Originally published in DIVA magazine. Sarah gets to front bottom of the feminine hygiene product debate
I’ve a long held beef with feminine hygiene products: that they are bottles of shame telling us that our vaginas smell bad and are not actually that efficient at self cleaning. When I opened the debate to a women’s forum, some agreed while others defended that they used them when it was the time of the month, when they were hot, or ill, or incontinent, during pregnancy, after a heavy night – especially if it involved squatting, post gym, in lieu of a shower, before sex, on holiday... So I started to change my black and white views of these products. Then the Vagisil adverts happened.
You know, those cartoons that start “Let’s stop being embarrassed. Yes you sweat” then show a girl cowering behind a pot plant, before we’re told to “stop odour before it starts.” It’s as if we all have the potential to cause people in close proximity to frown as if someone has farted in a lift. Our choices: to use Vagisil or forever keep our legs shut.
Vagisil say that their daily use products have special technology that can keep you fresh, eliminate “odour perfumes” and absorb moisture. They are pH balanced with ingredients such as botanical Aloe, Calendula, and Chamomile. But do I really need a product to help me... every day... just in case I smell...? The reality is that most women at this present moment in time aren’t using these products and I cannot recall my nasal passages being infested with vagina while going about my daily business.
In the name of research I thought I could at least try the products – especially as they sent me a box for free. A quick sniff yielded varying degrees of that cotton deodorant-type smell. Lathering up my lips with the wash was something of a novelty; sprinkling of powdery moisture shield was reminiscent of changing baby nappies and spraying the odour shield onto my vulva felt wrong. But afterwards I did feel clean and sort of pleasant. Upon presenting my newly Vagisilled vag to my partner, I was met with “it smells like chemicals” and a wrinkled nose.
But Vagisil aren’t just hygiene products, or even anti odour products. No, they are marketed as “Your intimate health experts.” To support this the Vagisil site boasts collaboration with gynaecologists and a survey results things like “56% claim they’ve never seen another vagina in real life” and “more than half (52%) would still be embarrassed to ask for advice from a pharmacist etc.”
Of course DIVA readers may be rather au fait with the vaginas of others, but many of us don’t study our own bits all that often – being that they point down and all. A change in discharge or a smell is an important sign of an underlying medical condition or infection. What is not apparent is how far regular use of these products could mask these changes or exacerbate an existing infection. True, it can be hard to talk to a pharmacist or your GP. But plucking up the courage to explain any vaginal issues is far healthier than self medicating with Vagisil.
And what of penises? Many men shake rather than wipe after a wee and I’ve heard rumours of smells under foreskins. While soap is less disruptive to the penis, a male friend confided that, “if it gets inside then I need to drink and wee to flush it out”. There are wipes for men available in sex shops, but I could find nothing for everyday use on the pharmacy shelf. When I asked Vagisil if they’d thought of bringing out a Penisil range, I was met with a giggle and was told there were no plans to do so.
If using these products at certain times helps your confidence then crack on – I’m taking my free wipes with me when I go camping. But as for using them every day, think carefully before you let them reel you in as, chances are, the only thing that’s fishy is their advertising campaign.
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