This week, Twitter brought the internet’s attention to the existence of the #PantyChallenge – a new trend on Snapchat and other social media sites that saw young women and girls sharing photos of their clean
underwear, free of any evidence of discharge.
Thankfully, the majority of women on Twitter weren’t joining in on the movement. Instead they were tearing it down.
And that’s important. Because the #PantyChallenge isn’t just another weird thing young people are doing. It’s a deeply damaging reinforcement of negative perceptions of women’s bodies. It’s a sign that girls don’t have an understanding of their own bodies. And it’s a reminder that we need to talk about this stuff.
Key Points
Young women everywhere: pristine underwear is not in any way a symbol of attractiveness, worth, or a perfect body.
Discharge is entirely normal, natural, and your vagina should be producing some.
We need to talk about this, because it’s 2016 and people still seem to think that an entirely nature bodily function is ‘gross’ or ‘unclean’. Men are still squeamish about discharge, or they don’t know what it is. Women and girls are ashamed of discharge, and are using harmful methods – such as unsafe vagina detoxes – to try and rid themselves of it.
So let’s use this trend as a trigger for a discussion we’ve needed to have for a long, long time.
Let’s talk about discharge, baby.
First things first, discharge is an entirely normal thing for anyone with a vagina to have
You’re not weird, you’re not alone, and anyone who says something negative about the fact that you have discharge in your underwear is being absolutely awful (and a bit stupid).
Discharge is just part of the vagina’s magical self-cleaning process
If you didn’t know, the vagina is a truly mind-blowing thing. It’s self-maintaining, self-cleaning, and generally great at doing its own thing.
At all times, the vagina works to maintain a healthy pH balance and tries to make sure everything’s working properly. That’s why you shouldn’t put any soap or cleaning products inside your vagina and don’t need to use any kind of detoxing products.
Your vagina’s got things handled.
Discharge is part of this. It’s simply a mucus produced from up near the cervix, combined with totally normal vaginally secretions. Both make sure the vagina is clean, healthy, and doesn’t dry itself out.
The amount of discharge you see in your underwear can be affected by loads of things
It’ll change throughout your menstrual cycle and can be affected by your hormone levels.
Lots of girls think they have an excessive amount of discharge. You probably don’t, it’s just that people so rarely talk about it. Again, if you’re seeing any discharge in your underwear that’s totally normal.
That being said, if you notice a sudden increase in discharge – and you’ll know what’s normal for you, so it will be noticeable – chat to your doctor about it, as it could be a sign of an infection.
Discharge will usually be clear or white, and will have a slight smell
Sometimes it’ll be sticky, sometimes it’ll feel more liquid-y. Both are normal.
Your discharge won’t be entirely scent-free, but healthy discharge does not smell bad.
If your discharge changes in colour, smell, amount, or texture, talk to your doctor
If your discharge is green, yellow, or brown even when you’re not on your period, this could be a sign of an infection, such as trichomaniasis.
If your discharge has a bad smell, is very thin and watery, is very thick, or you suddenly notice a lot more of it, you should also reach out to your doctor. Again, this could be a sign of an infection, such as thrush.
The discharge process shouldn’t be painful or itchy
When it’s healthy, you’ll barely notice it other than when you nip to the bathroom and see your underwear.
If you’re noticing soreness, itchiness, or pain down there, it’s very important to talk to a professional about what’s going on and get some help. No one should have to deal with vagina-related pain.
There’s absolutely no shame in having discharge
When you’re going through puberty, there tends to be a lot of weird comments from other people about how discharge is ‘gross’. Sexual partners might not know what discharge is, and may say that you have a lot of discharge, or they’ve never noticed a girl’s discharge before.
This can make you feel like discharge isn’t a normal thing to have, or that there’s something wrong with your body for producing it. There isn’t. It’s totally normal, natural, and you should be producing discharge every day.
Don’t let anyone try to shame you for something that’s totally natural and healthy.
The idea that discharge is ‘gross’ is just another way we shame women’s bodies
When people say that a normal thing (the same thing goes for periods) for our vaginas to do is ‘gross’, they’re showing negative attitude towards women and a total lack of knowledge when it comes to women’s bodies.
If the things our bodies do are disgusting, so are our bodies, and so are we. That’s effectively what they’re saying.
It’s damaging, dangerous, and ridiculous.
Women are not pristine sex dolls. They poo. They sneeze. They have periods. They produce discharge. If you can’t accept these things, you aren’t accepting the fact that women are actual human beings, and you need to question why that is.
Let’s end on a positive note. Vaginas are brilliant. They do cool, self-managing business on a daily basis.
Let’s celebrate them. Let’s talk about the stuff they do. And let’s stop holding up entirely unrealistic and impossible visions of discharge-free vaginas draped in perfectly clean underwear as an ideal, ‘kay?
