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Hey Jack, Why Is Twitter So Offended by the Word “Vagina”?

By Aug 27th, 2019, 5:59 pm

purple orchids resembling vulvas

Dr. Jennifer Gunter is one of the most prominent figures on Gynecology Twitter, constantly shutting down misinformation on abortion and railing against Gwenyth Paltrow’s latest vulvic advice. She also has a new book out today, titled The Vagina Bible: The Vulva And The Vagina: Separating The Myth From The Medicine. Unfortunately, her publisher, Kensington Publishing Corp, is prohibited from saying the name of that book in their Twitter ads.

In a follow-up tweet, Gunter writes that “Our societal inability to say vagina like we say elbow is one reason I insisted on VAGINA in the title. When we’re not allowed to say a word the implication is it’s dirty or shameful. Not being able to buy an ad because of the word vagina for a book about vaginas is ridiculous.”

The official description for The Vagina Bible says with this book, Gunter is “here to give you the straight talk on the topics she knows best.” It’s too bad Twitter isn’t here for the straight talk.

Twitter Ads has a ban on specific types of content, including “vulgar” or “obscene” content. I’m guessing that’s why the word “vagina” isn’t allowed, but as Dr. Gunter said, vagina is not a dirty word. It’s anatomical, medical, and human.

An advance copy of Dr. Gunter’s book has been in my To Read pile for about a month. Thanks to Jack’s BS, it just moved to the top of that pile. Because spite is a hell of a motivator.

(image: Nicole De Khors from Burst)
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Vivian Kane - Senior News Editor

Vivian Kane (she/her) has a lot of opinions about a lot of things. Born in San Francisco and radicalized in Los Angeles, she now lives in Kansas City, Missouri with her husband Brock Wilbur and too many cats.