Actually, everyone with an interest in equality and fairness should talk about The Vagina Business. Or maybe just an interest in business. Or in making money. And how about not wanting to see women suffer and die needlessly? Yes, everyone needs to read The Vagina Business.
I use the word ‘seriously’ in the title with intent.
Women die because men recoil from the word ‘vagina’.
Even in 2024 it’s still a *taboo word. The word describing a part of the anatomy possessed by over 50% of the population causes an attack of the vapours if used in polite society. I know, I’ve been on a mission for years to say it as frequently as possible. Aged three, my daughter made up a song about her vagina (she loved saying that word) and she’s 42 with daughters of her own. And, unbelievably, it’s still a taboo word!
Now she is teaching her daughters about their own vulvas and to feel no shame when talking about them.
The Vagina Business
I am in danger of getting carried by my excitement at being able to see how many times I can squeeze the word vagina into this piece. I should tell you that The Vagina Business is a truly excellent book written by award winning journalist, Marina Gerner. Here’s a link to Marina’s website.
In brief, the book takes a long hard look at the reluctance of people (women, too, but mainly men as they are the ones holding the purse strings, irony intended) to invest in any products or research which involves women’s health. A ‘Femtech’ blindness. I wasn’t kidding about women dying because of a vagina aversion.
Full disclosure – I have the pleasure of knowing Marina Gerner personally. Back in Covid lockdown, she worked with me as I developed RenewYou for one to one coaching via Women in Journalism. I was impressed with her incredible intellect and drive and am thrilled to bathe a teeny bit in her reflected glory. She has written a very important book. It manages to be both informative, serious and funny. A rare combination.
Vagina or Vulva?
Before we wade too deep into the vagina/vulva debate (how I love typing that), read this quote from Marina.
Some people take umbrage at the word ‘vagina’, noting that ‘vulva’ would be more anatomically accurate. The reason I call it “vagina-centric” rather than “vulva-centric” innovation is that I would like to continue the conversation that began with The Vagina Monologues and carries on with books like Dr Jen Gunter’s The Vagina Bible and Rachel E. Gross’s Vagina Obscura – I believe there is value in creating a unified go-to term rather than getting lost in labia.
Lost in Labia
“Lost in labia”! Isn’t that the best phrase you have ever read? It should be up for an award on its own. It gives you a big clue as to the style of this book. In other hands this could be a dry academic tome (and Marina is an academic). The Vagina Business is far from that. Marina has a witty, engaging style. She travelled the world to interview people about their attempts to innovate in women’s health. But it’s not a litany of examples that serve to depress you. Her style is and immediate and inclusive. You almost feel as if you were peeping over her shoulder. Here’s an example:
The event is taking place at a private members’ club in a bougie part of London. We are gathering on pastel-coloured chairs, and the air in the room feels like cold wool.
There are of course, very depressing bits. How could there not be in a book detailing the issues facing making women’s health mainstream? Here’s another example, when she is talking to Hiromi Marissa Ozaki, a Japanese pop star:
As we talk she combines the charisma of a pop star with the critical mind of a professor, which is also a role she has held at the MIT Media Lab and the Tokyo University of Arts. “There are only about 20% of female doctors, and it’s because of deliberate exam rigging,” she says. In 2018, it was revealed that Tokyo Medical University had been rigging exams to discriminate against female candidates.
The Last Word on The Vagina Business
I can do no better than end this piece with Marina’s own ending of the book.
For tech to serve women, society must make women’s health a priority. The start ups and institutions we have – what products they create and how they are run, and whether they are good or bad actors – is always going to reflect the values we hold as a society.
I have gone on this journey through the world of femtech to shine a spotlight on what is possible. I want more innovation for all of us because we all deserve better. It’s a revolution, and this is only the beginning.
Brava, Marina. You can support the revolution by promoting this book. Buy it, get it from the library, talk about vaginas at work, at home, in polite society, in rude society. Challenge the notion that women’s bits are somehow unspeakable. Speak Up! Support the sisterhood! UP THE WOMEN!
Book Details
The Vagina Business was published in the UK in September 2024.
The author is Marina Gerner
Publisher is Icon Books.(www.iconbooks.com)
ISBN 978-1-78578-984-7
Audio Book Link (narrated by Marina)
Marina’s Women’s Health Newsletter
* I am well aware that when this goes out this in my newsletter several big companies will have firewalls in place that pick vagina up as a rude word and mark me down as seditious. Give me strength! For the same reason some bookshops will be reluctant to put this on prominent display. Which is why you have to go into those bookshops and demand a copy very loudly…
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Posted on September 22nd, 2024 by Jane
