Vagina. Vagina. Vagina.

Are you uncomfortable yet?

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It wouldn’t be a surprise if you were. A recent survey found that 66% of young women are too embarrassed to say the word ‘vagina’ to their doctors, and people still visibly squirm when you engage in any vag-related chat.

But is it any wonder that the general public feels funny saying ‘vagina’ and ‘vulva’ if the very brands in the midst of the vagina-related industry appear to be terrified of the terms?


Last month, blogger Lauren Crouch, of No Bad Dates Just Good Stories, noticed something weird on the packaging of some Bodyform pantyliners: instead of using the words ‘vulva’ or ‘vagina’, Bodyform had chosen to use ‘V-zone’ and ‘intimate area’.

FFS @bodyform it's a VAGINA not a v zone. how do u expect women&girls to be comfortable with their bodies when you can't even name it right pic.twitter.com/bG3vXNE7S0 — BadDatesGoodStories (@Crouchi) March 24, 2017

Which, as Lauren’s followers noted, is pretty much akin to saying ‘downstairs area’ or ‘lady bits’.



It’s a refusal to call body parts their actual, medical terms. It’s a way to avoid the word ‘vagina’, thus encouraging the idea that there’s something wrong with the word, that it’s something we shouldn’t be saying.

If this were your aunt or a colleague, it’d be a little bit annoying.

I feel like shaking my friends who ask if I can use a word other than ‘vagina’ or refer to their vulva as ‘erm, down there’.

But when it’s a brand that’s embedded deep into the world of looking after the vagina, it’s unacceptable.

On Bodyform’s part, they responded to Lauren’s tweet by explaining that they’ve chosen to use ‘V-Zone’ because they’re referring to more than just the vagina – they’re referring to the vulva, too.

But that just begs the question: why not just say vagina and vulva instead of making up a vague, generic term that does nothing to help us get more comfortable with our genitals?

(Picture: Ellen Scott/metro.co.uk)

‘They say it’s because it covers the vagina and vulva,’ Lauren told metro.co.uk. ‘So call it the vagina and vulva then you twats.

‘Why make up a fake childish term when real medical terms already exist?’

Bodyform have previously encouraged their followers to use the words ‘vagina’, ‘vulva’, ‘discharge’, and ‘blood’, creating a video as part of International Women’s Day.

These are all a part of who we are, so why shy away? Celebrate #IWD2017 by using real words for real women. #BeBoldForChange pic.twitter.com/KQkUYvx6ez — Bodyform (@bodyform) March 8, 2017

That suggestion feels a little superficial when Bodyform aren’t using these words on their packaging, where everyone can see ’em.

It’s a shame, because in so many other ways, Bodyform are doing brilliant things to help people get comfortable with periods. Last year they used actual blood in their adverts instead of generic blue liquid. This year they agreed to donate pads to girls who can’t afford them.

But to fail to break down the discomfort and embarrassment around vaginas in smaller ways – on packaging instead of in big, attention-grabbing adverts – is to come up short.

Bodyform isn’t the only brand to fail to use the word ‘vagina’ and ‘vulva’ on packaging for products designed for vaginas and vulvas.

(Picture: Ellen Scott/metro.co.uk)

I had a quick nose around the ‘feminine care’ aisle of Boots on my lunch break and picked up every single package of pads, every box of tampons, and every ‘feminine wash’, and didn’t see the words ‘vagina’ or ‘vulva’ on any of the product’s exteriors.



Instead there were references to my ‘intimate area’, my ‘intimate skin’, my ‘body shape’ (instead of just saying ‘vagina shape’ in reference to tampons expanding to fit).

Not one box referenced vaginas. Not one box was direct and clear about what the products were for. Even the word ‘period’ was near-impossible to find.

(Picture: Ellen Scott/metro.co.uk)

The words are sometimes featured in the pamphlets inside the box, but even this sends a damaging message: that the words are inappropriate, wrong, only to be seen after purchase by an adult.

Think about it like this: If you were buying toothpaste, the packaging would never say ‘mouth bones’ or ‘T-area’. It’d refer to ‘teeth’, because that’s what the product’s for.

The lack of specific language is dangerous, too, in the case of feminine care products. When you direct people to use a wash on ‘intimate skin’ or ‘intimate areas’, it’s no wonder that so many women end up putting these products inside the vagina (which isn’t healthy) instead of around the external vulva.

When brands are scared of using the correct, medical terms for our vaginas and vulvas, they suggest that these words – and the things they describe – are something to be ashamed of, something that can’t be discussed out in the open.

(Picture: Ellen Scott/metro.co.uk)

When these same brands are profiting from concepts of body confidence, feminism, and being comfortable around your period, that’s especially problematic.

Tampon, pad, and feminine wash brands – along with all companies selling stuff marketed for use around the vagina and vulva – have a duty to not just profit from our vaginas, but to help make the world less freaked out by vaginas a whole.


They have a responsibility to help girls feel less confused and alone when their periods start, to provide guidance as well as just bits of cotton in pretty pink shells.

They have a responsibility to stop encouraging the idea that vaginas are gross, shameful, or something to whisper about. They have a responsibility to say ‘vagina’.

Bodyform's response: We reached out to Bodyform and other tampon and pad brands to ask why they refuse to use words such as ‘vagina’, ‘vulva’, ‘discharge’, and ‘period’ on their packaging, and they told us the following: ‘Bodyform is leading the way in breaking down taboos around menstruation – we’ve created the first film around periods featuring blood in it and the first advert to show a sanitary towel in a pair of knickers. We agree that everyone should use the correct anatomical language when referring to our genitals. ‘The term V-Zone, which has been used on all Bodyform Daily Fresh Liner products, is not a euphemism for the vagina or vulva. ‘Space on packaging is limited and we have used the term V-Zone to refer to the area of skin that begins under the belly button where pubic hair growth starts and ends between the thighs (but not inside the vagina). ‘A major part of the V-Zone is the vulva, or external genitals, which encompasses the protective folds of the labia majora, labia minora, clitoris and the vaginal opening. Bodyform Daily Fresh Liners contain a unique ProSkin formula, which helps care for the health of all of these areas. ‘We appreciate that the use of this term without further explanation has led to confusion and misinterpretation and we will review how we communicate this on our packaging in the future. In the meantime, we have added a full definition to our website.’

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