A new Lorde album is on the way, and the artist wants it to be “full transparency,” a way for her to see herself “all the way through.” According to the apparent album art, she means that literally — right down to her birth control.
On April 30, Lorde posted what appears to be the artwork for her new album, called Virginto Instagram. The cover of Lorde’s new album seems to show an x-ray of a pelvis with a belt buckle and zipper over it, a tiny IUD lurking just right of center.
“I’m proud and scared of this album,” she wrote in an email to fans, according to Pitchfork. “There’s nowhere to hide. I believe that putting the deepest parts of ourselves to music is what sets us free.”
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Honestly, what’s more transparent than showing fans your IUD? An IUD — intrauterine device — is a small and flexible t-shaped object that’s placed in the uterus to prevent pregnancy. It’s a form of birth control that can last as long as 12 years, depending on the type you get. According to Planned Parenthood, IUDs are one of the most effective forms of birth control.
Lorde’s IUD representation comes at a precipitous time, not long after the CDC issued pain management guidance for IUD insertion. Last year, stories of people’s unmitigated pain during insertion went viral, sparking a conversation about how medicine has historically ignored marginalized people’s pain. The CDC’s guidance opens the door for patients to better advocate for themselves.
While it’s not clear that the pelvis and IUD in question actually belong to Lorde, fans are tickled by what one commenter called the “contraceptive queen,” making jokes and enjoying the little birth control detail.
