The odor-full cunt
Apr. 6th, 2002 10:58 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
desireme.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
vaginapaginaI really like this article (from nerve.com):
Not to get too new-agey on you, but everyone has their own, unique smell, and you should learn to love yours like a long-time friend. Become familiar with it (without breaking your neck) and take note of subtle changes in bouquet that occur at different times due to sexual arousal and hormonal changes. For example, during ovulation your body may turn it up to eleven to help facilitate conception — your smell may be stronger to attract mates and your vagina may produce more mucus to protect and guide sperm on its way to your uterus. (Ah, mucus, so sexy, so alluring!)
You can't do much about the havoc that hormones wreak on your body, but there are plenty more factors at play that you can control. Here are some preventative measures to keep you smelling like you're supposed to (and that's not like a daisy or a summer's breeze).
1. You reek what you eat: too much sugar, caffeine, refined carbohydrates, red meat, alcohol or nicotine can give you a slightly funky odor. If you eat right, your partner will be more into eating you.
2. You might love the '80s Flashdance revival but your vagina doesn't. Tight clothing (especially tight Spandex when you're working out) and synthetic underwear prevent air from circulating down there, creating the perfect, moist environment for bacteria to over-grow. White cotton undies may not be the sexiest, but they sure are sexier than a case of vaginitis. And what better excuse to sleep in the buff?
3. Don't stress. Get rest.
4. Wash behind your lips every day (literally: we're talking the whole shebang, poopchute and all). Our Bodies, Ourselves recommends pure mineral oil over soap, but we think a mild, unscented soap is probably okay. Whenever we're lucky enough to get the sex, we find that peeing and washing fairly soon afterwards helps ward off urinary tract infections. (And while it's no cure-all, it certainly can't hurt to have your male partners give themselves a good rinse before the blessed event.)
5. You're right, douches are evil: unnecessary products invented by The Man to solve made-up problems and make a buck. Vaginas, like ears, clean themselves (Q-tips are evil, too*). There's good bacteria in your vagina that fights off infection, and when you douche, the good stuff is cleaned out along with the bad stuff, leaving your acidic and alkaline balances all off kilter and your vag prone to infection. Douching can also cause allergic reactions or spread existing infections to the uterus and fallopian tubes, causing more serious problems like pelvic inflammatory disease. And then how "fresh" will you feel? The same goes for feminine hygiene sprays. FDS, you can take your spritzer and shove it up your own cooch!
6. Deodorized anything is usually a bad idea down there: tampons, pads, potpourri sachets, etc.
7. If you absolutely must use products (and you musn't), avoid those containing Talc, which has been linked with ovarian cancer in some studies (and why take the chance?). Columbia University's Go Ask Alice recommends cornstarch as a good substitute (it has replaced Talc in many baby powders), but a concerned reader wrote in to tell us that cornstarch could cause yeast infections (and why take the chance?). If you absolutely must use products, get a recommendation from a doctor you trust.
8. Wipe after you go to the bathroom (you'd be surprised . . . ). Avoid scented or dyed toilet paper. And remember: front to back, always front to back.
We said it before and we'll say it again: Know thy smelth. Being aware of what's "normal" for you will help you recognize "real" abnormalities (e.g. intense pungency, itching, burning, chafing, irregular-for-you discharge) which can be symptoms of infections and STDs like trichomoniasis, bacterial vaginosis, vulvitis, yeast infections, gonorrhea, chlamydia (don't ask us, ask your doctor).
Finally, you should never ever let anyone make you feel bad about the way you glow. Tom Robbins said it better than we ever could, so we'll sign off with this excerpt from Even Cowgirls Get the Blues:
"Get thee back to the aroma of birth," Dr. Robbins had told the Countess, "for the smells of the female body, the smells you have sought to kill with your totalitarian chemicals, are the very smells of birth, the strong odors of the essence of existence. The nose that is offended by the hot perfume of the cunt is a nose unsuited for this world, and should be sniffing gold on the scrubbed streets of Heaven. The vagina reeks of life and love and the infinite et cetera. O vagina! Your salty incense, your mushroom moon musk, your deep waves of clam honey breaking against the cold steel of civilization; vagina, draw our nose to the grindstone of ecstasy, and let us die smelling as we did when we were born!" xx Jessica
Not to get too new-agey on you, but everyone has their own, unique smell, and you should learn to love yours like a long-time friend. Become familiar with it (without breaking your neck) and take note of subtle changes in bouquet that occur at different times due to sexual arousal and hormonal changes. For example, during ovulation your body may turn it up to eleven to help facilitate conception — your smell may be stronger to attract mates and your vagina may produce more mucus to protect and guide sperm on its way to your uterus. (Ah, mucus, so sexy, so alluring!)
