‘Femfresh for intimate skin’. Why the hell don’t men get inundated with this crap?

[TammyWhyNot]

Just saw the ad for some special stuff for washing your vagina. Why no product marketed at men and their foreskins / glans? Why such a market for Femfresh but not Smegfresh?

I am sick of this constant reference that women’s bodies are a constant hygiene challenge, likely to smell at any moment, and requiring special treatment beyond warm water to keep embarrassment at bay.

Unwashed genitals need washing, male or female. Men have ‘intimate skin ‘ too. But no one is drumming up horror of male foreskins and preying on the resulting insecurities.

Wasn't there a recent (might still be ongoing) product trial for some sort of bollock deodorant?

Don’t know but “smegfresh” has made me crack up.

That’s surely a product for Dragon’s Den?!

Because most men either don’t care, or have got more sense than to spend money on such crap?

Marketing cosmetic products to men is becoming more common. Nivea Men uses Liverpool FC players to flog its stuff.

Calledyouladtnight: shall we team up and create the prototype?

Someone please set up a kickstarter for smegfresh!

I assume for the same reason men don’t get targeted in the Canesten adverts. Vaginas have a specific balance of bacterial flora which can lead to things like thrush and bacterial vaginitis if it gets altered by some soaps/shower gels/bath products and douching. Yes, Men get thrush too but it’s a lot less common and the glans (the area covered by the foreskin) is different from a bacteria perspective. Having said that, we don’t really need these products for the vagina (as opposed to vulva) because water is sufficient.

There is such a product

It's called 'Below the Belt'

Ok, a quick google reveals Below The Belt grooming range for men, which seems to be Fresh and Dry Balls and Instant Clean Balls .

Nothing about glans, foreskin etc.

I think it's because women by and large aren't as obsessed about the smell of men's crotches, as men are by women's. I don't think I've ever heard of a woman sniffing a chair after a man has stood up from it.

I was actually really grateful for such a product today. I’m pregnant and not the type who has sex while pregnant - totally not in the mood! (Relevant I promise).

But I’ve had a different type of discharge down there and it was clingy and uncomfortable. I was quite glad to use something that promised to get down their fresh without irritation. This was for me and me alone.

I also used it as full shower gel for Dd for a while as she was gaining her independence in the shower as she didn’t understand/process properly that putting normal soap down there could cause irritation to start with.

I would rather be the target of marketing campaigns over my personal hygiene than have bits cut off because of it. Where FGM is obviously and rightly abhorred across the UK I still hear so many mothers defending the circumcision of their sons saying that it's got 'hygiene' reasons. Femfresh is the lesser of two evils.

FGS what does male circumcision have to do with this?

Behold! Wingman wipes for willies.

But £3.50 for 8 wipes??? These young men need directing to handy packs of baby wipes.

Personally I've never been innudated by such products, in fact I've simply ignored them and walked past leaving them unwanted on the shelf.

“ don't think I've ever heard of a woman sniffing a chair after a man has stood up from it.”

I have never heard of a man doing such a thing either! Things are worse than I thought!

Women aren't supposed to use regular shower gels and soaps as more sensitive than a mans and are more prone to infection eg. thrush. Men can use any shower gel down there. That's why.

Madge the Vag knows

Women aren't supposed to use regular shower gels and soaps as more sensitive than a mans and are more prone to infection eg. thrush. Men can use any shower gel down there. That's why.

If that’s the case, why are “regular” products only suitable for 49% of the population? Why not make “regular” products suitable for everyone?

It’s just marketing, trying to flog you stuff. Humans quite literally survived millennia without special washes for vulvas.

Men sniffing chairs when a woman has got up is absolutely disgusting. Did you witness that? How did you not tear the dickhead a new one?

It's marketing based on misogny is what it is.

To be honest I reckon a lot of men need hygiene products for the under foreskin area and cleaning in that area generally based on the number of posts on MN from women about their smelly partners.

Do they need special products or just to be less lazy about washing themselves?

I've used it as showergel on occasion as I found normal soap and shower gel an irritant at times ( and yes I know you don't need to douche, I just mean irritant on external parts). I wouldn't be spraying owt like deodorant up there but the pH balance of femfresh showergel is more skin friendly I believe.

But isn’t plain warm water fine?
For men and women?
It just needs using on a regular basis.

TammyWhyNot not if you have public hair, which I do as I refuse to do more than trim it as it wouldn’t be for me. If discharge has come out overnight and hardened then that soap really helps freshen up.

To me it’s all about comfort and options. Now I can agree without even seeing the advert that it is probably “oh yuck women have bodily fluids!” and get onboard with the outrage over the marketing strategy, but I can’t feel annoyed about the product existing.

A bit like make up. Is it anti-female to wear make up? I really maintain it is more anti-female to shame women for wearing make up.

Feminism isn’t to me about men and women being treated the same. But about them having equality. We have a long way to come, but I don’t think getting too irritated* about the availability of a ph balanced soap is going to help very much.

*physically and emotionally!