Healthy Vaginas Are Moist
Vaginas. Yonis. Vulvas. The magical gateway to the womb, where all human life begins, and with a capacity for pleasure unimaginable to those born with male genitalia. Yet unsurprisingly, as the primary physical distinction of biological women, vaginas are often maligned and misunderstood.
Art by Carmen Seijas
Healthy Vaginas are Moist
When Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion rode a tidal wave with WAP to the top of the charts armed with a bucket and a mop, they spread wide open an important conversation about the wonder down under to the mainstream:
Healthy vaginas are moist.
And they typically excrete a half to a full teaspoon of discharge a day. This varies in volume and consistency with fluctuations in menstrual cycle, sexual arousal and sexual health.
What’s Your Moistness Telling You?
Abundant, stretchy, egg white like mucus is an important indicator of ovulation, a useful tool for conception or contraception. Pregnancy brings its own particular brand of juicy lubrication. And menopause can cause vaginal dryness with accompanying discomfort.
As WAP joyfully proclaimed, arousal leads to increased secretions, an important protective factor in the mechanics of the bump and grind. As well as decreasing the pleasure we all deserve from our sexual interactions, insufficient natural lubrication increases risk of contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections. STI’s often present in changes to the volume, consistency and odour of discharge, another reason to pay attention to what’s going on below.
Much like the labia’s Latin namesake, the lips, the vulva has a lot in common with the mouth, a clue to why moisture is so important. Imagine a mouth without saliva, breeding bacteria and exuding halitosis. Not only is the vagina a gateway, both to life and to sexual satisfaction, it is a self cleaning organ, with discharge as its mechanism. Its natural acidity gives it its familiar tang and plays a vital role in excreting bacteria and balancing a healthy pH level.
The Patriarchal Cloud of Shame
Yet a familiar patriarchal cloud of shame and misinformation surrounds this fascinating fact. Since the Greeks justified their subjugation of women by deeming their surfeit of watery humours as a biological inferiority, society has sought to at best ignore and at worst expunge vaginas of their natural juices.
Industry through the ages capitalised on female shame, selling us a host of harmful products, potions and devices that only work against the body’s natural miracle, at the expense of our pride and our pocket.
Painting by Amrita Sher-Gil
Your Flow Matters to Us
The great minds behind dea, are intimately aware of the importance of a healthy flow. Much like the vagina, our underwear is a triumph of style, pleasure and function. Unlike many underwear brands, seemingly designed with nothing more than the male gaze in mind, we’ve designed ours with extra long gussets to cover your vulva with love, giving your natural discharge a soft place to land. Your vagina will no doubt love a fresh pair of dea underwear for every day of the week. So be kind to your vagina ladies, and clothe it in dea.
Love dea x
