Dear Sasha: We are a militant feminist collective that uses performance art to reclaim women's bodies. Currently we are planning an exhibition dedicated to celebrating the vagina, titled "An Unnatural History of the Vagina: Beauty vs. Function." We plan on making the vagina an interactive experience through multimedia, tactile art and audience participation. One aspect of the project we're pursuing would involve plaster-casting our vaginas, but we have some safety issues: stuck hair, unhealthy use of plaster, yeast infections, use of plaster in sensitive parts, etc. Can you suggest how we can plaster-cast or make moulds of our vaginas in a safe way? Do you know what types of material would be safe for casting around the labia and clitoris? Would it be necessary to remove all pubic hair surrounding the vagina in order to do this safely? We would appreciate your sage advice on this project. » The Women of Deictic Blue

Dear Women,
Here is some post-porn-feminist-art irony for you: the last person I spoke to about casting vaginas was J.C. Logan, a man who casts the cunts of adult film stars. These particular vaginas are used - speaking of function - for masturbation purposes, and you can find them at sex stores like Séduction. Some of them even include labial piercings and hand-punched pubic hair. Logan starts by using alginate, an algae byproduct that McDonald's also uses to thicken their shakes. He applies it to the fully shaved actress on a table, gynecologist-style. This process is the easiest and it is very safe, though alginate can be a bit costly. Check out www.artmolds.com and quick, there's a sale on right now. The vaginas Logan creates are made with a soft vinyl product, but you could use just about any liquid solution that hardens, I imagine. Jell-O pussy shot, anyone?

Your other option comes from Toronto artist and set designer Sherri Hay. Hay created a series of vaginas for a play called Peepshow a few years back, and her method, though a bit more ghetto, is cheaper. Hay begins with a plaster mould, and this can't be stressed enough: make sure you are fully shaven and that goes for your asshole as well, because prying off plaster or alginate imbedded with your pubes hurts like a motherfucker. Hay bought nine aluminum roasting pans, mixed six inches of plaster in them, and had her shaven and Vaseline slathered actresses squat into them. "You know it's beginning to set when it starts getting hot," she says. Keep your eye out for bubbles, but if you get unavoidable ones, and you will, soak the hardened plaster in warm water, then plug the holes with wet plaster. Hay used beeswax to create her vaginas, and they are exquisite, actually. She began with one layer of peachy-coloured beeswax (tinted with oil paint that comes in sticks), swooshed it around the mould, then after it dried, swooshed a layer of tinted red wax on top of it. This layering process gave the vaginas a life-like quality. "Don't forget to put a release agent between the cast and the wax," she says. A thin coat of Pam works just fine. None of the actresses Hay cast complained of any infections or problems afterwards, but do make sure you get all that Vaseline off.

Dear Sasha: Generally speaking, do women prefer men to keep their hairy bits tidy, or is au naturel the best way to go? I ask as I find my crotch is getting a wee bit shaggy for my liking. While I'm sure most women would be turned off by a guy that fussed over his fuzz, I'll bet most also don't fancy going down on Sasquatch either. Any tips for this novice on how to perform a successful (and subtle) trim? » Fuzzy Pumper, Barber Shop'd

Dear Fuzzy,
I don't think there's one person in the world for whom a long pube stuck in the throat is an exciting prospect. I am personally not into the fully groomed male area - a little too eunuchy-looking for my tastes, but a trim certainly makes the area more appealing, and it's no bother at all - scissors, a comb and a seat on the toilet.

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