Evidently, Using the Word Vagina to Describe Your Vagina Is a Big No-No — See What Happened to 1 Company

Updated on 9/23/2018 at 1:55 PM

Birth is hard. It's sweaty. It's messy. While natural, none of it is pretty.

I've had a baby. If we can agree that things deemed "pretty" include pastel dishware and soft silk blouses, then I feel I've earned the right to declare the delivery experience as "not pretty."

I tore, cried, pooped, and vomited (not in that order), and one of the first things I did once I recovered and returned back to work as an editor was write about the significance that the FridaBaby Fridet ($15), a postpartum perineum butt washer, played in my recovery. But for some reason I used "safe language" when writing about it, only using the word vagina once (and never using the word hemorrhoid) without ever stopping to ask why. Maybe because as a lifestyle writer I've become accustomed to using benign phrases over hyperbolic or salacious language, but still, vagina isn't an indecent word. It's not a crude word. It's a part of the human anatomy — of my anatomy — like foot or nostril.

Which is exactly the sort of bizarre, sensitive situation FridaBaby — a tried-and-true brand with a wide offering of products for parents — found itself in when trying to accurately market the Fridet to its audience . . . when it wanted to use the word vagina to describe, well, the vagina.

It wanted to use the word vagina to describe, well, the vagina.

FridaBaby felt like there was a need for more honest information about the subject of postpartum recovery. To drive the conversation, it wanted to raise awareness about what women — and their vaginas — really go through during childbirth. "Women are just expected to put their mom hat on — who has time to think about the massive hemorrhoids between your legs?" said Chelsea Hirschhorn, founder and CEO of FridaBaby, in an email the brand sent out. "We have to do our part to prepare women for that part of the experience."

FridaBaby Fridet, The MomWasher

FridaBaby Fridet, The MomWasher ($15) updated its packaging. The original plan was to set up a campaign across the country candidly with "Trust Us, Your Vagina Will Thank You" as the tagline for the MomWasher.

But not all states were comfortable with its efforts. Here's what happened in one instance:

The city of Los Angeles pushed back on the brand's artwork and asked if FridaBaby could use a different word in its billboard. An email that FridaBaby shared with us read, "I would suggest not using the word vagina in the copy. Could they use bottoms?"

Another response (we're not sure who exactly it's from) asked FridaBaby to use the word "body" in lieu of "vagina." Perplexing, as the vagina is a very specific part, and body is so broad.

"We were surprised at [this] response, being that vagina is a body part," Hirschhorn told POPSUGAR. "It's a fact that after birth, a woman's vagina — the anatomical term of where the baby came out of — will hurt and be swollen. There's no reason we should be tip-toeing around this conversation."

NYC is with it!

Fortunately, the creative was approved to run in New York City. Starting this week, there will be over 22 subway station billboards throughout the city. Hurrah! "Perineal healing should not be a taboo topic — your vagina will be swollen, peeing will burn, and sitting like a normal person will feel like a herculean accomplishment," noted Hirschhorn.

If you think the brand is pushing for these ads to run just to get attention, you're wrong. "People are now looking for complete candor and transparency from the brands they love and consume," Hirschhorn told POPSUGAR. "The shift is already happening and will only continue for reproductive and postpartum care."

"I just delivered my third boy this week, and I truly cannot imagine navigating the postpartum healing process without our MomWasher peri bottle," said Hirschhorn.