With an increasing openness in today's society about self-care, do you think that the conversation surrounding the vulva and vulva care is adequately discussed?

I think that the conversation on sexual wellness in general, let alone vulva care, is not adequately discussed in today’s society – probably because talking about anything sexual still feels taboo. We just haven’t had a lot of practice talking about sex, intimacy, our bodies and the feelings related to this area. Most people still refer to the vagina as “down there”, not knowing that they might actually mean the vulva! So no, there are not enough discussions about vulvas and vulva care at all!

And, I’m not sure if most people really know what it means to care for their vulvas. I’m guessing that for most, it likely brings to mind something sexual health-related, such as your annual Pap smear to make sure everything is okay or hygienic. On the flip side, some might think that it’s a cheeky way to refer to masturbation.

So we haven’t really had much thoughtful conversation around what vulva care could be or how one would go about defining vulva care for oneself!

Erin Chen
5 April 2019