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Post by robeiae on Sept 18, 2017 8:03:45 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2017 8:19:44 GMT -5
I knew they were harmful -- there have been articles to that effect coming out for a good many years. And yet douches and cleanses are still marketed, hard, particularly to women. (Women also do not need special soaps for their genitals. But one wouldn't guess that from watching commercials.) ETA: Rant to follow: And all that scented/deodorizing shit they market for "down there" (pads, tampons and such) is also unhealthy. Daily washing with ordinary mild soap is all you need, ladies. The advertising industry has done a really great job of convincing insecure women that their genitals are naturally unclean, reek to holy hell, and are generally unacceptable unless copious amounts of scent are applied. And of course, the porn industry of very recent decades added to all that by creating an impression that we must all be hairless as little girls, and have generically smooth barbie-doll vulvas with minimal folds and just a neat wee hole. (Whereas, hello, genitals come in all kinds of completely normal variations.) Back in the good 'ol days of my teen years, we worried about being smelly and we waxed our bikini line so we looked neat and trim in a bathing suit. Women don't tend to examine each other's vulvas (sorry, guys), so most of us were actually pretty ignorant that our vaginas weren't up to some porn standard. Now women are waxing off ALL their pubic hair (which, by the way, can make them more vulnerable to STDs, not to mention ingrown hairs, not to mention the expense and trouble of getting it done, since it is difficult to do yourself, unlike more minimal grooming, and needs to be done every few weeks). www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/29/bikini-waxing-dangers-risk-health_n_2976402.html But, hey, whatever. If that were all, I'd shrug. But no. Now perfectly normal women are getting fucking cosmetic SURGERY to eliminate skin on their vulva so they can achieve the smooth plastic look of porn stars' genitalia -- who in turn mostly had surgery to look that way. www.salon.com/2015/02/22/the_search_for_the_perfect_vagina_why_labiaplasty_is_suddenly_booming_partner/And that really pisses me off. Hey dudes? There isn't a one of you on the fucking planet for whom I'd have surgery just to please your porn-accustomed eyes. ETA: That said, I rather wonder how much of the labiaplasty boom is actually due to men's explicit demands that women look like barbies, and how much due to women simply fearing that it's what they demand. Are a significant group of men genuinely turned off by women who have genitals that are completely normal but don't have that neat, even, smooth generic look most porn stars seem to have? On the pubic hair grooming thing, I think there's a bit of an age thing going on -- younger men are more likely to expect a full brazilian hairless look, whereas some older men actually find it a complete turn-off because it makes them think of children. But I'm not sure whether this also applies to the skin on the vulva. Are women having this surgery out of their own paranoia and vanity, or are men genuinely turned off by genitals that don't match porn standard?
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Post by Christine on Sept 18, 2017 20:05:01 GMT -5
Yeah, douches are straight out. (The actual ones as well as the figurative ones. Heh.) I think women who have been paying attention to their bodies have known this for a long time. The article says, douches "upset the vaginal florae" which is true. The translation is RECURRENT YEAST INFECTIONS and I'd hurl a flamethrower at one of those contraptions before it got anywhere near my vagina.
The colon cleanse, I was a bit confused here, because I thought that was a combination of things taken internally to help cleanse the bowel. (Some good; some not so much.) But I guess what they are referring in the article is an enema??? Ye gods. An enema is for relief of constipation, but it is NOT a colon cleanse. An enema doesn't cleanse your colon. Your colon is 5 feet long and shooting some water up your butt isn't going to cleanse it. It's just going to soften the few inches of compacted fecal matter in your rectum so you can pass it. And if you need this enema, you are probably doing your eating wrong.
My understanding of an effective colon cleanse: EAT. RAW. VEGETABLES. AND/OR COOKED ONES. DON'T STOP. DOING THIS.
EVER.
And ye shall be cleansed.
JMO. There are other medical issues; always consult with your doctor.
I totally agree with everything Cass said about "aesthetics" and the pressure placed on women and yeah, fuck that noise. I will also add that what I read once (and have generally found to be true in my life's worth of escapades) is that most men are really, truly grateful that a woman in his presence has taken her clothes off, period, end of. Folds, wrinkles, dimples, idiosyncrasies, all of it. But yeah, there are some *ahem* douches out there, so a hearty fuck you to those who value superficiality above health, wellness, and, imo, true beauty.
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Post by Amadan on Sept 20, 2017 13:49:09 GMT -5
I admit that I find shaved genitalia to be a little creepy. But apparently this is a very clear generation gap because when I was younger, pretty much only porn stars did that, and nowadays I understand most women do.
I also read a while ago that "anal bleaching" was becoming a thing (another trend that started in porn) and I was like, wtf? You want to bleach where? Are you insane?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2017 17:56:33 GMT -5
Yes, it is indeed difficult to believe that "anal bleaching" is a thing.
And I find it bizarre that women would consider having their vulva cosmetically snipped and clipped to bring it up to porn standard, given that I think it's safe to say most (rightly) find the concept of female circumcision horrible and barbaric, even if a woman consents to it for cultural reasons.
Leave your goddamn genitals alone, FFS.
On the shaving/waxing thing, my running club (which has a pretty wide range of ages) had a silly tipsy discussion about it at a party, and it strongly pointed to a generation thing going on on the part of both men and women.
I don't so much have an issue with it, except to note that it's a pain in the ass and there's the potential ingrown hair issue. But it doesn't get me worked up like the idea of bleaching an anus or surgically altering the vulva.
somewhat of a derail: I once had a first date tell me I'd be "perfect" if I had larger breasts, and would I ever consider implants. He seemed to think it was a high compliment with a constructive suggestion attached. ("I said you'd be perfect!") You can imagine how that went.
Personally, I'm afraid of surgery, so I likely won't be having anything done that isn't strictly necessary for medical reasons. (I might change my mind if I were mutilated in some way, though. )
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Post by Amadan on Sept 20, 2017 21:24:58 GMT -5
That's... a bold move on a first date.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2017 22:07:50 GMT -5
I have a theory that it was his misguided attempt at a "neg." In other words to bring me down to size and make me vulnerable and seeking his admiration in the guise of delivering a compliment. It didn't work, of course. The hilarious part was that he got really defensive and accused me of being conceited -- "oh, what, you think you ARE perfect?" To which, of course, I said "yes." Just to get his goat. We were both young. Still, I'm fairly certain he developed into a first-class asshole rather than a swell guy. Not that I plan to look him up to see.
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Post by Christine on Sept 20, 2017 22:08:18 GMT -5
That's... a bold move on a first date. More like a douche move.
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Post by robeiae on Sept 21, 2017 13:53:12 GMT -5
I learned about that technique from Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2017 14:29:56 GMT -5
I learned about that technique from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. And did it land you a date with Phoebe Cates?
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Post by robeiae on Sept 21, 2017 14:37:00 GMT -5
No, but I nailed Jennifer Jason Leigh in the pool house...
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Post by poetinahat on Sept 21, 2017 22:05:22 GMT -5
... with the rope? Or was that Colonel Mustard?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2017 22:14:33 GMT -5
This thread got weird, and somehow I cannot shake the idea that it is my fault.
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Post by poetinahat on Sept 21, 2017 23:34:11 GMT -5
You write poems. Talk about weird.
But in a world where people inject botulism toxin into their faces on purpose, what is normal?
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Post by Angie on Sept 22, 2017 2:03:29 GMT -5
Vaginal steaming and sticking rocks in your girly bits, if you're Gwyneth Paltrow. Also, if you're Gwyneth Paltrow I do not wish to speak with you anymore.
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