Check Out Alice Wilder’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alice Wilder.

Hi Alice, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Genital Electric is a sex-positive celebration of self-exploration. It’s all about shedding light where the sun doesn’t shine, and showing how beautiful and unique we all are… in glowing neon light.

I started this project in the spring of 2020, as I embarked on my own journey of genital self-exploration. I had recently had my birth control implant removed from my arm, and after 10+ years of being on some form of hormonal birth control, I needed to figure out who I really was.

It took some time to adjust to the change in hormones, and it felt like I was going through puberty again, especially when my period came back and my cycle went through major fluctuations. I had no idea how to describe the intense feelings and I knew I had to educate myself on what being a woman entailed for me.

I was feeling so lost in understanding my own body and its changes when a friend suggested that I read Come As You Are, a book by Emily Nagoski. I was about to turn 30 and had never looked at my vulva in the mirror, I literally could not have told you what it even looked like. I had always been afraid to look, touch, to feel. I just thought it was this icky, gross part of my body.

When I finally started learning about my vulva, and really looked at it in the mirror for the first time, I was inspired. I had my partner help me take pictures of it every day because I wanted to know how it changed, how it looked at different times of the day, different times of the month, I became so curious. Then I started painting it. After a few paintings I asked myself, how would my vulva look if it was all lit up in neon light? All that excited gas, inside those sexy glass tubes.

So, using a photograph as a reference, I created the first digital self-portrait of my vulva and turned it into digital neon. There was something about how the contour lines glowed, and my pussy came to life. When I showed my digital neon pussy to a few friends, they loved it, and asked if I could possibly create one for them? I was thrilled, and said, “Yes! Just send me a picture!”

I received the first few photos, and I was shocked, they looked completely different from mine! That’s when I remembered something Emily had written, “We’re all made of the same parts as everyone else, organized in a unique way. No two alike.” I started creating portraits for friends, and then their friends started reaching out too. It was the stories that came back to me about how rewarding of an experience the other women were having on their side of the computer screen that inspired me to keep going.

One friend messaged me after spending hours taking pictures with her boyfriend for her portrait and said that through the process she got to know herself in a different way that she thought was beautiful. She thanked me for doing this, and told me I was “doing great work.” I was moved.

I realised then, that this project was bigger than me and I needed to share the stories of other women, so I started The Electric Diary on my website to create a space for others to share stories about their journeys of self exploration.

In January 2021, I found a neon fabricator to help me create the first piece in actual neon, and by July my partner and I were working on the logistics of taking this 4 ft tall neon vulva on a 6000-mile road trip across the country and setting it up for the public.

My current goal is to develop a larger collection of vulvas in neon and exhibit them around the world, and to contribute to a global conversation about body shame, and pleasure.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The main opposition to my project has come in the form of social media censorship. My original instagram account was deleted, and I’ve struggled to grow my accounts despite a background in social media marketing. Several of my tiktoks have been taken down or muted.

I realized that in today’s world of algorithmic censorship, I couldn’t rely on social media alone to help me get the message out. That’s when I decided that I needed to take this neon vulva directly to the public. Since then, the response has been incredible, and overwhelming. I still have daily frustrations with what the social media platforms deem “safe” for the community, but the in-person experiences have been so positive!

Neon art is such an in-person, real-life experience, which is something I felt was missing after digital life in 2020. What I didn’t expect was the space I made for conversation. By putting a self-portrait of my vulva, in public spaces, I was able to create a very intimate and open environment, for complete strangers to talk and ask questions, and share experiences on health, pleasure, and other taboo topics. We had these conversations out on the street, or in the park. We were doing the work of normalizing the conversation around vulvas.

I met people of all ages who were inspired and excited about what I was creating, people who saw how this project could change things, and who believed in my mission. There have been so many interesting encounters around the country from the gynecologist I met in Asbury Park, to the 7-year-old boy in vegas who wanted to be a doula, to the actual doula I met in the middle of Joshua Tree National Park. There was even a 45-year-old mom in Portland who was so excited that our girls were going to grow up with much more support and love around the education about their genitalia and sexuality.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Thank you! I create custom neon portraits of genitalia, my specialty is neon vulvas. I’ve been an artist my whole life, and I’ve always been inspired by glass and neon. There’s something about the glow and the energy the neon gives off that just draws you to it. The way the gasses light up with excitement and bring the vulvas to life, it’s inspiring!

My history of travel blogging laid the foundation for The 2021 Genital Electric Full Exposure tour. I’m a huge culture nerd. I love learning about cultural differences, subcultures, and alternative lifestyles. Seeing how taboo the conversation around sex is in some places and not in others has helped me to see my own culturally instilled shame and fear. With that awareness, I am able to work through these limiting beliefs into a powerful space of freedom.

I hope that with Genital Electric I can help women love their vulvas, explore themselves without fear and embrace the power of their own pleasure.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
When it comes to networking, vulnerability is key. I’m an introvert, so traditional networking meetups are often intimidating for me, I get nervous inserting myself into large groups. However, when my neon sign turns on, people can’t help but want to come talk to me. Showing up authentically, and communicating vulnerably, helped attract others to me.

Creating the space in public to have these open conversations and allowing myself to be vulnerable with complete strangers made it easier to go deep with someone I just met, without fear. When you allow yourself to be vulnerable with someone, those connections and bonds become even stronger. My network and community has been growing since I put my “big energy” out there. I guess in my case it’s “big pussy energy” from taking my neon on the road.

After kicking ass with the first pop-up tour across the US, I’m currently creating custom portraits, fundraising to build the next neon vulva, and looking for partnered locations & sponsors for the next pop-up tour.

Contact Info:

• Email: aliceb.wilder@genitalelectric.art
• Website: genitalelectric.art
• Instagram: instagram.com/genitalelectric
• Youtube: youtube.com/genitalelectric
• Donate: gofundme.com/f/genitalelectric  or Venmo: @genitalelectric

Image Credits
Genital Electric