I certainly remember those stories and articles from back in the 70's. Usually they were accompanied by photos of women doing just as described. Dutch sex magazines, also the serious ones about sexual reform movements like NVSH magazines (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Society_for_Sexual_Reform) regularly carried such articles and photos. They were sort of de rigeur back then. You also encountered billboards and displays at International Women's Days events which were another event that was attended by university students as a matter of course.
No one made negative comments, it was supposed to be a normal thing, but then again, my gf never attended any such sessions among friends and neither did other female students, when many years later, I asked.
I certainly wasn't shocked by such photos as i had been buying Dutch sex mags for years already, so I knew about the comparing each other's vaginas thing. However, even back then i realized I didn't particularly care for very hairy and widespread female genitalia. Some pubic hair growth was just way too much, like a jungle grown wild and it seemed to be a point with displays like these to chose the hairiest ladies for the legs open wide photos. I often found the photos to be just a tad off-putting, with pubic hair growing over thighs and high up to navels (yes even for women). Yes, I know few people shaved pubic hair back in the 70's, but the display photos often seemed to have been chosen as an 'in your face' reason, showing not so attractive or well-groomed vaginas. In fact it was almost as if grooming the genitals was frowned upon. Those were after the 'Mother Goddess' days when natural meant let everything grow wild ... ha ha.
Anyway yes, memories are still strong, me and my gf, other males students and their gf's and female students, supposedly disinterestedly viewing these photos and displays at feminist events. And nobody saying much of anything either ... ha ha