A feminine wash for teens? Angry parents and gynecologists are on a social media crusade.

“Society’s always looking for ways to make people with vaginas feel ashamed,” Gunter said. “I hate that industry with a passion because it capitalizes on vaginal and vulvar shame. But to see it marketed to teens? Not on my watch.”

The line, called OMV!, sells washes, wipes and serums so that “period funk and bikini itch” don’t get in the way, says the product’s website. “We mixed vanilla and clementine for a creamsicle scent that’s sweet and citrusy,” reads one Instagram post. “It’s perfect for an intimate care glow-up.”

Feminine hygiene is a $21.6 billion global industry, according to market research company IMARC. Gunter says although products such as tampons and sanitary products are needed, the scented washes and wipes that accompany them in drug store aisles are unnecessary at best and can be downright harmful at worst. The products can upset the vagina’s natural ecosystem, stripping it of the bacteria it needs to fight off infections — potentially including sexually transmitted ones. In a 2018 study, participants who used feminine wipes had almost double the odds of reporting a urinary tract infection, and those who used gel sanitizers were almost eight times more likely to report a yeast infection.

Gunter worries too about the mental toll these products take by constantly telling girls and women that they are inherently dirty and smelly and need special cleaning as a result.

Last week she fired a tweet at Vagisil calling the line predatory, adding in a subsequent tweet that her mission was to get the company to pull the product line.

By the following day, thousands of frustrated women and angry parents had joined the chorus, along with an army of social-media-savvy gynecologists who chimed in with tweets, TikTok videos and YouTube videos in opposition to the new line.

While a variety of companies carry similar products, including Summer’s Eve and Playtex, few companies carry a line explicitly made for teens.

“The way that they make money is that they make us feel dirty,” said Jennifer Lincoln, a gynecologist in Portland, Ore., who shared four videos with her 1.7 million TikTok followers about the controversy.

In response to a Washington Post query, a Vagisil representative responded with this statement: “Our female-owned and female-run brand has been a worldwide leader in personal care for nearly 50 years. Our cleansing products are specifically formulated at an appropriate pH level for the external vulvar area. Independent dermatologists and gynecologists test our products to ensure they are gentle, non-irritating and safe for everyday use. OMV! was created with moms and their teens to offer young women their own cleansing product line. We respect that Vagisil products may not be for everyone. Our commitment has always been to provide safe, effective products for those who trust us with their personal care needs.”

For the gynecologists, some of whom have dubbed themselves #gynfluencers, social media is a way to provide medically accurate information for both teenagers and their parents.

Danielle Jones, a gynecologist in Austin, made a YouTube video about the Vagisil controversy that garnered 2,400 comments in 24 hours.

“I don’t know that these products are inherently dangerous,” Jones said. “It’s less about the product being terrible and more about the predatory marketing.”

Gynecologists say that the primary medical concern would be if products were used internally on the vagina, rather than externally on the vulva, which Vagisil clarified in a tweet was not the intention of the products. A representative separately said that the company does not manufacture or endorse the use of douches.

The company also noted that most body washes are designed to smell good. “We disagree that selling a shower product with a fun, uplifting scent that is safe for external vulvar use is detrimental to a teen’s mental health,” a company statement said.

Lincoln says that between her TikTok and Instagram accounts, she gets multiple messages a day from teenagers asking about a range of ideas including douching with yogurt, garlic suppositories and even whether a specialized drink can make vaginas taste like fruit punch.

For some parents the fracas has served as a reminder of the minefield that teenage girls face on social media and also been a jumping off point for conversations with their teens.

“When I first saw Dr. Gunter’s tweet I was appalled,” said Shannon McCarthy, a lawyer who lives in the Seattle area. “I grew up feeling very private and embarrassed about human sexuality and bodies, and I don’t want my children to feel like that.”

The next day when she and her 13-year-old daughter were in the car alone together, she explained to her that the vagina is a self-cleaning organ that doesn’t need special products.

“Any product that somebody tries to tell you is going to ‘fix’ your ‘dirty’ vaginal areas is misogynist,” she told her.

Amy Shaw, a psychologist in Calgary, also saw the social media storm as a chance for a check-in with her daughter. She says marketing for vaginal hygiene products targeting teens is problematic because they’re grappling with issues of self-esteem and self-worth.

Shaw and McCarthy both agree that these are tricky topics, especially for people whose own parents never talked to them about these issues. Jones, Gunter and Lincoln offered these tips.

Start early: “If kids are old enough to ask questions, they’re old enough to get answers,” said Jones, who encourages parents to have lots of small conversations about sexuality instead of dumping everything into a single, weighty talk. One sex talk isn’t just overwhelming, she says, it makes kids feel like it’s their only chance to ask questions.

Use precise language: Using the terms “vulva” and “vagina” is an important starting point. “If you use the technically correct terms, you’re not starting from a position of shame,” Gunter said.

“You teach your kids how to wipe, to potty-train, to wear deodorant, how to shower. This is just another part of the body, and it’s totally shame free,” adds Lincoln.

Teach them to be conscious consumers: Social media can be a great teaching tool, but kids may need help differentiating between influencers peddling products and medical professionals sharing educational videos. “You’re never going to be able to police everything they see on the Internet,” Jones said. “Give them the tools to identify the information that might not be in their best interest.” This includes navigating influencers trying to sell them products and teaching them to look for references when information is provided to them.

Perhaps most of all, experts want teenagers to know that they don’t have to be passive recipients of industry-peddled products or their associated marketing — a message exemplified by the parents who have reframed this campaign as a teaching moment.

“She realized that standing up for yourself isn’t just good for you, it’s good for everyone around you,” Shaw said of her daughter’s reaction to Gunter’s decision to take on an industry she saw as harmful. “It takes fearlessness to go head to head with a giant company, but it’s important to stand up in the face of what can be overwhelming.”

For the parents of teenagers and the protective team of gynecologists looking out for them, that’s the messaging they hope sticks in girls’ heads.

Abigail Higgins is a freelance journalist in Washington who covers gender, health and inequality.

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