Let's All Be More Open in Talking about Vaginas ...

If you haven’t already, you really should get a hand mirror and take long, hard look at your own vagina! Its location on your body means that it isn’t as easy to see regularly, so it’s worth getting an eyeful and really getting to grips with what it looks like when it is healthy. That way, you will be able to notice when something might look off or different.

I think a lot of people take their vaginas way too seriously! Lots of crazy stuff happens to it, from discharge to pubic hair to different smells, and it’s the same for everyone so it doesn’t have to be something to be insecure about. The more you can discuss and laugh about it with your close friends, the less embarrassed you will start to feel about your own womanhood!

There is still a huge number of women who are too scared, nervous, or uninformed to go and get their regular smear tests. We need to come together as a community of women and share our stories, so that everyone can be more familiar with the experience and it will hopefully encourage more and more woman to go and get checked out. We can’t afford to be so uptight about something that could literally save your lives.

If you have a young daughter or a sister, then don’t be afraid to be open with them about vaginal health and confidence too. Of course, choose the right kind of language and the right kind of subject matter for their age, but just bring them up without the stigma of being secretive about things like this and they will fare much better in the future.

You need to respect your own vagina. If you are having sex with someone and it feels uncomfortable or painful, you need to let the person know so that they can slow down or adjust their position. You don’t have to grin and bear it.

If you get the feeling that something might not be quite right down there, please do not suffer in silence out of embarrassment. Your doctor will have seen a thousand vaginas before, and nothing that you could have to see or show will faze them!