The Vagisil Blush Index #endembarrassment

Not my vagina but the closest you’ll ever get to it

I’m going to start this post off by saying that I have literally no problem in talking about intimate things with my friends. And sometimes not even my friends. When meeting some rather nice men in a rooftop bar in Brooklyn last week my buddy and I were told that we probably don’t have boyfriends because we were too open. How can you be too open?! Ok, yes, we were probably too open for Americans. But that’s British gals for you.

I wasn’t always this way. I used to be a proper get-changed-under-my-swim-towel kind of woman. But now I happily get it all out at the gym, the doctors, wherever they let me, really. Smear test? Let’s go! Topless beach? No problem!

I think I first became comfortable-ish with my body when Elfie was born and I realised just how many people have to see your hoo-hah before a baby can come out of it. One of my lasting memories from that birth was a midwife telling me while I was still in theatre that they would have to pop a little tablet up my bum for one reason or another; I said “ooh actually, I’d rather you didn’t “ and she was like, yeah, too late missy. That was the moment I realised that embarrassment when it comes to my intimate areas is pretty much an outdated and irrelevant concept.

Vagisil recently spoke to 2,000 British women about their attitudes and embarrassment towards the subject of intimate health and I have to say that, even for someone who was too shy to get a pants-off bikini wax until after her first child was born, I was quite surprised. Nearly half (47%) of British women Vagisil spoke to felt embarrassed when the word ‘vagina’ came up in conversation) and nearly one third admitted to never speaking to their GP about an intimate health problem.

I get this – it can be really difficult to speak to people about what’s going on in your pants. But how can we move to being embarrassed about our intimate health to feeling happy WhatsApping our friends to ask “do you think this is cystitis or thrush?” (sidenote: if you’re my friends, you’ll know).

It’s really sad that 70% of the women surveyed blamed the media for the way we feel about our bodies. We’re expected to be these smooth Barbie doll models of perfection and really, who hasn’t felt slightly wistful when watching the hairless and seemingly vagina-less gazelles that masquerade as Victorias Secret models? I know I have. I bet Karlie Kloss has never texted Taylor Swift to check is she has cystitis or thrush (OR HAS SHE?!).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Vagisil is on a mission to end the embarrassment that exists around intimate health, and do something about the issue – something I’m all for.

Dr Becky Spelman, Registered Psychologist at Private Therapy Clinic, advises: “Look at it rationally – accept that everybody is fallible and nobody is perfect no matter how they might appear on the surface. Every woman has her own genitals and this is natural.”

I challenge you to not look at the next woman you come across without thinking about the fact they have genitals ;)

If you’re finding it hard to address an intimate issue with a health professional and need some advice, see the below from Dr Spelman:

“You could ask yourself ‘what’s the worst thing that could happen?’ Then sit with that feeling, if it seems too much try breathing in through the nose for 3 seconds and then slowly out through the mouth, focusing on the feeling of the breath. This should give the feeling of embarrassment a chance to subside.”

We’re all human beings; Gisele’s had two kids so I’d fully expect her to have her own pelvic floor issues.

Let’s #endembarrassment and talk about vaginas!

Big thanks to Vagisil for sponsoring me to write about my vagina when I probably would have done it for free ;)

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