Queen V survey explores women’s feelings about their vagina
A new survey by intimate wellness brand, Queen V, reveals that 52% of women surveyed said their first intimate health issue had a negative impact on their emotional health and well-being. Moreover, 41% said it made them not want to leave the house.
The V Files is a data-driven look into women’s feelings and attitudes toward their vagina, particularly first experiences, and how they affect Gen Z and millennials' mental and emotional health and impact daily lives.
In partnership with Harris Interactive, Queen V surveyed more than 1,550 females ages 18-35 on topics related to attitudes and feelings towards the vagina, vaginal health, sexual wellness and early intimate experiences.
Women agree that vaginal health is important, but new research is showing that women are unsure about how to care for their intimate area. This confusion is leading to major frustration for women as they try to navigate their first vaginal experiences. This was the case for Lauren Steinberg, Queen V’s founder, who created the brand in 2018 when she was not able to find products that addressed her needs.
Reckitt, a global consumer goods company specializing in health and hygiene, acquired Queen V in 2021. Since the acquisition, Reckitt and Queen V have been working together to perfect Queen V products that are pH balanced and free from harsh chemicals and fragrances. They also offer Micro-V-Iome friendly products, designed specifically to support and maintain a healthy vaginal microbiome.
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”Our research shows that Gen Z and millennial women think about their vaginas a lot, and think they know a lot about vaginal health. However, when an issue arises, they don’t know how to handle it,” Steinberg said. “We are hearing from women that they lack information and resources, and often look to social media to answer sex and health-related questions. This leads to misinformation and unrealistic expectations of how your vagina should appear. This is causing women stress and anxiety and truly holding us back in daily life.”
Queen V’s data reveals that anxiety is holding women back from getting the proper health care, with 22% of women never seeing a gynecologist because they worry it will be awkward or embarrassing.
Data also suggests there is a disconnect between what women perceive to be an attractive vagina and the realities of a healthy intimate area, with nearly 1 in 4 women feeling insecure their vagina was not attractive based on what they have seen in media and porn. What's more, over 50% of women worry their vagina has a bad odor, so much so, that they avoid having sex because of it.
To further understand how women are affected by vaginal first experiences, The V Files uncovered consumer insights ranging from early sexual experiences, visiting the gynecologist, concerns about appearance and more. Top takeaways include:
Women’s early sexual experiences are a source of anxiety and stress:
- 1 in 3 reported anxieties around sex / first sexual experience; and
- 1 in 4 have experienced stigma / discrimination because of their level of sexual experience.
Vaginal health issues are holding women back and affecting their emotional well-being:
- 1 in 2 say their first intimate health issue had a negative impact on their emotional wellbeing, with 41% saying it made them not want to leave the house;
- 59% of 18-24 Gen Z’ers agree that their first vaginal health concern lowered their confidence;
- 70% of women agree that their first vaginal health concern made them feel stressed; and
- 51% of 18-24 Gen Z’ers agree that their first vaginal health concern made them feel like they had no one they could talk to.
Women avoid going to the gynecologist because they are worried it will be awkward or embarrassing:
- 30% of 18-24 Gen Z’ers who have not ever visited an OBGYN have not done so because they are worried that it will be awkward/ embarrassing;
- Only 36% felt comfortable about their first visit to the OBGYN, and this confidence level was lower among those who felt insecure about their intimate area; and
- 50% of 18-24 Gen Z’ers who have visited an OBGYN felt uncomfortable about this first visit.
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Women may think they have a good understanding of their vagina, but there is a lot they don’t know:
- 76% of women perceive themselves to have a good understanding of their intimate areas… but almost 1 in 4 have been unsure of the issue they were experiencing with their female intimate area or how to treat it;
- 25% of 18-24 Gen Z’ers did not know which products they should use to care for their intimate area on a regular basis; and
- 36% of 18-24 Gen Z’ers relied on the internet to help them find out information about their first vaginal health concern.
Women worry about the look and smell of their vagina, and will avoid having sex because of it:
- 1 in 4 have felt insecure about their female intimate area or that it was not attractive, a similar proportion feel pressure from the media / porn to look a certain way;
- 56% worry about whether their intimate area has a bad odor, and around half (49%) say that when worried about this, they avoid having sex; and
- 40% of 18-24 Gen Z’ers who feel unconfident first started to feel this way because they felt pressure from porn or the media.