Can I learn to enjoy the taste of vagina?

July 14, 2007 9:26 AM

Can I learn to enjoy the taste of vagina? I really want to.

I really do want to enjoy licking pussy. I'm an attentive lover who enjoys giving pleasure to women. I love giving long backrubs, and I love using vibrators, dildos, and my fingers on girls. So psychologically you'd think I was into going down on them. As an inexperienced teenager I always heard how much women love guys who lick pussy, and I looked forward to being one of those guys.

Now that I'm out there having sex with girls, I find that I really don't like the smell and taste of most vaginas. There are a few here and there that I don't mind, but so far they've belonged to girls that don't really crave cunnilingus. The ones that I've dated that do want cunnilingus, I've been fairly turned off by the smell and taste. I do enjoy using my fingers on the girls, but the smell of my fingers afterwards is often a turnoff. These have all been pretty sanitary girls who take good care of themselves and bathe regularly.

Has anyone here grown to enjoy the taste of vagina where they previously didn't? Or do you know of anyone? Is there something I should be doing that I'm not? Presently I'm just telling everyone I date that I'm not that into cunnilingus, and they've been ok with it so far.

posted by anonymous to human relations (39 answers total)

There's a fun book called "The Man Who Ate Everything" (not a sex book) by Jeffrey Steingarten. [SPOILER APPROPRIATE TO YOUR PREDICAMENT FOLLOWS.]

Steingarten is a food critic, and at the beginning of his career, he fretted that he wouldn't be able to do his job because he disliked too many food -- especially many staples of French cuisine.

So he decided to make himself like them by forcing himself to eat them over and over. He found that after 20 or so exposures to a food he disliked, he suddenly started to like it.

One day, he had an epiphany at a French restaurant. He looked at the menu and couldn't order because everything on the menu looked equally delicious to him. He didn't know how to choose.
posted by grumblebee at 9:48 AM on July 14, 2007 [6 favorites]

The thing with smell and taste is that you have some degree of control over how much you smell or taste the things you dont want to smell or taste. So resist the temptation to take a whiff of something that you know you wont like the smell of. You can lick the clit and avoid where the juices come out of and use your fingers there instead. You can do all of this in the bath or shower to make it more palatable. And finally you can learn to enjoy the whole package, I mean it is ultimately subjective. I find vaginas kind of unclean but then I think well I wouldn't exactly be peachy about having some guys sweaty crotch in my face. I'm sure those things dont taste or smell good either potentially. So that fact makes me a little more willing to be a trooper about the whole thing.
posted by dino terror at 9:50 AM on July 14, 2007

When you fall in love with someone, you'll enjoy doing it for her.
posted by papakwanz at 9:54 AM on July 14, 2007 [2 favorites]

Things like diet and health can make a big difference in the way that people taste. Encourage your lady friends to, for example, lay off the red meat and eat more citrus fruit.
posted by box at 9:57 AM on July 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

Upon further reflection, maybe you'd be better off looking for tastier ladies, rather than trying to change the ones you already have by making strange dietary requests of them.
posted by box at 10:13 AM on July 14, 2007

Can't you incorporate food or something playfully? Honey, chocolate syrup, Southern Comfort, I don't know. Or eat a Listerine strip right before you do it so that your sense of taste is overwhelmed?
posted by hermitosis at 10:21 AM on July 14, 2007

One thing to be aware of is that the taste and smell of a woman's vagina changes throughout her cycle. I enjoy the taste myself, but I've noticed that it's stronger immediately before and after her period. So maybe you could avoid those times while you're acclimating to the taste.

Also as papakwanz says, there is certainly an emotional dimension to this as well. I like going down on my girlfriend because it makes her feel good, and it's one of the more intimate ways of touching somebody. For me, the taste is a reminder of that intimacy, so I find it mentally stimulating.
posted by number9dream at 10:23 AM on July 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

Why is enjoying the taste important? I tolerate it. I love how they react, though. Its not like they enjoy the taste of every dude's fluids either. You do it because you want to give them pleasure.

I think that once you've done it enough, you'll start to like it.
posted by Ironmouth at 10:33 AM on July 14, 2007 [2 favorites]

There's nothing wrong with having a shower before having sex. In my experience that will make a huge difference.
posted by jouke at 10:35 AM on July 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

I think that showering beforehand, especially while you're getting used to the taste, would be fine. Also, just telling here up-front that you don't really like cunnilingus would be okay too, especially if you don't pressure her to go down either.

