When a person goes looking for the clitoris, usually they're trying to see or feel for a protrusion shaped like a pearl or pea at the top of the vulva, Dr. Britton says. That's the glans clitoris, which is really just the tip of the iceberg, she says. The glans clitoris is the only external manifestation of the clitoris, but it isn't always visible to the naked eye. "Unless a person is stimulated to a high state of arousal, that little pearl may be retracted, not noticeable, or hard to feel with a finger or tongue," she says. So, depending on a specific person's anatomy, someone can end up "going on a hunt for the pearl," and then get discouraged when they can't find it.