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AIBU?

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Original poster

To not wash the inside of my vagina?

679 replies

Secretname123 · 25/01/2024 10:32

First AIBU so please be nice! There is a huge debate going on on twitter where people are horrified that some women wear tampons in the shower (it seems to be the majority of the many women responding to the tweets who are horrified). They claim it’s unsanitary because then you can’t wash inside your vagina. I thought we weren’t supposed to do this? I’m sure I had this drummed into me as a child. I never have and have never had an infection. Have I been doing it wrong all these years?!

OP posts:
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15
nonumbersinthisname · 25/01/2024 14:00

Jumpingthruhoops · 25/01/2024 13:52

Not true. The 'healthiest' vag can still smell, purely just by nature of what and where it is.

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There a difference between a healthy vagina smell and an infected vagina smell. The healthy smell can vary through your cycle and can be quite strong, but it is natural and normal. Knowing what your own healthy vagina smells like should be something every woman should know because then we can tell if something has gone wrong. The big lie is telling women their natural smell is abnormal and offensive and convincing them to douche which actually then causes problems and infections and bad smells.

Tdcp · 25/01/2024 13:55

Jumpingthruhoops · 25/01/2024 13:50

Well, yes. It's really not that hard!

Sorry, but I cannot imagine showering with a tampon in. At that time of the month, that's the part of you that NEEDS a clean, surely? All this, 'self cleaning' nonsense... period blood smells! 🤢🤢

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But the vagina IS self cleaning! You should wash your vulva but you shouldn't be hosing down the vagina... Period blood can smell a bit so you change your pad / tampon / have a vulva wash surely?!

mapleriver · 25/01/2024 13:54

@Jumpingthruhoops I don't think it should be a smell so offensive it needs washing because you can smell it so clearly, that sounds like something bad going on. Sorry to be crass but even using toys there's nothing foul left over afterwards and I imagine that's much more thorough than a showerhead

Original poster
Secretname123 · 25/01/2024 13:53

@StarlightLady I meant on twitter, sorry if that wasn’t clear. Unless you mean you responded to someone on twitter about it which I didn’t see.

OP posts:
Jumpingthruhoops · 25/01/2024 13:52

Rnaom · 25/01/2024 13:47

If there's a 'build up' of anything internally or it smells offensive than you likely have an infection, perhaps thrush or bacterial vaginosis, and need to see a doctor. Healthy vaginas don't have this problem.

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Not true. The 'healthiest' vag can still smell, purely just by nature of what and where it is.

Jumpingthruhoops · 25/01/2024 13:50

FusionChefGeoff · 25/01/2024 10:49

But.....how are you supposed to clean INSIDE?? Literally spray the shower up yourself???? That would give me the heebie jeebies

Well, yes. It's really not that hard!

Sorry, but I cannot imagine showering with a tampon in. At that time of the month, that's the part of you that NEEDS a clean, surely? All this, 'self cleaning' nonsense... period blood smells! 🤢🤢

mapleriver · 25/01/2024 13:49

Hollwithm · 25/01/2024 13:47

Definitely confusion on the thread agree with @Blanice. You surely wash inside though because there can be a build up... which smells and needs cleaning.

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A buildup of what?! It comes out in the form of discharge which is normal, if you go messing around with it you will create an imbalance in your vaginal flora which actually helps to stop the growth of yeast and bacteria 😨Then you'll actually have a buildup!!

Rnaom · 25/01/2024 13:49

BubbleBubbleBubbleBubblePop · 25/01/2024 13:40

I think there's a lot of confusion because so many people don't know the difference between vagina, vulva etc.

The Eve Appeal highlighted this.

Just HALF of young women can correctly identify the vagina on a diagram. 65% have problems even using the words vagina and vulva. It's truly shocking the way we condition young girls and then adult women to perceive their own bodies.

StarlightLady · 25/01/2024 13:49

Secretname123 · 25/01/2024 13:41

What gets me is it’s hundreds of women all saying the same thing- that it’s gross to wear a tampon in the shower and you don’t get clean. I’ve not seen a single person respond and say it’s fine.

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I said it was fine!

Rnaom · 25/01/2024 13:47

Hollwithm · 25/01/2024 13:47

Definitely confusion on the thread agree with @Blanice. You surely wash inside though because there can be a build up... which smells and needs cleaning.