If you do choose to use food, please be careful. It's not a good idea to use things directly on the vagina because it could cause the woman to get an infection. Then you won't be getting ANYTHING for a good long while.

Good luck!
posted by christinetheslp at 10:39 AM on July 14, 2007

Coco de Mer have a lightly-flavoured water-based lubricant that might be worth trying. Or, try using ice / a hot drink to both enhance the effect and dull any taste.
posted by ukdanae at 10:42 AM on July 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

Ok, what I meant was: "vagina" is a pretty clinical word. It indicates to me that the OP is not really into the experience on any level. I don't think that the taste/smell is the real issue.
posted by thebrokedown at 10:55 AM on July 14, 2007

if you try ukdanae's suggestions bear in mind that one person's warm is another person's hot so be careful with hot drinks!
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:55 AM on July 14, 2007

*is necessarily the real issue
posted by thebrokedown at 11:03 AM on July 14, 2007

I'll preface this by saying I'm a straight girl so I have no first hand experience, but I've had a lot of guy friends who call it an "acquired taste". Basically, just like coffee, tea or beer no one likes it right off the bat, but over time you come to appreciate it (similar to what grumblebee said).

So basically, be a trooper and keep your head down....
posted by whoaali at 11:16 AM on July 14, 2007

When you fall in love with someone, you'll enjoy doing it for her.

Could be a pheromone thing. Perhaps The One will taste like a chiffon cake.

Always shower before oral sex. Time of the month matters. Also, after about five minutes, the taste is washed away by saliva.

Like a previous poster remarked, repeated exposure will probably change the way you perceive the taste. I used to hate natto, and now I love it.

I must stress, though, that vah-jay-jay has never been an acquired taste to me. For me, the taste of it has always been as accessible as ketchup, but far more sophisticated, of course.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:34 AM on July 14, 2007 [3 favorites]

I wouldn't worry about it. Eventually, you'll come to associate the smell and taste with getting off yourself, and then it'll become sexy, whether or not it ever becomes pleasing on its own merits.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 12:16 PM on July 14, 2007

Have you tried miracle fruit?
posted by greatgefilte at 2:21 PM on July 14, 2007

You could use dental damn or just saran wrap. Of course you should do this anyway to reduce the risk of STI's. Even if you are in a committed relationship where you've decided to have unprotected sex because you trust each other to remain monogamous, I'm sure any woman who enjoys receiving oral at all would take getting it with protection over not getting any at all. Also, I'm not sure how much this even affects the experience for the woman. The usual complaint with condoms is that there isn't as much heat transfer. That would still be true, but I don't know how much of an issue it would be for external stimulation. Females, can you possibly shed some light?
posted by gauchodaspampas at 2:50 PM on July 14, 2007

I would reiterate the pheromone suggestion, which more or less goes along with the suggestion to find a "tastier" woman. There is a pretty wide discrepancy in tastes and odors, what one person may think is horrible tasting, another may love, YMMV. (Girls who are vegetarians seem to taste a bunch better, but that I could be because I am too. Take that for what it's worth.)

On another related topic, learn to do it correctly. I've heard it repeated by multiple girls that I've dated and ones I haven't: "Don't 'go down' like guys in porn do, we don't like that." This may very well go without saying, but I figured I would say it anyways. I had the benefit of dating a girl who knew exactly what she wanted very early in my dating career and she told me when I was doing it wrong. Being inexperienced, I went with what I saw in porn, and this was the wrong thing to be doing. Ask what she likes and what she doesn't and be receptive to that.

Just think about getting head yourself, are you going to critique her technique? Most women aren't going to come out and say that they're not enjoying it unless you prod them and show a definite interest in wanting to improve your technique. Most of all, make it clear you're not looking to be complemented.

"vagina" is a pretty clinical word.

I almost lost it when I read this. I thought back to that episode of Boston Legal with Brad Chase and the girl who would not stop saying 'vagina'.

I would agree with thebrokedown in that it sounds like you're pretty much uninterested in the act. You're talking about it like a sexual education text book. "Sexual intercourse involves when the man...."

