There’s something fishy going on here, and it’s the way that Vagisil is marketing its product line to teenage girls.
Vagisil is a popular and well-known feminine hygiene line that promotes “clean vaginas” with its laundry list of items such as wipes, cleansers, and creams. If that weren’t bad enough, now the multi-million dollar company, which is owned by Combe, has wormed its way into teenage girls’ minds with the belief that their vagina needs to be clean.
The OMV! Vagisil line strictly promotes intimate care for the younger generation — even going as far as saying that their “period funk” doesn’t need to “get in their way.” As if that weren’t shameful enough, Vagisil promotes their pretty, confetti-colored product line so teenage girls can have their “intimate care glow-up.” The three OMV! products are described as having a “creamsicle scent that’s sweet and citrusy.”
This rather untasteful way of advertising has caused quite a lot of noise, and it’s no surprise. Dr. Jen Gunther, a well-known Candian gynecologist, took to her Twitter to clap-back at Vagisil’s shameful marketing and vagina shaming.
“Why do you think teen vulvas need special cleaning? To be prepped for men? Because they are dirty,” Gunther called out Vagisil last week.
https://twitter.com/DrJenGunter/status/1357548768040685568
Gunther has some serious scientific backup to be able to call-out the predatory line. As Huffington Post reported, a 2018 University of Guelph study found that people who used these products were up to three times more likely to get a vaginal infection.
The vagina cleans itself and isn’t supposed to smell like roses. In fact, these fragrance-laden products are actually harmful to the vulva, as that area is more sensitive to irritation.
For a product to come at vulnerable teenage girls and knock out their self-esteem, basically vagina shaming them into believing that a very normal thing is actually gross, is a dirty tactic. As Gunther pointed out in her series of tweets, “It’s a vulva, not a creamsicle.” Boom.
Since the Vagisil OMV! callout, the company has tweeted its response in the form of a very generic and non-inspiring comment. Vagisil’s followers are not a fan of their make money at all costs attitude, with some commenters pleading with the company to delete the product line.
Teenage girls need to be educated about their vaginas; to know what is common and normal. Vaginas are not dirty, gross, or something to be shameful about. And they certainly don’t need to smell like a creamsicle.
