Many men are keen to play with a woman's vulva: women are often relatively indifferent to such activity - particularly if the man focuses on the outer lips.

The inside lips (labia minora) are usually highly sensitive, the outer lips (labia majora) much less so.

The women surveyed by Fisher rated the sexual excitement areas in the following sequence clitoris, vagina, near clitoris, inside lips of vulva, inside vagina, and breasts. The outside lips of the vulva were rated the least excitable of all.