Vagina Power!
Take a look at the cover of almost any popular women’s magazine. You’ll probably notice the bad sex tips, the list of ways to keep your man and even the awful dieting advice. Some of you also might notice a trend: using slang for sexual and reproductive body parts—like saying “va-jay-jay” instead of “vagina.”
For example, why can’t the March issue of Cosmo just have the word “vagina” printed on it? Instead, Cosmo refers to the “va-jay-jay.” Even the subtitle—“Fascinating New Facts about Your Lovely Lady Parts”—can’t spell out what the story is about. Using words like “va-jay-jay” and “lovely lady parts” makes the relationship between a woman and her body seem like it’s naughty—unspeakable.
Cosmo, why beat around the bush (no pun intended)? If you’re giving women information about their vaginas, just say “vaginas”!
Here’s a sex ed challenge: Say the word “vagina” instead of “va-jay-jay,” when you need to refer to the vagina. It feels good to say it and not be embarrassed. Now that’s a sign of a being a smart and confident woman.
Tags: anatomy, girls' health, magazines, sex terms
(14 votes, average: 4.29 out of 5)
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February 23, 2008 at 10:40 pm
kinda reminds me of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgCIaJLLKEY
February 24, 2008 at 8:39 pm
i’m going to be 16 in two days. when i was 12 i bought my first cosmopolitan mag (not very lomg before getting my first cosmoGIRL! MAG) and i kinda thought some of the sex tips were weird and i’d read a different section. looking at some of them now are odd…and as far as the whole sexual slang thinsg goes, i wouldn’t mind. but i mean, say the actual term VAGINA frst, and then use a little slang, and i’m putting emphasis on little. i think cosmo may do it to grab a woman’s attention, but i’m sure that not every woman who reads cosmo is going to know what the lingo means right away.
March 26, 2008 at 3:01 pm
well, i’m thirteen and i use to say va-jay-jay last year. now i just go around and say vagina, i like my vagina actually. the kids in my health class are always saying, “oh my gosh, i can’t say like those parts.” So i usually always anwser the sex ed question.
Penis and Vagina are my favorite words.
also, i think that cosmo-whatever using va-jay-jay is rude because well, on maxim i am pretty sure they say penis and not some slang like knob or wang.
so cosmo SHOULD say vagina.
May 3, 2008 at 5:47 pm
i dont have a problem saying vagina, but i also dont see the problem with cosmo saying *vajayjay* or *lovely lday parts*
why? because the term vagina sounds so analytical and anatomical. it takess the fun, spontaneity, and mystery out of sex, which is what attracts people to sex. and the point of the article is to attract people into buying the magazine so they can have better sex lives. grant it, *vajayjay* isnt sexy sounding, but its fun&flirty…while, lovely lady parts makes the woman feel less like a science exhibit, and more into a keeper of something *special*…which is key in dealing with sex.
June 25, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Teen/women magazines in general are alive because they sell. To sell the magazine, they need to publish articles that sell. So, Cosmo using “vajayjay” or “lovely lady parts” are actually tactics to use a creative lingo to sell (like aznsamsation comments). Is it wrong? I don’t know. What bothers me is how teens/women magazines have the lamest articles, things that make us feel like we’re not adequate or how we have to do this and that to get the boy of our dreams. It rarely talks about something as simple as, Be Yourself. Cosmo cover (graphics on this page) has one of the cover title as, “Why Guys Cheat.” This is confusing. Is Cosmo saying that it’s okay for guys to cheat as long as they have a reason so we should make sure we avoid doing those things so they don’t cheat? So, that makes us the culprit? I haven’t read the inside so I don’t know the full story but from the title itself, that’s what I get. And then there’s another one (look at the cover of Cosmo on this page)-”Five Things Never to Tell Your Guy.” I mean, c’mon…how about, Be Yourself?!
July 5, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I think this blog’s an overreaction. There’s no problem with using modern terminology for things. It’s not a scientific magazine, it’s pop culture. I personally feel embarassed saying “va-jay-jay” because I think it sounds retarded. Will you say now I’m not a woman confident in her body? After all, I’m not using the modern terminology for my vagina.
July 12, 2008 at 11:47 am
I think it’s important to reinvent the words sometimes… because no one wants to hear about their vagina over and over… it kinda feels like a lecture when you use that word… plus at a magazine your stoyy might not get published for having a “dirty” word…. when you use a pop culture term it makes it seem fun!! And gets people interested in what you have to say!! Also popularizing a term that is somewhat taboo makes it become okay to talk about it… and once people are talking about it regularly then they will switch terms and use the correct one and be comfortable…