You can't do much about the havoc that hormones wreak on your body, but there are plenty more factors at play that you can control. Here are some preventative measures to keep you smelling like you're supposed to (and that's not like a daisy or a summer's breeze).
1. You reek what you eat: too much sugar, caffeine, refined carbohydrates, red meat, alcohol or nicotine can give you a slightly funky odor. If you eat right, your partner will be more into eating you.
2. You might love the '80s Flashdance revival but your vagina doesn't. Tight clothing (especially tight Spandex when you're working out) and synthetic underwear prevent air from circulating down there, creating the perfect, moist environment for bacteria to over-grow. White cotton undies may not be the sexiest, but they sure are sexier than a case of vaginitis. And what better excuse to sleep in the buff?
3. Don't stress. Get rest.
4. Wash behind your lips every day (literally: we're talking the whole shebang, poopchute and all). Our Bodies, Ourselves recommends pure mineral oil over soap, but we think a mild, unscented soap is probably okay. Whenever we're lucky enough to get the sex, we find that peeing and washing fairly soon afterwards helps ward off urinary tract infections. (And while it's no cure-all, it certainly can't hurt to have your male partners give themselves a good rinse before the blessed event.)
5. You're right, douches are evil: unnecessary products invented by The Man to solve made-up problems and make a buck. Vaginas, like ears, clean themselves (Q-tips are evil, too*). There's good bacteria in your vagina that fights off infection, and when you douche, the good stuff is cleaned out along with the bad stuff, leaving your acidic and alkaline balances all off kilter and your vag prone to infection. Douching can also cause allergic reactions or spread existing infections to the uterus and fallopian tubes, causing more serious problems like pelvic inflammatory disease. And then how "fresh" will you feel? The same goes for feminine hygiene sprays. FDS, you can take your spritzer and shove it up your own cooch!
6. Deodorized anything is usually a bad idea down there: tampons, pads, potpourri sachets, etc.
7. If you absolutely must use products (and you musn't), avoid those containing Talc, which has been linked with ovarian cancer in some studies (and why take the chance?). Columbia University's Go Ask Alice recommends cornstarch as a good substitute (it has replaced Talc in many baby powders), but a concerned reader wrote in to tell us that cornstarch could cause yeast infections (and why take the chance?). If you absolutely must use products, get a recommendation from a doctor you trust.
8. Wipe after you go to the bathroom (you'd be surprised . . . ). Avoid scented or dyed toilet paper. And remember: front to back, always front to back.
We said it before and we'll say it again: Know thy smelth. Being aware of what's "normal" for you will help you recognize "real" abnormalities (e.g. intense pungency, itching, burning, chafing, irregular-for-you discharge) which can be symptoms of infections and STDs like trichomoniasis, bacterial vaginosis, vulvitis, yeast infections, gonorrhea, chlamydia (don't ask us, ask your doctor).
Finally, you should never ever let anyone make you feel bad about the way you glow. Tom Robbins said it better than we ever could, so we'll sign off with this excerpt from Even Cowgirls Get the Blues:
"Get thee back to the aroma of birth," Dr. Robbins had told the Countess, "for the smells of the female body, the smells you have sought to kill with your totalitarian chemicals, are the very smells of birth, the strong odors of the essence of existence. The nose that is offended by the hot perfume of the cunt is a nose unsuited for this world, and should be sniffing gold on the scrubbed streets of Heaven. The vagina reeks of life and love and the infinite et cetera. O vagina! Your salty incense, your mushroom moon musk, your deep waves of clam honey breaking against the cold steel of civilization; vagina, draw our nose to the grindstone of ecstasy, and let us die smelling as we did when we were born!" xx Jessica
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no subject
Date: 2002-04-07 01:46 am (UTC)I eat a healthy vegan diet and keep clean which keeps my yoni happy, guys have told me that I smell like margerine or milk LOL. The only thing that goes down there is unscented soap and occasionally a dab of lavender & tea tree oil to keep yeasties away.
no subject
Date: 2002-04-07 11:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-04-07 12:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-04-07 11:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-04-07 11:43 am (UTC)I haven't had enough experience with women, while also knowing what they ate/drank/smoked, to make a judgement there.
no subject
Date: 2002-04-07 11:54 am (UTC)Ancedotal evidence:
I once knew a girl who claimed she could detect STDs in a prospective partner simply by the taste, smell, appearance, etc. of that person, particularly of their genital area.
My primary is blind. You would not believe what he can detect from smell. I shan't go into details, but shall let the statement that it is extraordinary suffice. :)
no subject
Date: 2002-04-07 01:02 pm (UTC)