I had more stuff to suggest, doing the finger check before you start saying you do/don't like doing it, etc etc, but this post is already such that I really hope it doesn't come up on the first page of Google results for my name.
posted by gregschoen at 2:52 PM on July 14, 2007

Sugar free popsicles

(Go easy on the OP. I imagine he used the word 'vagina' because he was posting in a public forum.)
posted by happyturtle at 3:25 PM on July 14, 2007

hermitosis is on to something (though there's other great advice in the thread - showering does make a huge difference!). Try sucking on a mentholated cough drop while performing. This not only alters the flavor, the menthol also subtly (or possibly not-so-subtly, depending on how sensitive the girl in question is) acts on the area you're salivating all over.
posted by solotoro at 3:40 PM on July 14, 2007

Oh for christ's sake. Vagina is a perfectly fine word for a vagina. Grow up. I call vaginas "vaginas" all the time, and I've never, ever, been accused of having a clinical approach to sex.

There's a nice thread somewhere on AskMe about eating cum, and almost universally the verdict is that when folks are aroused they're into eating cum, and when they aren't they aren't. I wonder if things would go better for you if you got really aroused before you went down on your partner.
posted by OmieWise at 4:36 PM on July 14, 2007 [2 favorites]

Try licking a 9 volt battery.
posted by A Long and Troublesome Lameness at 5:23 PM on July 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

You might suggest that she use a feminine wash of some sort like Summer's Eve. Personally, I prefer the natural taste of pussy , but a friend of mine swears by this stuff. His girlfriend is really into cunnilingus, but he had issues with odor. After experimenting with diet to no avail, she started using a feminine wash (I'm sure there are organic ones out there too, if that's your thing), and he became a lot more enthusiastic about going down.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 5:59 PM on July 14, 2007 [2 favorites]

Flavoured lube was made just for you. Make sure you taste some on your finger before you pour it on... even better, the nicer shops will allow you to taste before you buy.

(BTW, I hate ketchup, so I must insist that it IS an acquired taste. No one could like that stuff naturally. Yeech!)
posted by anaelith at 6:02 PM on July 14, 2007

Use flavoured lube. It comes in little squirty bottles exactly for this purpose nowadays. The good thing is that you only need it to start things off.. once you get "into it" then the nastiness/ickiness goes away (or it should, rather).
posted by wackybrit at 6:07 PM on July 14, 2007

Dude. Get over it.

Think about what you're doing to her. You're not buying an ice cream sundae, you're driving a girl past the brink of ecstasy with your tongue. If you're thinking about it tasting funny then you're not into it. Maybe it's more than just the taste, maybe you're weirded out by the act in general. Step back and think about it and maybe you'll be able to figure out what it is you really don't like about it.

Once you know a girl who you're relaxed enough with to have fun just playing around with each other's bodies, you'll probably learn how to have fun with it really damn fast. Throwing it out now and telling girls you don't like doing it is definitely going to be a pretty big minus on you.

Probably the easiest thing to do is to find a really enthusiastic, fun, communicative girl that really loves being licked and let her show you and tell you why and how she likes it. You'll be too busy to be worrying about the little things. This is of course only easy if you're involved with a girl like that or have the potential to be, but I highly suggest it.
posted by blacklite at 6:38 PM on July 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

You do it to please her - you don't have to love the taste. Is analingus about taste? Do you think girls who swallow semen enjoy the taste? If so you've got another thing coming... (pun intended!)

I'd reconsider telling women you're not into cunnilingus. To me, that would signal a kind of selfishness and conservatism that would make me concerned for sexual incompatibility. At the very least it would make me think you have issues.
posted by loiseau at 7:04 PM on July 14, 2007

solipsophistocracy: "You might suggest that she use a feminine wash of some sort like Summer's Eve. Personally, I prefer the natural taste of pussy , but a friend of mine swears by this stuff. His girlfriend is really into cunnilingus, but he had issues with odor. After experimenting with diet to no avail, she started using a feminine wash (I'm sure there are organic ones out there too, if that's your thing), and he became a lot more enthusiastic about going down."

