Celebrities are gabbing about it openly. A growing number of grooming products cater to it. And a recent TV commercial hails it as "the cradle of life" and "the centre of civilisation."
The vagina is becoming big business on American TV.
A generation that grew up with more graphic language and sexual images in the media is forgoing the decades-old practice of tiptoeing around female genitalia in favour of more open dialogue about it.
To reach digital-age 20- and 30-somethings, who also have shortened attention spans, marketers are using ads that are edgier, more frank and sometimes downright shocking.
"Gen Y people are more relaxed about their bodies, so there's more attention to products that people would have been embarrassed to talk about before," says Deborah Mitchell, executive director for the Center for Brand and Product Management at the University of Wisconsin School of Business.
"It's part of this trend of women saying, 'Hey, we're not embarrassed to talk about this'."
The new freedom to talk about the vagina comes as marketers spend more to get women to buy products for the area.
Ad spending for feminine hygiene products, including tampons, panty liners and cleansers, was up nearly 30 per cent to $US218.9 million ($A212.09 million) in 2010 from two years ago, according to Kantar Media.
Pop culture also has a lot to do with Americans' and companies' increased comfort with women's nether regions.
The term "vajayjay" became popular after media mogul Oprah Winfrey began using it on TV in 2007.
Then actress Olivia Wilde, who stars on the Fox TV series House, described her favourite vagina tattoo on TBS's Conan.
"I am about to pass out," Conan said.
The openness has spawned an industry of products and services. "Vajazzling" - gluing on sparkly gems such as Swarovski crystals to jazz up a bikini wax - became a phenomenon last year when actress Jennifer Love Hewitt mentioned it on the former TBS talk show Lopez Tonight. It's now a popular service offered by some salons.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv- ... z1Y9fuSVPU
The USA is awesome!!
The USA is awesome!!
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