What do you call your vagina?
Your bits? Your downstairs? Your vag?
Whatever you call it, it’s important that you’re completely up-to-date on everything that goes on down there.
And it’s even more important that you’re not afraid to speak up when something feels wrong or doesn’t look right.
That’s why the Gynaecological Cancer Fund’s ‘Lady Garden’ campaign is worth getting on board with.
According to the group’s research, 41 percent of women in the UK are too embarrassed to go to the doctor with a gynaecological related issue – never mind talk to their friends or family about it.
That’s why Cara Delevingne and sister Poppy are fronting the fund’s campaign by posing bottomless and promising to be more open about discussions of their vaginas.
Cara told GQ that she initially got involved because her sister Chloe’s experience with pre-cancerous cells made her want to encourage others to be more aware of their own bodies.
The model and actress also said that she wanted young women to be “liberated” from social constraints.
“It’s fun, but has a really important message which is very on point for me – that girls and women should be liberated from the social constraints which force us to try and fit into a mould.”
Cara was also adamant that the campaign should not just be supported by women.
“This isn’t just a women’s issue. Men are losing their wives, sisters, mums and aunts to these silent killers. Diagnosis is key but in order to get early diagnosis we have to know our own bodies.”
She also said that she disagreed with the shame that is often associated with speaking openly about sex or the female body.
“Particularly in the UK, there is so much shame about the areas of the body that are considered to be sexual.
These areas are also functioning organs and if we start treating them as such we can all help each other to live more open and connected lives.”
The Lady Garden campaign refers to cervical cancer and other gynaecological cancers as “silent cancers” due to the fact that so many people are still afraid to talk about them.
The group want to empower women and make them more comfortable to talk about their bits and, of course, know how to tell if something doesn’t seem right.
Every year, approximately 300 women in Ireland are diagnosed with cervical cancer.
It is the most common female cancer in Europe.
