The SISTERhood Edit: Interview with Jody Louise Rogers
getting Women talking about Sexual Health.
In this new series, we shine the spotlight on badass, superwomen who are doing amazing things for their community and the world at large. These women are changing the narrative of how we are perceived in the world, and are representing us with grace, dignity and style.
This month we chat to Jody Louise Rogers, Mother of 2, Illustrator, Poet and Founder of the Happy Vulva Club!
The Happy Vulva Club was created out of a passion to educate and to get womxn talking about female genitalia and sexual health!
To be honest, Jody had us at “Happy Vulva.” Anyone who is willing to shine the light on women’s sexual health gets our vote of approval. And as we got to know Jody a little, we also discovered that she is just an incredible human, who through adversity of her own, continues to fearlessly and boldy support women by changing the narrative around sexual health, removing the stigma that comes from having these conversations and challenging the archaic and oppressive systems of thought. Jody’s mission is to normalize these topics so that it no longer causes embarrassment or shame.
Jody, we would like to know a little more about you. What is your background and what motivated you to start The Happy Vulva Club?
I am 24 years old, from Devon, in the UK, and at 20 years old I unexpectedly became a mum whilst as an Early Years Practitioner apprentice. When people ask me what my background is, I tend to say motherhood because I’ve been a full-time mum for the entirety of my adulthood to my two children who are now 2 and 4. I was very confident in my decision to be a stay-at-home parent, although I really hate that term because it sounds like we do nothing but stay at home, which I can assure you is far from the truth!
As someone who likes to think of herself as a feminist, I really believe that womxn have the right to choose what we do with our lives and although we should be grateful for how hard the second wave feminists fought for us to work, this does not mean that womxn cannot choose to “stay at home” with their children. We are in a whole new wave of feminism now and in this wave we can be whoever we want to be, and do whatever we want to do, and there’s no shame in that!
Motherhood aside, I spent 2019-2020 volunteering as a project coordinator for a community project called The Red Box Project, which was based around fighting for free period products for young and vulnerable people who are unable to afford or have access to them. The project was a huge success as a whole for the UK and as volunteers we lobbied hard to finally get free period products made available in schools, colleges, and universities from the government for young people. Being part of this project really changed my life. I realised I had a voice and wasn’t afraid to use it! And that was when the idea of the Happy Vulva Club was born!
A post shared by Happy Vulva Club (@happyvulvaclub) on Mar 26, 2020 at 11:10am PDT
What is the Mission of The Happy Vulva Club?
The Happy Vulva Club started as an idea and then I was driven to create an Insta page with the aim of empowering vulva-owners to be proud, to love and celebrate their bodies.
My mission is to create an online space where no subject is taboo. A place that re-educates generations of vulva-owners who grew up calling their genitals nicknames, or weren’t taught that the vagina is self-cleaning, or who were never told that cervical mucus is normal. Many of these things I was only figuring out myself as a young adult!
I also began creating illustrations that I could use as discussion points and discovered this to be my own way of putting my personal stamp on this topic. Then one day during the global pandemic, I decided I didn't want Happy Vulva club to be a hobby anymore!
“There are so many womxn struggling on their own, they don’t have a voice or are suffering in silence when it comes to their bodies, so I wanted to make the Happy Vulva Club a platform accessible to them”.
So I am now in the process of setting up a website which will be a fully functioning platform where womxn can find my blog posts, are able to share their knowledge, resources and of course get involved! I really want to build a community where people are able to share their stories and feel supported!
Out of interest, how do people react when you tell them what you do?
My family and friends are not at all surprised! I’m incredibly open about pretty much everything, from sharing my mental health issues to even talking about my own vulva!
Now and again I will talk about the Happy Vulva Club with people I’ve only just met and will generally get praise for what I do. I have found that people find it refreshing that these conversations are taking place because for many it’s been a topic that they have always felt unable to talk about due to the fear of being judged or shamed. So for me it is really lovely to hear people respecting and valuing the content I put out there!
Occasionally I will get the odd negative message on social media telling me that some topics should be kept ‘private’ and why would I promote certain ideas like masturbation, menstruation or sex. I try to explain the importance of representing these topics in the content I create, however I have learnt in life also to bite my tongue when people aren’t willing to be open minded and shut down anything they have to say!
Why do you think the topic of female genitalia and sexual health is still taboo in some cultures/societies?
