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The phrase “feminine hygiene” belongs in the trash alongside your last soiled dental dam or tampon.
But that doesn’t mean vagina owners shouldn’t prioritize the health of their genitals — they should!
Read on to learn why the language used to describe vulvar health is garbage. Plus, what vulvar health and hygiene really entails.
As it’s primarily used, “feminine hygiene” doesn’t really mean anything.
It’s nothing more than a marketing ploy. One that’s based in transphobic, misogynistic values designed to make cisgender women feel ashamed of their genitals, and therefore buy so-called feminine hygiene products.
The (false) message: Using these products makes you (and your genitals) clean, while not using them makes you dirty.
“While the phrase ‘feminine hygiene’ is often used to make people with vaginas feel dirty, the goal of the phrase is recognizing the unique qualities of the parts that make up the vulva and the vaginal canal,” explains Felice Gersh, MD, author of “PCOS SOS: A Gynecologist’s Lifeline to Naturally Restore Your Rhythms, Hormones, and Happiness.”
So, actually, a better, more accurate phrase would be vulvar/vaginal hygiene.
If you’re wondering why the phrase “vulvar hygiene” would *not* suffice, here’s a quick anatomy lesson:
The vagina = the internal part of the genitals. It’s the canal where things like tampons and dildos can go.
The vulva = the external parts of the genitals, which include the pubic mount, inner and outer labia, clitoris, and the vestibule.
And as Gersh notes, here we want to be talking about both parts.
As young as possible, actually.
“Just as parents explain to their children that they need to clean between their toes and brush their teeth, they need to explain to their child that they should tend to their genitals,” Gersh says.
Just as oral hygiene entails more than just one thing, vulvar/vaginal hygiene does too!
Feeding
It really does all start with food!
“Our entire body needs a wide range of nutrients in order to function optimally,” Gersh says. “So, what we eat and drink affects our vulva and vagina in the same way that what we eat and drink affect all parts of our body.”
To maintain the most optimal vulvar and vaginal health, she recommends a diet rich in:
antioxidants
vitamin E
vitamin C
omega-3 fatty acids
omega-6 fatty acids
protein
probiotics