The book "Bex Day: Petal" by Black Dog Online features a blue cover with a central photograph of legs in water adorned in blue clothing. The title "PETAL" and author "BEX DAY" are subtly embossed in blue on the cover, challenging taboos through its evocative imagery and underlying themes.
Open book showing a page with text on the left and a photograph of a partially nude person lying on grass, covering their face with an arm on the right. The scene appears to be outdoors, subtly working to dismantle taboos in art. This image is from "Bex Day: Petal" by Black Dog Online.
An open book titled "Bex Day: Petal" by Black Dog Online reveals a page with text on the left and a close-up image of a person lying down on the right, dressed in vibrant clothing and delicately holding a pink flower near their waist, subtly aiming to dismantle taboos surrounding female genitalia.
An open book, "Bex Day: Petal" by Black Dog Online, showcases a page of text on the left and a photo on the right featuring two hands clasping a bracelet against blue, patterned fabric, subtly celebrating female genitalia and aiming to dismantle taboos through its powerful imagery.
An open book, titled "Bex Day: Petal" by Black Dog Online, displays a photograph of a person lying face down with a red flower tucked into their checkered clothing, alongside a page of text that aims to dismantle taboos.

Bex Day: Petal

Sale price$56.00 Regular price$74.00
Save $18.00

Bex Day (Author)

Natalie Alexis-Lee (Contributor)

Hardback, 20 × 25 cm | 7.8 × 9.8 in, 176 pages

ISBN 978-1-912165-57-5

Availability: In Stock

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Petal is a photographic series by Bex Day, created in celebration of the uniqueness of the vulva. Each vulva pictured in the collection is covered by either a single petal or flower to simultaneously reflect their shared qualities and individuality in an effort to dismantle the taboos that envelop female genitalia.

Colloquial terms for the vagina, including “pussy”, “cunt” and “gash”, have all been adopted as negatives in the English language; being used as insults, curses or as an insinuation of weakness or passivity. In society as we know it, the vagina has for too long been perceived as the lesser sexual organ, conceptualised not on its qualities but what it lacks in comparison to the penis. Even the word vagina itself evokes a squeamishness among many, highlighting the urgent need for a change of perspective.

Young children, especially people who are socialised and raised as female, are brought up to name their private parts “flower” and “foo-foo” among other diminutive names. This foundation has created a public misconception of what is considered a “normal” vagina, partially due to typecasting in porn and portrayals in mainstream media, but also the result of cultural censorship.

The shape, colour and size of each petal has been chosen by each individual featured to represent how they see their own vagina. The series aims to unify female, non-binary and female-identifying individuals by showing the similarities of their vaginas rather than focusing on what is considered different.

Spanning varying ages, races, genders, hair types, sizes and shapes, the series is a captivating and colourful compilation, with each image being accompanied by a message written by the subject about their own feelings about and experiences of their bodies.