Objectives
Our vagina is aware of its job. As long as it’s not ill, it can control its internal balance and discharge bad bacteria. But some companies ignore this and conduct aggressive marketing for products that interfere with this process. They target women's insecurities and encourage anxiety, threatening the health and self-esteem of women for the sake of profit. Were going to have a look at some outdated advertising campaigns, and compare them to modern ones still present today. What is it that they are really selling? And what is it that we really want and need?
On the Endangered Lists.
Lysol, a disinfectant brand in the 1920s, found a new use for their manufactured disinfectants to prevent the spread of cholera. They introduced “the essential hygiene product” to married women.
They spread ads that women who do not sterilize their vaginas get abandoned by their husbands and humiliated. The ads threatened that the home will be ruined, children will become orphans, and poor women will die alone.
The perception that the vagina cannot clean itself and the fear that the vagina in its natural state cannot be loved spread within society. The cruel marketing campaign was impactful, and this business practice continues to this day.
Now we must wake up from this false impression about the body handed down from earlier generations and re-establish a healthy standard. So often marketers target the human instinctual fear of social rejection to create anxieties and desires that people never knew they should have. Take a moment to break down why your attracted to a product, and try to find an affirmative, more positive alternative. Otherwise, these products will continue to appear, with new names and new forms and the same old tricks.
1. Vaginal perfumes
- Concept
A healthy vagina maintains its own acidity and releases discharge for lubrication and protection. Discharge changes depending on the menstrual cycle, and they may have a sour smell at times. This is natural for our bodies, but some marketers claim that our vaginas should smell nicer and sell perfumes to spray onto your body or into your underwear. However, the best scent for a vagina is its natural scent, not artificial flowers or fruit.
- Marketing Strategy
We end up viewing vaginal discharge and its natural smell as abnormal. They claim that a woman’s vagina that is fragrant will leave a better impression on others. They assert that it is essential for civilized women. They also declare that not using a special product will make you look dirty.
- Risks
Unverified chemicals can irritate the vulva or the labia. It can remove healthy bacteria inside the vagina and ruin the pH balance. This ultimately leads to vaginitis like bacterial vaginosis, which can cause very “unhealthy” smelling vaginal discharge.
- A Healthy Alternative
Simply rinsing and drying the vulva following the proper method to cleanse will suffice. See a gynecologist for treatment if your vaginal discharge smells different than usual or if there are any other concerns. What you need may be antibiotics instead of perfumes.
If someone can't love you because of the natural smell of your vagina? That sounds like a ‘them’ problem. It will be best for both of you to stop seeing each other. Relationships with pre-modern hypocrites rarely work out.
2. Yoni egg
- Concept
There are markets that claim to use jade, a mystical jewel, to tone the vagina. The egg-shaped jade is pre-drilled with a string and is known as a “yoni (Sanskrit word for the uterus) egg.” They claim that inserting this jade stone into the vagina can give an auspicious power.
Marketing Strategy
Sellers of yoni eggs say that women have trained their vaginas this way for over 5,000 years. They tell the legend of the empress and royal concubines using jade to attract the emperor of Ancient China. This mystical secret enhances the orgasm and women’s charm, and it can even treat vaginal issues such as urinary incontinence or uterine prolapse. There is no hesitation in advertising the false claims of some gaining spiritual energy, overcoming trauma, and connecting on a whole new level.
- Risks
Gynecologist Jennifer Gunter, who specializes in infectious disease, warns that inserting jade, a “porous material,” into the vagina can cause bacterial infection and lead to toxic shock syndrome (TSS). The fine holes on the surface of the jade can be the carrier that transports toxic substances into the vagina. The rough spots or cracks can irritate, scratch, or tear the vaginal tissues.
The effects claimed about the yoni eggs were revealed to be a lie in the US court. Famous brand “Goop” was sued for false advertisement and had to pay a fine of $145,000.
- A Healthy Alternative
Kegel exercise is a scientific method of strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. Following the guide, which does not require any tools, can further improve the health of the vagina, uterus, and pelvis. It can improve your orgasm, and it is also helpful in dealing with vaginal issues such as urinary incontinence and uterine prolapse.
Try getting counselling if you need to treat trauma. If you need an auspicious power, realize that it’s already inside of you.
3. Vaginal detox pearls
- Concept
A small pouch full of herbs like a tea bag. Apparently, inserting this inside the vagina for 24 to 74 hours “purifies” the inside of the vagina. There is no scientific evidence, but the manufacturers claim there is “a mystical and spiritual energy.”
- Marketing Strategy
The teabag-thin pouch bursts inside the vagina and does magical things inside your body. The toxins and trauma inside you and the wounded femininity can be healed with magical powers. The market is based on the awareness that the woman’s body is “unsanitary and needs to be purified”, and the prejudice that women are superstitious beings like witches.
- Risks
Herbs belong in the garden or in your teacup. It’s just an intruder that’s breaking the balance inside the vagina. Doctors are not magicians, and it’s hard to predict what these herbs will do to the vagina. The Canadian government banned the sale of this product.
- A Healthy Alternative
You need to be aware that the vagina is not something that requires purification. Listen to the advice from your doctor if you want your vagina to be healthier.
4. Vagina Glitter Capsule
- Concept
A product with glitter and fragrance inside a gelatin capsule. The manufacturers claim that inserting this capsule inside the vagina enables the vaginal discharge to be sparkly and fragrant. A housewife in Houston, Texas created the product with knowledge from her own experiences. It passed by word of mouth through SNS in 2017 and attracted the attention of consumers, with daily visitors to the website reaching 50,000.
- Marketing strategy
It's advertised as a product that will make your vaginal discharge beautiful and your life even more fun. It claims that inserting before sex can make your bed sparkle and allow you to experience a sweet orgasm. They post striking photos on SNS to persuade you to add another beauty standard to the female body.
- Risks
Of course, doctors frown whenever they see this product. Gynecologist Jennifer Gunter warns that the effects of glitter on the vagina are not at all beautiful. The glitters harm the good bacteria inside the vagina, which in turn can cause an infection and make you more vulnerable to STIs. The inside of the vagina is delicate and vulnerable to contact dermatitis, and it also presents risks of friction burn. Most of all, the big issue is that the distorted perception and harmful stereotypes about women’s bodies can be reinforced when such products become a trend.
- A Healthy Alternative
Let’s not forget the fact that there is no need for vaginal discharge to be beautiful. Think of a healthy idea to spend a fun time in bed. How about trying a sweetened lubricant in whipped cream form made by a professional brand? It may be irritating if there is glycerin that gives it a sweet flavor, but any lubricant made under the FDA guidelines is a safer choice than glitter.
Summary
- Beware of the unhealthy marketing strategies of weird women's products
- If you want to use these products, think carefully about why and come up with a healthier alternative
