“Don’t be a diva it’s only a beaver”

[clairestandish]

Just seen this in big pink writing on FB picture being shared round from some sort of smear test campaign, followed by a ‘we’ve seen it all before! go for your smear’ bla bla bla

I keep seeing this kind of thing, lots of focus on the low figures of women attending cervical screening being down to ‘prudish’ women who are too embarrassed.

AIBU to feel annoyed that a lot of the campaigns take this slant? I really don’t think it’s the full reason women decline having cervical screening. Many women have been treated badly by medical staff during childbirth and have a lack of trust or find the process too daunting in light of that. Many women have a history of sexual abuse and can’t face it. I’m sure there are more reasons too and it would be useful to address all of them if we want to improve attendance of cervical screening.

I'm sorry but there is a touch of diva in someone who says it makes them anxious.

What a crap attitude. Anxiety is far from diva behaviour.

I know women that don’t go because:

Some have been raped,
sexually abused,
suffer from vaginismus,
come from very religiously conservative backgrounds
have had female genital mutilation
that have been sexually assaulted during a smear test
Find the idea excruciatingly embarrassing
Are fearful that it may be a tranwomen doing it
Have irregular periods
Are carers and can’t take the I’ll/disabled person with them, but have no one else to care for them
Don’t believe that they are reliable
Just.don’t.want.one.

In each and every case, their wish should be respected and they shouldn’t be made to feel like a fucking diva or silly woman. Maybe if those running the campaigns actually treated women like grown ups, there would be more women attending.

My vagina is not a fucking furry animal, actually. Beaver, what a disgusting slang term.

Can I just point out it’s Jade Goody

......awkward

If it works, it works. I'm in Canada and I don't know anyone who doesn't get them done here. I'm also a sexual abuse survivor. Here women just do it. I can't wrap my head around such low rates.

Same here in the US Rachelle. It's just 'a thing you do' like a yearly check up. It's not exactly my idea of fun, but it literally takes just a few minutes. And in the US doctors (of either gender) are required to have a female nurse/attendant in the same room when any procedure or test is performed on or near a 'private' area (or anytime a patient requests it). Obvs there are those who might have psychological or trauma issues, but by and large for most who are 'afraid' or 'disgusted', it's just foolishness.

A gynae specialist probably sees at least 24 fanjos over the course of a day, seeing mine isn't going to turn him/her (my last one was a lesbian, best gynae I ever had!) into a sex maniac, nor is he/she likely to be more (or less) impressed with it, either. I'm 60 and have had one pretty much every year plus pelvics during pregnancy and no doctor has ever made me feel less than safe or acted in a less than professional manner.

I will say I find that ad condescending. If straightforward language about safeguarding your health isn't enough to get someone to have a smear, 'cutesy' or 'risqué' language won't either.

I don't really care if it offends some

What about those that it causes distress to? What if it prevents a woman from going, that was nervous but hoping for reassurance, but is fearful of being treated like a diva, because of the wording? Do you care about them?

I guess we'll see if it's "right or wrong" if the campaign does its job in increasing the low rates. Multiple approaches would be great, but it will still be wrong if it doesn't do anything. Sometimes, even good intentions can be wrong. Things can be wrong and people can disagree with things or not like things for reasons other than being offended.

I think it's a very lowball blame the women take which seems a bit off when many who already want them are struggling to get appointments, struggling to get childcare or time off work, to get them while dealing with irregular periods. That's before getting into how laughable it is to think anyone is expecting to enjoy them and ignoring the major cultural issues that cause anxiety around our bodies, including our genitals, and that dismisses medical and sexual abuse.

I'm up to date with mine, but after being physically and sexually abused by medical professionals as a teen, I still only do them with someone waiting for me in the waiting room. For me, they're physically very easy - I barely feel them even though I tend to bleed enough to weird out a few nurses, but without that and a GP's surgery that's great about calling when appointments for such things are available - I probably wouldn't be. Both the practical and emotional issues are important.

This campaign doesn't really do anything about either. If a friend was saying she wasn't getting smear, I'd be more likely to ask if there was anything I could do to help than treat her like this campaign.

There have been numerous surveys that have identified most common reasons and also age groups so that they can target those people.

This is a madly sensitive subject which is very easy to cause upset with. This campaign is targettig an age group that thinks 'diva' is a non offensive word, who are putting off screening due to embarrassment. Look at Gemma Collins throwing around the 'diva' term as a positive title for example.

