The news recently could be the news any week. Someone uses the word “Vagina”, some adverse action is taken, media gets wind of the story and then it spreads all over social media. Alternately, someone posts a harmless photo of a woman breastfeeding her infant and the photo gets censored in social media. Teeth gnashing, fist clenching, and furrowed brows ensue.

Although here’s the thing: until one of us pulls the plug on this broken record, it will continue in this way. Always the same.

Karmic loop

Thus far, it is only a vocal minority who speaks up in these instances and raises complaints. The surprising thing is how often we cower to these complaints when they really are not for the public good. (Think about that for a minute: listening to a vocal minority? Why haven’t we listened to other actual minorities like people of color et al on other issues? It is messed up that we have not heard until recently.)

The Media is complicit; they are not motivated to change the status quo. Just like how they’ve boosted Trump’s campaign (quote Les Moonves), the media likes when we get riled up. They want your clicks, shares, eyeballs.

Time to do something

Start contacting the agencies, businesses, school districts involved and indicate these things.

– That there is nothing wrong with the word vagina, nor the body part vagina.

– That vagina, just like a leg, or lips, or ear is just a part of the body.

– The body is not shameful.

– That children are better off knowing the proper names of their bodies so they can appropriately label their parts in the event of unwanted sexual contact.

– Moreover, their silence/position is only serving to shame a part of the body that half of the population owns.

http://www.cleveland.com/parents/index.ssf/2016/05/talking_birds_and_bees_with_pr.html

I get it; sex & genitalia are sensitive subjects for many people. Many of us have learned basic anatomy. Others of us have been told to use a condom or other birth control to prevent pregnancy. Still others might know that they should regularly be tested if they are sexually active. However, very few of us learn the ramifications of what happens to individuals and society collectively if we FAIL to deal with these topics in a healthy manner. Sexologists see this issue ad nauseum and do work that feels like an uphill battle.

**If it is not a few doctors in the medical profession undermining how people feel then

It takes bravery and courage to get past God, guilt, and gossip which are used to police our actions.

Please, answer this question for me: why do people get worked up about the word Vagina? What does it mean to people?

I do not have the answer, but I hear the fear in the subtext of what they say.

Even if we cannot figure out the answer directly, we can act like parents. How does a mother act when her child is scared? She gets calm, asks what’s the matter, holds the child to soothe him/her, and explains things as best she can.

We can do just that when the reactionaries start to freak out. Stand up to them, find out what is wrong, and then connect them to qualified sexuality coaches, educators, or therapists who can help to resolve those fears.

xxoo,

The MamaSutra