Beauty blogger Huda Kattan slammed for post about vagina whitening
LOOK, let’s just put in on the record that no one needs to get their vagina whitened. But one beauty blogger has learned that lesson the hard way.
MAKEUP artist, Instagram influencer and beauty mogul Huda Kattan has found herself in a total flap after posting what must have been a brain flip of a blog post.
The article in question featured the provocative and ultimately gynaecologically incorrect title, “Why Your Vagina Gets Dark And How To Lighten It”.
Seeing as your vagina resides inside your body, why would you need to lighten it? You wouldn’t. Oh right, we get it, she’s talking about our vulvas. But whatever, the message is clear, you’re not perfect as you are.
FOR MORE STORIES LIKE THIS VISIT WHIMN.COM.AU
In just a generation, our vulvas have been denuded of hair so they look as if a bushfire has raged through your underpants leaving a scorched-earth policy.
Our labia, both majora and minora, have been put on the chopping block for being too long, too short, too fat, too thin and now, we’re expected to worry if the skin is discoloured? Really?
Frankly, we’ve had enough of being told what the most intimate part of our bodies should look like because the reality is they’re as unique as our faces.
However, according to the Dubai-based Instagrammer there are some women that worry that the skin on their vulvas could be a bit dark or discoloured.
“We’re busting myths as to why lightening your lady parts with natural ingredients may not be working and how you can actually improve it (if that’s what you want!)”
Huda then brings in the expert in all things vagina, Dr. Doris Day, who is definitely not the ’60s movie star, but a certifiably googleable New York dermatologist to talk us through “DIY vagina lightening hacks,” using ingredients such as lemon juice, yoghurt, coconut oil and egg whites.
Sounds like the makings of a delicious omelette to us but no, apparently, you can slather all of the above on your vulva to make it lighter.
Huda doesn’t stop there, though. There are five tips to “lighten the colour down there” including a spot of fat shaming.
Apparently, women should “reach [their] ideal weight,” adding that “excess weight can lead to friction, which can cause darkening.”
Day recommends women ask their dermatologist to “prescribe a prescription brightening cream or chemical peel” containing ingredients such as hydroquinone and tranexamic acid.
That’s where the post plunges into colourism, which is the awful notion that lighter shades of dark skin are considered more desirable.
Hence, promoting any form of skin whitening is inherently racist and should be avoided at all costs.
Look, while we could join the internet pile-on, it’s also worth noting that some women do, in fact, feel self-conscious of the hyperpigmentation, which is the effect of excess melanin that cannot only affect their hands and face but also their vulvas.
However, the far-reaching implications and insensitivity in which the post was written simply gives Huda’s 25 million Instagram followers just another thing to worry about.
seriously pisses me off when people like huda beauty can be successful and have a huge platform to influence young girls and she writes articles about ‘how to lighten your vagina with lemon juice’ honest to god, women like that need a slap. no wonder young girls are insecure. pic.twitter.com/fHx3ZHJFmX
— 👠molly 👠(@mollylaura_) May 3, 2018
The Huda Beauty team got the memo that its post was horribly conceived and has updated it with a response, which seems to be absolutely tone deaf as to why it has been called out in the first place.
“Hey guys, we wanted to address some concern over this topic,” the update reads. “We appreciate and respect everyone’s opinions on this subject and want to express that we do not feel lightening your vulva (vagina/ lady parts/ VJJ,) is necessary.
“Our goal is to give details for those who may wish to, by sharing expert advice from a leading dermatologist. We’ve seen a lot of harmful DIYs on the internet, so we hope this post provides the best information on the topic and offers safe ways for people to do this, should they wish to.”
The point is women shouldn’t even have to be thinking it, let alone reading an influential blogger’s tips on how to achieve a “whiter” vulva.
If anything we should be celebrating our uniqueness, not trying to fit into a one-vagina-fits-all stereotype.
This article originally appeared on whimn.com.au and has been republished here with permission.