Wow. that's not just offensive but unhealthy for her parts. If I had a partner who insisted I douche before he'd go down on me I'd leave before he'd ever be able to convince me there's something gross and wrong with my body.
posted by loiseau at 7:06 PM on July 14, 2007 [2 favorites]

Unfortunately I don't have suggestions for the OP, but had to clarify that you should NOT pour beer on it (I know it was a joke, and will probably be removed, but just to be clear, do not encourage the proliferation of yeast.)
Also, loiseau, he was referring to a literal feminine wash, not a euphemism for douche. There are a bunch of them out there and while I'm not certain, they seem to be a much less harmful product than a douche.
posted by Iamtherealme at 7:15 PM on July 14, 2007

Wow. that's not just offensive but unhealthy for her parts. If I had a partner who insisted I douche before he'd go down on me I'd leave before he'd ever be able to convince me there's something gross and wrong with my body.


If there was something "wrong" IE the taste was unpleasant and your BF was honest about it, you would leave him? That doesn't sound very mature to me.

I think it comes with time and emtional connection. Everything about sex is better when you really care for someone. (well, almost everything)
posted by crewshell at 8:33 PM on July 14, 2007

Someone will probably jump down my throat about this being unhealthy (I don't actually know, but nothing bad happened when I did it). But I really enjoyed pop-rocks when I was going down there. Also the period of time before and after her period is usually a bit more, shall we say, musky.
posted by BobbyDigital at 10:21 PM on July 14, 2007

The same mid-nineties men's guide that recommended that one tell the cleaners semen stains were egg/albumen: "they won't believe you, but they'll know how to treat it"also claimed female SO's tasted better when they bathed instead of showered.
posted by brujita at 10:46 PM on July 14, 2007

Wow. that's not just offensive but unhealthy for her parts. If I had a partner who insisted I douche before he'd go down on me I'd leave before he'd ever be able to convince me there's something gross and wrong with my body.

Yeah, Iamtherealme is right. I wasn't talking about a douche, it's more like body wash designed specifically for the vulva.

Furthermore, I certainly don't insist that a lady do anything to herself as a prerequisite for any kind of sexual interaction. However, using a feminine wash provided a solution to this same problem for some friends of mine.

I don't think suggesting that a lady wash her genitals is the same as "convincing her there's something gross and wrong with her body."
posted by solipsophistocracy at 8:04 AM on July 15, 2007

A shower, or at most a water douche, should be sufficient. Focus on how much it turns you on to turn her on. Practice a lot, which should make you pretty popular.
posted by theora55 at 10:46 AM on July 15, 2007

I have to agree with loiseau - I would feel very uncomfortable being with a man who didn't enjoy going down on me. And more than discomfort - I would have a very difficult time being in a long-term relationship and having to go without oral sex. It's an amazing feeling when done right, and, just as I'd imagine a man would feel if he never got oral sex, I'd miss it like hell. It would probably be a deal-breaker for me.

My SO likes me to be clean so I always bathe before sex, and just consider that something I do to please him. I also second or third or whatever the idea of using flavored lubricant. And I would think that if you "wash" the area with your tongue as well, you'd be just fine. It's great that you asked the question which means you're willing to work on the issue, but definitely don't expect many women to be cool with never receiving oral sex - even if they say they're ok with it, you would have to be considered a sub-standard lover if you don't do it, I would think.
posted by hazyjane at 11:04 AM on July 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

Wow. that's not just offensive but unhealthy for her parts. If I had a partner who insisted I douche before he'd go down on me I'd leave before he'd ever be able to convince me there's something gross and wrong with my body.

Are you telling me there are women who go down on men who aren't exactly 'fresh'? Surely being clean before sex is a common requirement?

Anyway, he didn't say "douche".. there's a world of difference between having a casual wash and shooting a jet of water up your parts.
posted by wackybrit at 4:09 PM on July 15, 2007

Wow. that's not just offensive but unhealthy for her parts. If I had a partner who insisted I douche before he'd go down on me I'd leave before he'd ever be able to convince me there's something gross and wrong with my body.

first, feminine wash isn't the same as douche.

second, you need to chill it. would asking your partner to observe some level of personal hygiene and keep his junk clean before you go to town on it mean that you're telling him that "there's something gross and wrong with his body"? no, it means that ppl would have a better time with it if it wasn't all funky.
posted by violetk at 5:07 PM on July 15, 2007