In the Blog
“My New Pink Button”
Just the title makes me feel nauseated, now that I know what it refers to.
I was alerted to this horrifying product last week by Amy Sedgwick, aka @UterusLover (profiled here on Shameless by D. Cole). “My New Pink Button” is a “beauty product” designed to be used on the female genitals to temporarily dye the inner labia to turn them pink.
Yes, really.
From the FAQ section of the product’s website:
Q. “I used to be so “Pink” and healthy looking on my inside Labia Lip area. Now I am losing that fresh look. Is there anything I can do”? A. Yes, now there is a solution! “My New Pink Button” is a Cosmetic Dye especially for the woman’s genital area, to help restore that healthy vibrant Rosy color. Until now there has never been a solution for restoring natural pigment. This is a concern with many women and more than you can even imagine, and a frequent question that Physicians are asked. Check out the blogs on the Internet. You are not alone! This is a common problem and we now have a simple and safe solution, restoring sexual confidence to Women everywhere!
[I want to get snarky all over the site for its random use of capital letters (Rosy colour! Women everywhere!), but that’s beside the point.]
I’m sure I don’t even have to point out the problems with this product, but I’ll throw out a few and you can have at it in comments:
- the idea that only very young-looking genitals are appealing
- the acknowledgement that pigment changes are common, but insisting it’s still a problem to be fixed
- the fact that no equivalent “problem” for men is suggested
- the racism inherent in privileging certain skin shades
- um, putting chemical dye on your labia …
