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Youtube almost tried to demonetize this video-- please go up for it and comment/like/share when it goes live! <3

Who uses rags vs loofahs? Who doesn't shower every day? Who uses liquid soap but no bar soap? Be honest-- you've probably played in the Hygiene Olympics before, especially if you're a black woman. But where does the overcompensating--- 3-6 showers a day, wearing panty liners everyday, douching, etc— come from? How does it fit into a broader pattern of mainly white celebrities and people sharing that they don’t bathe? And more pressingly— how has the vulva health of black women been compromised due to a desire to escape racist stereotypes? Let's chat!

Sources

https://theconversation.com/enslaved-peoples-health-was-ignored-from-the-countrys-beginning-laying-the-groundwork-for-todays-health-disparities-143339

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-021-00404-7

https://yourdaye.com/vitals/womens-health/black-women-vaginal-microbiome-thrush-bv/

https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2805&context=oa_dissertations

https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object-groups/health-hygiene-and-beauty/feminine-hygiene-products

https://books.google.com/books?id=I0edoFFVVLkC&pg=PA6&dq=douche&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIjLnMjar8AhV3SjABHdgSBnMQ6AF6BAgJEAI#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=r9QDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26&dq=douche&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIjLnMjar8AhV3SjABHdgSBnMQ6AF6BAgFEAI#v=twopage&q&f=false

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3Kown_HzTE

https://zora.medium.com/the-hygiene-culture-wars-that-started-on-social-media-3e5c0ac8be55

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/business/media/13adnewsletter2.html?_r=2

https://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/northup/northup.html

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25073854/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/05/31/feminine-wash-honey-pot-history/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/05/31/feminine-wash-honey-pot-history/

https://www.thecut.com/2022/05/what-happened-with-honey-pot-company-we-explain.html

https://www.allure.com/story/spiritual-bathing-black-community

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/06/i-stopped-showering-and-life-continued/486314/

https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2018/03/scenes-new-yorks-public-baths-tenement-dwellers-got-clean-cool-alienist.html

https://timeline.com/sexist-history-douching-bcc39f3d216c

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/intimate-wash-care-products-market-123000454.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFWD8WCPkwj5lXSXW3TEsL9TypAL7MRURJQgbTRNFJA2Mjxz8yZhEpiCJ605amRtLP2BqH1AFGFJv_r_okdIkQnzrr8dsLzkqdLNMKI1ypyZksN5jqoB0RFd3smaulFsgMLeUNIY8gyq5mRkKrjLQfHZ0vkcyFC3z8QuRb3v-lYa

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/11/business/johnson-and-johnson-talc-corn-starch.html

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/aug/05/i-dont-smell-meet-the-people-who-have-stopped-washing?CMP=GTUS_email

https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2019/04/05/they-just-didnt-give-it-to-them-female-inmates-denied-hygiene-needs-prison-workers-say-955007

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2006-09-02-0609020179-story.html

https://face2faceafrica.com/article/ancient-africans-and-their-fascinating-art-of-hygiene-and-cleanliness/2

Files

Black Women and The Hygiene Olympics

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Comments

PlantGothKira

I was waiting for someone to speak on this and it affected me heavily growing up as a black girl (now non-binary 30yo) with body odor. Thank you so much for speaking on it!

Christie Brooks

I've been waiting for more people talk on this. I've watched Mina Le 2 video on cleanliness and celebrities (white) talking about not showering

MARIE MERILLAT

This was an excellent overview. I've just sat back and watched the "hygiene wars" on Twitter in stunned silence. You'd think Germ Theory would be an accepted norm these days but just like Flat Earthers, there are folks that just live to be loud and wrong.

Geo Pierre

Taking 5-6 showers a day is insane. You skin must be dry af after that

Tracee Ford

I hope that comedian Monique sees this soon. I love her and constantly root for her. Unfortunately, she subscribes to a lot of acceptability politics. Her latest stand up has a bit that is a great study in the hygiene olympics and fat shaming. I love and appreciate how Gen Z-ers are helping this Gen X-er to grow.