At the very least, this campaign has proved to be a talking point and raising awareness. At best it could save a woman's life.

I’m surprised the main reason most women don’t go is “embarrassment.” Isn’t it more likely to be that it hurts, or at the very least is extremely uncomfortable?

FFS, some of these comments. OP has already given a couple of reasons why women might be seriously distressed or even traumatised by a smear test. If you “don’t understand why any woman wouldn’t do it”, you’re not thinking hard enough.

Are people really finding they have to wait weeks for appointments? That's pretty shit. At my surgery you have to wait 3 weeks for a GP appointment but a smear test with a nurse you can get within a couple of days.

Blimey, even on Mumsnet, on a thread about smear tests, there is no escape from mansplaining.

Horrifying, really - the extent to which women are told what to do with their bodies, and how they're wrong to feel what they feel.

I hate the phrase. I hate the word 'beaver', unless being used to describe a water dwelling mammal. And I hate the word diva. There are better ways of getting a message across to women.

I’m more offended by them rhyming diva and beaver, as someone who actually pronounces Rs.

These campaigns are a response to polling which shows that many women don’t undergo screening out of embarrassment. It’s not the only reason but it is the reason that this particular advert targets.

It’s bloody agony for me, but I still do it because I remember jade goody! That was horrendous and she reminded us how important it is to get checked. Sadly at the cost of her life.

If smears were available at sexual health clinics, outside of office hours, with someone trained in helping women that have been sexually assaulted then the take-up rates would improve.
Using misogynistic language such as "beaver" and call women "divas' for "fussing" about smear tests is a sure fire way to reduce the take-up rate further

I don't think anybody saying it's wrong to feel what they feel...
But someone at the NHS has to try and find a way to help women help themselves, and they have to do so on a limited budget.

There is no doubt the reasons for not having one are varied.
There is no doubt that some may take offence (and clearly have).
But place 100K in someone's hands (example) and tell them they need to try and save as many lives as they can... then we can only hope this does just that.

Coulda, woulda and shoulda are all fine and dandy, but someone had to make that choice. We can pontificate all we like, but meanwhile, the clock is ticking. I wouldn't like to have to be the one to make that choice, and I think most of us should be grateful we aren't having to.

It's naive to imagine the entire campaign was imagined, approved and realised without any input from people dealing with it day in day out.

I don't understand the issue with a man or transman doing it. Ultimately a female could be a lesbian, but it's not a sexual situation. The person is a professional.

Ultimately anyone in any situation could assault you physically or sexually, but it's very unlikely. I have to leave my house, life is a risk but I still do it.

I had abnormal cells picked up in a smear. I had the loop treatment to remove the cells and I had tested positive for HPV. So I guess that's the cause. My smear was done by women, but my loop treatment was done by a Male consultant. A female nurse was present. And now I'm fine. Honestly it's seriously worth going.

I expect the ad is the appeal to younger people. I don't mind it, it's tongue in cheek.

But someone at the NHS has to try and find a way to help women help themselves

Torn -have you any idea just how much of a creep you sound?

That ad is revolting.

Quite aside from forcing two non rhyming insults into one it could not be any more lacking in the respect and care I would want shown during a medical procedure.

What with this and Cancer Research's ad last year which completely redacted the word woman and instead grouped those due a smear as "cervix havers" I am actually thinking they want to kill us off.

Just to reiterate, there are different campaigns and messages for different women. The NHS and Jo's cervical provide info and messages for both.

For those that struggle with a smear through sexual violence www.jostrust.org.uk/about-cervical-cancer/cervical-screening/cervical-screening-after-sexual-violence?fbclid=IwAR2voNy9yZ3zGb5P4i5l2rISh6IK8HPywNG54qNTrIcdeagJBvDOP5fIpOs may help or the CCG page is raising awareness so there are a number of Smear type posts on their timeline...m.facebook.com/EastLancsCCG/

Hope this helps

As someone who has had cervical cancer YABU

Infantilising women yet again. The common theme is that you're a silly billy if you don't get one done, never mind if you've done your research and have decided you don't need or want one.

-have you any idea just how much of a creep you sound?

I don't care.
The entire campaign is aimed at women who aren't (or haven't ever) been screened. Helping themselves is attending (they can't be forced) but the campaign is trying to encourage that.
If there's a better way, tell the NHS, but they've been trying for years and keep trying. It's not going to be a perfect solution, but something is better than nothing.

Personal insults won't help. Constructive ideas towards the NHS might.