In some ways we have definitely moved forward, but there is still so much work to be done.
“I think the big problem is that we are so focussed on the most obvious taboos surrounding female genitalia and sexual health, that we are unaware of the more subtle ways that we are stigmatized. For example why is scented intimate hygiene products allowed to be sold on the market which makes womxn believe that the vulva is supposed to smell ‘pretty’”.
Or why is period blood too ‘gross’ to show in the media, but blood represented in violence is acceptable, and how society makes us believe that female body hair should be removed.
There are so many topics which are not openly discussed from a young age. We grow up thinking that we can’t talk about our bodies, sexuality or health comfortably. So we say nothing. In saying nothing we create shame and fear, which then leads to many of us suffering in silence in times when we need help or support.
Language is also very important! Many of us have been raised using nicknames for our genitalia, or use euphemisms when talking about surrounding issues. This again reinforces the negative stigma attached to sexual health and wellbeing, which in some situations can be super dangerous. For example, womxn getting misdiagnosed with a serious gynae health condition because they weren’t able to or felt too embarrassed to use the correct terminology. Another example is where children who have been sexually abused were unable to clearly communicate this due to using pet names when talking about their abuse.
So, do you see your work/platform as a form as activism?
When I first set out creating the Happy Vulva Club, I just wanted to amplify my voice by reaching out to the online community with topics I felt passionate about. However I feel like as the platform grows and I have begun to grow a community, I’m starting to see this is a form of activism! Of course just making and sharing my content makes me happy but it’s really not about me. It’s about everyone else. I want everyone to feel like it is a platform that belongs to them, and their stories. Through unity, we can learn, educate and celebrate the vulva together, this is when real activism happens!
If we wanted to join The Happy Vulva Club, what can we do and what can we expect?
So right now, joining HVC doesn’t require any form of ‘sign up’ or membership. It is an online space that anyone who believes that the vulva should be celebrated, respected and understood is welcome! I don’t want to make it exclusive because the knowledge and understanding I share should be accessible to all. Of course on a personal level, my dream is to make a career in Happy Vulva Club by doing what I love the most.
A post shared by Happy Vulva Club (@happyvulvaclub) on Sep 3, 2020 at 2:59am PDT
You also plan to launch a book of poems; can you explain what the book is about?
It is a series of poems about the VULVA- surprise surprise! I want to target predominantly young people, for the main reason that I feel like there's a big opportunity being missed right now to educate young people about their bodies. It’s my understanding that the literature being used to educate young people has been used for decades and has not aged well! The language is not very inclusive, some of the information is outdated and lots of new relevant information is not being shared.
The poems in my book will be both fun and educational. I want to open up the boundaries on what we share with young people with regards to learning about their bodies. I feel very strongly about the importance of keeping it real and honest with young people so I will be using real life experiences, which may be seen as ‘gross’ or ‘embarrassing’ but are real!
I believe we should stop protecting our children and start preparing them! That being said, my book will be a fun read for all ages and genders because as I have mentioned previously, this topic is not discussed enough and many of us adults would benefit having this conversation also...it’s never too late!
How can we support the Happy Vulva Club?
Look us up @happyvulvaclub on the following platforms below:
Give us a follow, get stuck in on discussions and find your voice! Our community is growing and every single person who interacts with us brings us new knowledge and understanding, with stories that need to be told. There are so many exciting things to come and we would love you to be part of it!
Website - Coming Soon!
Book - Coming Soon!
What quote or phrase describes Jody Louise Rogers?
So this may sound a little cliche and it is, however my quote would be:
“Everything happens for a reason”
In my life, I have faced a number of really hard hitting events. Traumas. From being 9 years old and having to deal with being the one to find my grandmother who had passed away, to being sexually abused and raped as a child and more recently dealing with leaving a mentally abusive relationship with my narcissistic father. I have struggled with mental health and have been given my fair share of labels, however not once have I stopped believing that “everything happens for a reason” even in my darkest moments.
And it is important to share that I am not religious. I haven’t found the answers to WHY everything happens for a reason, however what I do know is that we get one life, as far as we know. Life is a rollercoaster. It is a test. It has the opportunity to build us up and break us down.
Everything that happens to us, whether we like it or not, is an opportunity to learn and grow. So I honestly encourage people to trust your intuition, your choices and emotions because what you're doing or feeling right now is exactly how it is meant to be. And that for me, gives me comfort and strength!
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