Let's Hear It for the Zena Princess Warriors

Abstract

Most teenage girls have very little accurate information about their reproductive systems. Vaginal health in particular seems to be an area where myths and misinformation abound. More than 20 years of adolescent gynecology practice has given me some insight as to the sources teens use for information about vaginal health. Media sources, such as TV and magazine ads, are extremely influential. The concept of feminine hygiene has been mostly created by those who manufacture and sell feminine hygiene products. They have capitalized on the idea of menstruation as an unclean process, an idea promulgated by centuries of cultural practices that isolated women during menstruation and regarded menstrual blood as unclean or even dangerous. Though women in our society are no longer isolated or avoided during their menses, many female relatives perpetuate this concept by encouraging their daughters and granddaughters that the vagina needs to be cleaned after sex, after the menses, or just routinely. Mothers and grandmothers are a very influential source in my experience. In the urban setting in particular, many teenage girls have been raised by their grandmothers, who are well-intentioned but who often pass on information that is outdated or mythical. Learning how to douche seems to be a rite of passage for many teenage girls and douche products abound.