WS100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Douche, Vulvovaginal Health, Potash
Speaker
Looking at the Marketing of Vaginal Hygiene Products
● Women's health and vaginal microbiome project
○ Involves physicians, gynaecologists, scientists, social scientists across canada
○ Funded by cihr
○ Began in 2010
○ How vaginal microbiome essential for vaginal health, are affected by the use of
vaginal hygiene products
○ Interviewed 49 english speaking women ages 18 up living in vancouver and
toronto who currently use or have used vaginal hygiene products
● A little history
○ Some research stating douching practiced in ancient egypt
○ Water and herbs used in medieval times
○ Commercial douches introduced in early 20th century in US
○ Douches made from zinc, pearl ash (potassium carbonate) and salts
○ Advertised as a form of contraception in the 1920s and 1930s
○ Lysol was used (can kill germs in kitchen, thought it could kill sperm) - ineffective
and dangerous
○ Advertised as helping to remove vaginal odour (said women would face social
consequences)
○ Was illegal to sell birth control
○ Intimate neglect said to be related to vaginal hygiene (women responsible for
pleasing husband)
○ 1950s odour continued to be used as advertising technique (women’s bodies
problematic because they are “less clean”, women have “obligation” to remove
odour)
○ 1960s - still popular but declining with intro of the pill and more effective birth
control, advertised again as being for husband → husband font huge on ad,
product name demure - construction of femininity
○ 1980s - mother and daughter commercial
● Marketing today
○ 2 billion dollar industry
○ 1 in 4 women between 15 and 44 douche in the US
○ 1.2 million douching market according to canadian consumer report
○ Vaginal wipes and washings on rise
○ Focuses on clean and fresh (eliminating and masking biological processes)
○ Idea that no discharge is clean
● A socio cultural perspective of women’s genitalia
○ Women's genitalia constructed as unclean, shameful, disgusting
○ Historical portrayals of vagina as carrying disease and transmitting stis
○ Vagina problematized in western society
○ ideal/perfect vagina
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Looking at the marketing of vaginal hygiene products. Involves physicians, gynaecologists, scientists, social scientists across canada. How vaginal microbiome essential for vaginal health, are affected by the use of vaginal hygiene products. Interviewed 49 english speaking women ages 18 up living in vancouver and toronto who currently use or have used vaginal hygiene products. Some research stating douching practiced in ancient egypt. Water and herbs used in medieval times. Commercial douches introduced in early 20th century in us. Douches made from zinc, pearl ash (potassium carbonate) and salts. Advertised as a form of contraception in the 1920s and 1930s. Lysol was used (can kill germs in kitchen, thought it could kill sperm) - ineffective and dangerous. Advertised as helping to remove vaginal odour (said women would face social consequences) Intimate neglect said to be related to vaginal hygiene (women responsible for pleasing husband)
