My Vagina. My Orgasm. My Imagination

This monotype is part of a series of self portraits about my own process of self exploration around my body and my sexuality. I grew up in a Latinx immigrant family that only talked about sex through negative and pain-oriented narratives, such as “close your legs” and “don’t get pregnant.” Sex was overwhelmingly presented through a disempowering lens, and as a result, I grew up without tools to negotiate my own desires and have sexual agency. I grew up feeling shame around my body and my sexual fantasies, and I didn’t know where to access tools and information about my desires. However, that did not stop me. The first time I lost my virginity as a young teen was among the best days in my life, and it was the first time I experienced an orgasm.

Despite the repression of sexual conversations and the mega saturation of male-centric...