Summer's Eve and their racist "Hail to the V" ads: Did you know your vagina had an accent?

Summer's Eve is promoting a cleansing wash for vaginas. The campaign is called "Hail to the V". The ads show talking hands of a black, white and Latina woman that are meant to represent vaginas. The talking hands/vaginas speak with stereotypical accents designated for each race.

 In the ad the black hand/vagina says, "An extra 10 seconds in the shower, plus a Summer's Eve cleansing cloth before you reach the club and bam, we are so lady wowza."



So, here there is talk about hitting the clubs and spending time on hair weaves. Does this ad speak for all black women? Of course not.

 At one point the Latina hand/vagina exclaims, "ay yi yi yi!"



The ad plays up the spicy, sassy Latina stereotype, complete with swift Spanish speaking lines.

 The white hand/vagina says "you and me should BFFs".


"BFFs" huh? Apparently all white women speak like Paris Hilton?

This isn't the first time Summer's Eve has offended women with their ads. In 2010 Summer's Eve published an ad in Woman's Day Magazine with the title, "Confidence at Work: How to Ask for a Raise."

 The ad lists 8 tips which are meant to be helpful in reaching your goal of a pay raise. Most of them are benign and general. The very first tip however advises women to, "start with your usual routine and all the things you do to be your best. Including Summer's Eve Feminine Wash or throwing a packet of Summer's Eve cleansing clothes into your bag for a quick freshness pick-me-up during the day."


The Young Turks discuss Summer's Eve sexist ad

Summer's Eve stays away from the word "douche". Douches are used internally while Summer's Eve washes and are meant to be used externally. Even so Summer's Eve DOES sell douche products.

I think in this day and age many women know by now that many health care professionals believe that douching  interferes with the vagina's natural self-cleaning The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services discourages douching as it can potentially lead to to irritation, bacterial infection and pelvic inflammatory Frequent douching with water may result in an imbalance of the pH levels in the vagina and this may increase risk for yeast infections.

Womenshealth.gov has a Douching Fact Sheet available online here.

I hope most of us know that a vagina is self cleaning. According to Vaginafishysmell (alright, get the giggles out..yes this is the actual name of the website), the vagina "is full of friendly bacteria that control the unfriendly yeasts and bad bacteria that cause problems such as Candida yeast infections.  The main bacterium responsible for policing your vagina is a strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus – the friendly bacteria found in natural yoghurt".

Your vagina isn't meant to smell like boysenberries. Vaginas are supposed to have a scent. Wipes, deodorants, sprays, douches, powders and washes may actually make your body smell worse. Most doctors encourage women to use a mild unperfumed soap and water. Pretty simple. If you still aren't convinced then PLEASE talk to your doctor. Allow him/her to give you their expert advise.

If your vagina has a fishy or yeast smell there may be a problem. According to Vasginafishysmell, "bacterial vaginosis is an infection that causes a fish like odor whereas Candida albicans yeast infection can cause a yeasty smell." Know that a woman's scent can change with one's menstrual cycle and can also change when pregnant. If you're noticing a change of discharge color or you are having irritation, redness or swelling then you will want to have those symptoms checked out.

By the way. Men can smell too however I've never seen a product for male wash. Hmm.

Women have been bombarded with the message that our vaginas are unclean. Yes, we bleed, yes, we smell and that's all natural and normal. That's not going to change. If you are concerned by your body then of course ask your doc some questions but also understand that companies want to make money and they will put you down in attempts to make you feel insecure so you will buy their product...over and over and over again. Be mindful.