing in this space. We provide alternative framings and reflect on how the case of designing for the vagina creates blurry definitions of the inside/outside of the body and of medical/non-medical devices. We offer future directions on how we might demystify and destigmatize designing for vaginas, calling for more queer and feminist approaches to intimate design.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Design Research Society , 2024. Vol. 2024
Keywords [en]
feminist design, fertility, intimate design, intimate technologies, menstruation, sex toys, vagina, vulva
National Category
Design Gender Studies Human Computer Interaction
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-376463DOI: 10.21606/drs.2024.389Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105027538811OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-376463DiVA, id: diva2:2038274
Note

QC 20260213

Available from: 2026-02-13 Created: 2026-02-13 Last updated: 2026-02-13Bibliographically approved

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Campo Woytuk, NadiaPark, Joo YoungCiolfi Felice, MarianelaBalaam, Madeline

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