Vagisil is getting creamed by feminists for 'period shaming' teens with products to mitigate 'period funk and bikini itch'

Sarah D | 2:24 PM on February 09, 2021

Having solved all other problems, advocates for “women & folx experiencing homelessness in U.S. & beyond” can turn their attention to seeking out and creating new ones.

Like problematic feminine hygiene products:

Stop. Preying. On. Insecure. Teens. ? @vagisil Stop Period Shaming ? #vagisil #omv pic.twitter.com/uaESnGUvKZ

— I Support The Girls (@I_Support_Girls) February 7, 2021

Yeah, Vagisil! Stop preying on insecure teens who get periods by offering them a solution to the problem of “period funk and bikini itch.”

@vagisil is using period shaming to sell products. It’s one thing when you target adults but now they are starting even earlier. https://t.co/sU3bux2Pbf

— Audrey Moore, MS (@_Audrey_Moore_) February 9, 2021

Or maybe — just maybe — Vagisil sees a market for a product like this and wants to sell it to people who want to buy it.

Meanwhile, rather than telling critics to focus on real problems, Vagisil defended themselves:

In response to today’s comments about OMV!, we want to reiterate the fact that we are in no way shaming women or vulvas/vaginas for how they look, smell, or anything else. We are here to support women when their personal preference is to use a wash, wipes, or any of our products. pic.twitter.com/qec2zbnuEq

— Vagisil (@vagisil) February 5, 2021

What about vulva/vagina owners who aren’t women? Does Vagisil support them, too?

Some focus group told you that adolescent girls are an "untapped market" in that their anxieties about their bodies haven't been sufficiently addressed by robust & creative educational practices that affirm & educate. And so you try to take advantage of the moment.

— Natalie D. A. Bennett (@NatalieDABenne1) February 5, 2021

“Personal preference” is the same thing cigarette manufacturers said they were marketing toward.

— Laudanum (@TehAngryAnalyst) February 5, 2021

Until this moment, we had no idea that Vagisil was the cigarette of vaginas.

Nope. Water. All they need is water. Take it off the market. This is harming and shaming teenagers and women. I see it in clinic every week.

— Louise Perkins King (@louise_p_king) February 5, 2021

I was absolutely floored when I saw the ad for this product and my heart broke for my nieces who will see these ads and at an early age be taught something is wrong with their body. This is really terrible.

— Lindsay (@lindbrownsay) February 9, 2021

When I was a teenager, it literally would not have occurred to me to wonder if my vagina smelled. Until a predatory company came along pushing a product graciously offering to help me with my stinky vagina.

— Hannah Dillon MD (@handillonmd) February 6, 2021

“Guys, it’s fine. Sure, we’re capitalizing on teen girls’ insecurities to sell them short-term solutions that cause long-term problems, but look! We have focus groups and surveys showing that they really are insecure! And that our short-term solutions help in the short term!”

— Dr PorcupineGirl (@PorcupineGirl8) February 5, 2021

Last time we checked, vulva/vagina owners were free not to use hygiene products they don’t want to use. In fact, they don’t have to use any at all.

They’re also free to find better things to do with their time.