Cunnilingus: A Shameless Guide

Eating out. Going down. Oral sex. Carpet munching. Mustache riding. Pussy eating. Giving head. Muff diving. Tipping the Velvet. No matter what you call it — cunnilingus is having a moment right now. And there are so many reasons for that.

Let’s go on a shameless journey to explore cunnilingus.

What Is Cunnilingus?

The short answer is: oral sex on a woman. Cunnilingus techniques are all about using the mouth and tongue, licking and sucking to give sensation to a partner’s vulva.

The word is even derived from the Latin words for the vulva ( cunnus) and the verb “to lick” ( lingō).

Let’s Talk About the Basics

It’s important to note that colloquially, society refers to the whole genital area of a woman as the “vagina”. In fact however, the correct anatomical word for the whole genital area is “vulva”. Everything you can see externally is the vulva. Every vulva is different in size, color, taste, and smell. All vulvas are normal.

When you get down there, what are you gonna see? Top to bottom, here’s what to expect:

If you slide your hand from your partner’s belly button down towards the vulva, the first area you encounter is the mons pubis, where the pubic hair begins.