Huda Beauty faces criticism after 'vagina whitening' article
Nobody is perfect and there is always room for improvement. Nobody drives this point home more than cosmetic brands. There’s always another part of the body that could be 'improved' and it seems the latest beauty fad to grip the Internet is vagina whitening.
So it is only understandable that Huda Kattan, the founder of Huda Beauty, decided to get in on the action.
Huda Beauty recently posted an article titled 'Why Your Vagina Gets Dark And How To Lighten It'. According to the Daily Mirror, the popular make-up artist and beauty blogger roped in an actual New York dermatologist named Dr Doris Day (no known connections to the star of Calamity Jane) to recommend methods to make vaginas (or more accurately, vulvas) looking fairer.
"One common question we always get asked whenever we do a DIY lightening hack is... Can you use it on your lady parts? To which we often answer that this area is super sensitive, and you should avoid it," the article reads. "So, we did a little digging online to find some 'DIY vagina lightening hacks' and then we ran them past our trusted expert, dermatologist and author of Beyond Beautiful, Dr Doris Day."
"We're busting myths as to why lightening your lady parts with natural ingredients may not be working and how you can actually improve it (if that's what you want!), the article expounded.
The article also recommends steps to prevent darkening of the vaginal area. The tips include moisturizing, treating infections promptly and losing weight.
Dr Day recommends using a variety of natural items like lemon juice, egg whites, coconut oil and yogurt. She also advises women to approach their dermatologist to see if they can get a prescription for a brightening cream or a chemical peel.
Predictably enough, Huda Beauty soon began to face criticism online with people accusing the beauty blogger of promoting insecurities in women.
"[It]...seriously p****s me off when people like Huda can be successful and have a huge platform to influence young girls and she writes articles about 'how to lighten your vagina with lemon juice'," one user wrote on Twitter. "Honest to god, women like that need a slap. no wonder young girls are insecure."
Another user was concerned about the implications of Huda Beauty’s 'DIY lightening hacks' on the consumer’s health.
"LEMON??????? Are you f*****g insane," the user wrote. "Lmfao have fun getting an infection."
The article faced criticism from male circles as well with one user writing: "WTF??? Oh, come on! Yeah, I'm a guy, but surely I'm allowed to say - didn't all this stuff go too far way back when Gwyneth got involved?"
Last year saw a number of weird beauty trends that had no clear rational explanation including 'squiggle brows' and 'freckle tattoos'.
Why anyone would need to get their vaginas whitened is a whole other question. Of course, Huda Beauty has released an update acknowledging the criticism and clarifying that the article was aimed at women who already wanted to whiten their vulvas. They also clarified that vagina whitening is not "necessary".
"We appreciate and respect everyone’s opinions on this subject and want to express that we do not feel lightening your vulva (vagina/lady parts/VJJ) is necessary," they wrote.
"Our goal is to give details for those who may wish to do so by sharing expert advice from a leading dermatologist. We've seen a lot of harmful DIYs on the Internet, so we hope this post provides the best information on the topic and offers safe ways for people to do this, should they wish to."