Show quote history

If there's a 'build up' of anything internally or it smells offensive than you likely have an infection, perhaps thrush or bacterial vaginosis, and need to see a doctor. Healthy vaginas don't have this problem.

Hollwithm · 25/01/2024 13:47

SaffronSpice · 25/01/2024 11:44

Some confusion on this thread

‘Outside bits’ = vulva
’inside bits’ = vagina

Definitely confusion on the thread agree with @Blanice. You surely wash inside though because there can be a build up... which smells and needs cleaning.

CatMadam · 25/01/2024 13:45

Goodness, didn’t take long for the tedious transphobe crowd to swarm all over this thread, got to shoehorn in their bigoted agenda as much as possible 🤢

lookwhatyoudidthere · 25/01/2024 13:43

I was told the same OP. The vagina is basically self cleaning and anything you put in there can upset the PH balance. I’m particularly sensitive to strong bubble bath and oils.

mapleriver · 25/01/2024 13:41

How on earth do you wash up there without douching (would also make me cringe) ?

Original poster
Secretname123 · 25/01/2024 13:41

Ofcourseshecan · 25/01/2024 13:38

More idiocy on Twitter. You should never wash your vagina, it cleans itself. You can cause harm putting chemicals up there. Do these people squirt chemicals up their bums too?

What gets me is it’s hundreds of women all saying the same thing- that it’s gross to wear a tampon in the shower and you don’t get clean. I’ve not seen a single person respond and say it’s fine.

OP posts:
BubbleBubbleBubbleBubblePop · 25/01/2024 13:40

I think there's a lot of confusion because so many people don't know the difference between vagina, vulva etc.

Ofcourseshecan · 25/01/2024 13:38

More idiocy on Twitter. You should never wash your vagina, it cleans itself. You can cause harm putting chemicals up there. Do these people squirt chemicals up their bums too?

acatcalledjohn · 25/01/2024 13:38

If you’re not setting about yourself with a set of chimney sweep’s brushes and a bucket of hot Dettol, you’re just not trying hard enough.

Thanks @BrightYellowDaffodil

Off to give Bert a call to help me get it supercalifragilisticexpialidociously clean.

justteanbiscuits · 25/01/2024 13:33

DeeLusional · 25/01/2024 11:48

Not sure why you would wear a tampon in the shower.....?

My periods were so heavy I would have bled down my legs - fine while water is running, but I'd bleed over the bathroom floor and towels if I didn't.

Dibilnik · 25/01/2024 13:30

You also don't eat or eat sugar with your vagina.
Its not really a comparable orifice.

There was that thing about Mick Jagger and the Mars Bar though 🫢

I always misunderstood that: I thought he was supposed to have stuck the Mars Bar in Marianne F, then taken it out and eaten it. I could never see the point!

JudgeJ · 25/01/2024 13:27

I learnt the hard way not to use original source tea tree shower gel 😱

Oh the memories! That was my late OH's shower gel of choice, I like Badedas gel and once I grabbed the wrong one, tingle tingle tingle.

CoupDeTheatre · 25/01/2024 13:22

Truebee · 25/01/2024 13:17

@ChristmasTreeCookies I hope you're joking
... once a week?!

Blimey, I really hope that you are joking too. Please tell me you are 😆

Caliope27 · 25/01/2024 13:20

TulipVictory · 25/01/2024 10:48

I've always given mine a swirl up there with shower gel and rinsed out with the shower head 🤷🏼‍♂️

😧

Truebee · 25/01/2024 13:17

@ChristmasTreeCookies I hope you're joking
... once a week?!

Whitefoxnight · 25/01/2024 13:16

Iwasafool · 25/01/2024 13:01

I was replying to a post saying the only place that people consider disgusting not to clean is the vagina. Doesn't matter why I clean in my mouth the fact is it would be disgusting if I didn't because I'm pretty sure my breath would smell.

Do people with no teeth clean in their mouth, use mouthwash or something? I've never thought of that before. Just googled it and this is what I found Even when you have no teeth and have stopped wearing dentures, it is still important that your mouth is cared for and kept clean. Dampened gauze around a gloved finger is recommended.

So it looks like oral hygiene is important even if you have no teeth, I'm just hoping I don't find out myself.

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That poster specifically said throat, nose and anus. She didn't mention mouth.

Even if you have no teeth you will have cavities where teeth used to be which can become infected. You don't have that in your vagina.

You also don't eat or eat sugar with your vagina.

Its not really a comparable orifice.