The Vagina Bible
There aren’t many books that I would love to hand to my teenage self and say, “You need to read this,” but Dr. Jennifer Gunter’s The Vagina Bible is one of them.
As a practicing OB/GYN for over 25 years, Gunter is an expert at separating myths from medicine when it comes to the vagina and vulva. As her title implies, The Vagina Bible is all about answering the questions that have plague vagina owners for decades. Although I think people should read this book as soon as puberty kicks in, picking up this book at any point in your life will benefit you in so many ways. And not just vagina owners, but men as well! Everyone could benefit from knowing more about the vagina, vulva, and how to properly care for both.
I appreciated how blunt Gunter was about the many scams surrounding vagina care, such as douching, whether or not certain foods cause yeast infections, jade eggs, vaginal steaming, and many other types pseudoscience that has convinced generations of women that their vaginas are inherently “dirty.” She gives readers the facts in order to make informed decisions about how to best care for themselves. It’s refreshing in this era of click bait and celebrity-endorsed products that are essentially useless, if not dangerous.
One of the main points Gunter comes back to throughout the book is how patriarchy, misogyny, and social constructs in general have shaped how vaginas are viewed, discussed, and cared for. Unlike penises, which have occupied a great deal of the medical world, for centuries very little was known about vaginas, vulvas, the clitoris, and so on. Today, it’s often still taboo to talk about issues “down there” (heaven forbid we say vagina) and it’s even awkward to discuss with healthcare providers because we’ve been taught from a young age to keep quiet about vaginal concerns.
Although schools have come a long way with their sex education programs, these classes still fall short in teaching teenagers about vaginal health. From my high school days, I don’t remember ever looking at a medical diagram of a vagina. I vaguely remember the penis coming up and then the rest of the class was eaten up by STIs. Not to say STIs aren’t important – Gunter discusses them in depth in her book, too – but this was the point in my life when I really needed Gunter’s book to explain to me what was going on with my body. My schooling simply fell short, and I’m sure I’m not the only student who felt the same.
Gunter’s “vagenda” is one the rest of society needs to adopt. In order to make informed decisions about our health, we need the facts. The Vagina Bible will be a lifelong, trusted resource that I will be referring to throughout my life.
The Vagina Bible Rating: ★★★★★
As a practicing OB/GYN for over 25 years, Gunter is an expert at separating myths from medicine when it comes to the vagina and vulva. As her title implies, The Vagina Bible is all about answering the questions that have plague vagina owners for decades. Although I think people should read this book as soon as puberty kicks in, picking up this book at any point in your life will benefit you in so many ways. And not just vagina owners, but men as well! Everyone could benefit from knowing more about the vagina, vulva, and how to properly care for both.
I appreciated how blunt Gunter was about the many scams surrounding vagina care, such as douching, whether or not certain foods cause yeast infections, jade eggs, vaginal steaming, and many other types pseudoscience that has convinced generations of women that their vaginas are inherently “dirty.” She gives readers the facts in order to make informed decisions about how to best care for themselves. It’s refreshing in this era of click bait and celebrity-endorsed products that are essentially useless, if not dangerous.
One of the main points Gunter comes back to throughout the book is how patriarchy, misogyny, and social constructs in general have shaped how vaginas are viewed, discussed, and cared for. Unlike penises, which have occupied a great deal of the medical world, for centuries very little was known about vaginas, vulvas, the clitoris, and so on. Today, it’s often still taboo to talk about issues “down there” (heaven forbid we say vagina) and it’s even awkward to discuss with healthcare providers because we’ve been taught from a young age to keep quiet about vaginal concerns.
Although schools have come a long way with their sex education programs, these classes still fall short in teaching teenagers about vaginal health. From my high school days, I don’t remember ever looking at a medical diagram of a vagina. I vaguely remember the penis coming up and then the rest of the class was eaten up by STIs. Not to say STIs aren’t important – Gunter discusses them in depth in her book, too – but this was the point in my life when I really needed Gunter’s book to explain to me what was going on with my body. My schooling simply fell short, and I’m sure I’m not the only student who felt the same.
Gunter’s “vagenda” is one the rest of society needs to adopt. In order to make informed decisions about our health, we need the facts. The Vagina Bible will be a lifelong, trusted resource that I will be referring to throughout my life.
The Vagina Bible Rating: ★★★★★