5 misconceptions about the clitoris: the truth finally set free

The clitoris, a word that should be as commonplace as "penis", as celebrated as so many other parts of the body. Except that it is not. At 1969, we believe it is time to clear away this fog and tell the true story of this extraordinary organ.

For centuries, the clitoris was ignored, distorted, reinvented by male imaginations that simply did not know where to look for it. It was thought absent, then tiny, then less important than everything else. It was even mutilated in the name of civilisation, excised in the name of tradition, forgotten in the name of science. It is a shameful history and, thankfully, the story of these lies is finally beginning to be written differently.

Here are five misconceptions about the clitoris that it is truly time to leave behind.

Misconception #1: « The clitoris is a little button, a sort of tiny bead »

Wait. Come and discover instead the anatomical truth waiting beneath the surface. What you see on the surface is around 10% of the organ. The rest is a hidden world: roots, bulbs, a complex and utterly sophisticated structure that extends over more than 10 centimetres.

Imagine an iceberg. The small glans glimpsed between the labia, the very one that seems so fragile, so delicate? It is merely the visible tip of an invisible architecture. Beneath it extends an entire system of erectile bodies, vestibular bulbs and roots that surround the urethra and vagina like the arms of a benevolent octopus. This invisible majority of the organ is no less sensitive, no less powerful, no less capable of pleasure than its visible part.

Historical and anatomical research (Misconceptions about the clitoris: History and the political anatomy of a little-known organ, Sylvie Chaperon & Odile Fillod) shows that this lack of knowledge is far from accidental: it reflects centuries of deliberate underestimation of female pleasure. 

What science is only just rediscovering, women who take the time to explore themselves already know: the clitoris is not a button. It is a continent that deserves to be crossed with curiosity, slowness and respect.

Misconception #2: « There are clitoral women and vaginal women »

Freud has much to answer for here. Despite all his influence, he was spectacularly wrong in dividing female orgasms into two opposing categories, suggesting that a “real woman” should experience orgasm through vaginal penetration rather than clitoral stimulation. It was false. It has remained false. It is still a male invention designed to elevate penetration and minimise the role of the clitoris.

Here is the anatomical truth: the clitoris and vagina are not two independent systems (Anatomy of the clitoris). The G-spot, which some once searched for frantically like hidden treasure, exists only because the clitoris makes itself felt there. Vaginal stimulation works precisely because it touches the clitoris’s internal branches, not despite them.

For most women, orgasm comes through direct stimulation of the clitoral glans. For others, it is triggered by external friction that activates the clitoris’s internal branches. There is therefore only one form of female orgasm: clitoral orgasm. The variations are simply different paths to reach it, personal rhythms and individual preferences.

No one has to choose between one and the other, and no one should feel guilty because they experience pleasure differently from the woman next door.

Misconception #3: « The clitoris is a useless organ, created by mistake »

This goes back to a historical disaster. Until the end of the 18th century, people sincerely believed that the clitoris was necessary for conceiving a child. Doctors even thought that without clitoral orgasm, a woman simply could not become pregnant. That is why female masturbation was... encouraged. It was not a gentle acceptance of women’s pleasure, merely procreative logic: women were expected to experience orgasm so that they would reproduce.

Then came the moment when science established that, no, the clitoris was not at all necessary for reproduction. Suddenly, it became problematic, cumbersome and shameful. Doctors began recommending its removal in young girls so that they would not masturbate. For decades, the clitoris was treated as an error of anatomical design, something to correct, reduce and silence.

But here is the thing: an organ that brings pleasure needs no further justification. Its purpose lies entirely in its ability to offer you sensation, joy and a deep connection with your own body. The clitoris exists for nothing other than pleasure. It is magnificent. It is even radical: it is the only organ in the human body whose sole function is pleasure. Neither reproduction nor survival, just... happiness.

That is precisely why we created 1969: to celebrate this freedom of pleasure without pressure.

Misconception #4: « Directly stimulating the clitoral glans is the best way »

Pause for a moment. Approach the unlubricated, unprepared glans too quickly and you risk creating discomfort, even pain. That is why so few women find pleasure when someone rushes straight there without any prelude.

The clitoris has a foreskin, just like the penis. This hood of skin protects it precisely because the glans is highly sensitive. During arousal, this hood retracts slightly to gradually reveal the glans. Until this retraction has taken place, going straight to the glans without lubrication or gentleness is a little like drawing a knife and hoping someone will dance with you.

Instead, begin by exploring all around it. Gently massage the foreskin, stimulate the inner labia, which are also erectile zones, let pleasure flow like a spreading wave. Use a quality water-based lubricant, designed for the delicacy and sensitivity of this area.

If you would like to explore with a sex toy, our vibrating massage wands offer gradual, controllable stimulation, ideal for getting to know your sensations. For more targeted and precise stimulation, finger clitoral stimulators such as Touch Me or Kiss Cool allow you to retain complete control over intensity and rhythm.

Listen to the rhythm of your partner’s or your own breathing. Pleasure rises gradually, like the tide, never through brute force. Some women love direct, constant stimulation; others need variation and alternation. A few prefer very slow, light stimulation almost over the hood. Others still want real pressure.

Our approach to slow sex values precisely this gentle slowness. The truth is that every clitoris asks to be heard, listened to, explored with curiosity rather than with instructions set in stone.

Misconception #5: « We have only just discovered the true anatomy of the clitoris »

This myth circulates widely: "The complete anatomy of the clitoris was only discovered in 1998!" False. Anatomists such as Realdo Colombo in 1558, then Kobelt in 1850, had already documented the clitoris’s complex structure with astonishing precision. Kobelt even noted that the nerve leading to the clitoral glans is larger than that of the penis.

But here is the catch: in the 19th century, when it was discovered that the clitoris did not serve reproduction, it was simply forgotten. Anatomy textbooks stopped mentioning it. The word disappeared from dictionaries. Science stepped backwards. It took until the 1990s and the feminist revolution for researchers to dare look again at what had already been discovered 150 years earlier.

It is less a rediscovery than a resurrection. A story of collective amnesia, deliberate taboo, of refusing to face an uncomfortable truth: women, just like men, possess a nervous system devoted to pleasure, and that system deserves honest, fulfilled and unapologetic exploration.

So, what should you do with it now?

Leaving these misconceptions behind means first giving yourself permission to explore without guilt, without pressure, without a ready-made script. Whether you are in a relationship or on your own, the clitoris awaits one thing: your gentle curiosity.

Take a vibrator or simply explore with your hand. Our collection of clitoral stimulators is designed to help you gradually discover what your body prefers, the rhythm you enjoy and the intensity that suits you. Or explore air-pulse stimulators such as Womanizer or Satisfyer for a completely different, more enveloping sensation.

Explore in intimacy, slowly, without rushing. Or, if you prefer shared closeness, bring these discoveries into your life as a couple by speaking openly about your desires. Massage, caress, listen. Stay attentive to the sensations that arise. Every shiver is a small response from your body to your curiosity. Follow it.

Because the clitoris is also a way of saying: your pleasure matters. It matters as much as anyone else’s. It deserves just as much attention, time and refinement. It asks for nothing more than to be recognised, heard and freely explored.