It’s time for you chumps to expand your vocabulary. Let’s face it. This world is far to male-centric. The patriarchy still continues to dictate the words that come out of our mouths, even though we don’t realize it. Wanna know how I know that?
“Vagina.” People are afraid to say the world, “vagina.” At least, according to SheKnows health editor Elizabeth Yuko. She believes we need to change that. In fact, “vagina” should become part of our “everyday vocabulary.”
“But it’s not just old white dude doctors who are uncomfortable with vaginas,” she writes. “Different surveys have found that between 35 and 65 percent of women are uncomfortable saying the word “vagina.” Translation: We’ve been so conditioned to think of women’s bodies as shameful or inappropriate that we have trouble using the correct term for a part of our own anatomy. That’s messed up.”
No. That translation is messed up. I don’t think women are afraid to say the word vagina. We just don’t think it’s an interesting subject to bring up in every day conversations. “Penis” doesn’t come up in everyday conversations either, but it’s not because people are afraid to say it. It’s because people generally don’t want to talk about male junk during their lunch break. Same goes for vaginas. Unfortunately for me, “vagina” is already practically part of my everyday vocabulary. #ThanksFeminists.
She continues:
Although I grew up in a generation and household full of vaginal euphemisms (one of the kids in my neighborhood growing up told us the polite term was “a girl’s front butt”), it’s heartening to encounter children of my peers who use anatomically correct terms without thinking twice.
Recently, I was spending time with my friend’s 4-year-old daughter playing nailsalon. When one of the bottles of polish went missing, I asked if she was sitting on it. She stood up, saw that she was in fact sitting on the sparkly pink bottle and said, “Yes, it was under my butt.” She then paused for a second, reassessing the bottle’s position, then corrected herself: “Actually, no. It was under my vagina.” Then we went back to our regularly scheduled manicure — no giggling or embarrassment over using the word — it was, after all, just another body part.
We should all be like my friend’s daughter, shamelessly using the word in everyday conversation like it was normal — because it is. And that’s exactly what the Vagina Challenge aims to encourage.
That’s right. There’s a challenge. The #VaginaChallenge, and it’s dumber than you think. To participate in the challenge, you must take a video of yourself shouting, “VAGINA!” in a public, use the hashtag #VaginaChallenge and invite three other friends to do the same. If you do this, Vagisil will donate $5 to Planned Parenthood.
That’s it. Shout “vagina” in public. Post the video online with the hashtag, invite friends, and Planned Parenthood gets money.
Want to support women’s health? Take the #VaginaChallenge – Say “vagina” loud & proud in public or donate $5 to Planned Parenthood #ad pic.twitter.com/93SXXkV0Nv
— Carrie + Richard (@OurPotluckFam) June 30, 2017
35% of women are uncomfortable saying the word “vagina”. It’s time to change that. Find out how: https://t.co/9LvxXXoSN2 #VaginaChallenge pic.twitter.com/bcYaxpGJAH
— Vagisil (@vagisil) June 30, 2017
The very first #VaginaChallenge at #Blogher17. I challenge @reshingbull @missmidha @liz_wentworth #vfacts pic.twitter.com/jBnREuzTwB
— Keech Combe Shetty (@KeechCS) June 25, 2017
@KeechCS #VaginaChallenge pic.twitter.com/7yw2o5s5WI
— Kate Rice (@adorkablegrrl) June 24, 2017
Today we took the #VaginaChallenge @BlogHer where @vagisil will donate $25K to Planned Parenthood pic.twitter.com/GYVCwY5QqT
— Sincerely Shanti (@sv3smilez) June 24, 2017
#vaginachallenge accepted @KeechCS ! Challenging @hillgrey @mrneilson @TalRabinowitz @Tweetpathi next, lets be shameless about womens health pic.twitter.com/NLqs6bjZ9I
— pooja midha (@missmidha) July 6, 2017
I am completely embarrassed for my gender right now.