Kourtney Kardashian launches gummy candy to “improve vaginal taste”

The reality star promotes a new product that aims to "soften" the intimate female part. But is there really a need for it? 

After the candle that smells like her vagina and the one that tastes like an orgasm, born of Gwyneth Paltrow's (genius?) business intuition, it is the turn of vaginal-enhancing candies launched by Kourtney Karadshian. 

Bearing the signature of her supplement brand are the brand new "Lemme Purr," gummy candies that the Kardashian dynasty reality star describes as indicated just "for vaginal health." 
News of the launch was shared on her Instagram profile with a video campaign depicting her lying down, dressed in yellow and surrounded by cats (with a clear double entendre referring to the word "pussy"), before unwrapping and savoring a candy on camera in the foreground. 

"Vaginal health is a key part of a woman's overall well-being (and one that is not talked about enough), which is why we are so excited about this launch!" writes Kourtney Kardashian in her comment to the post. She adds, "Give your vagina the sweet treat it deserves (and turn it into a sweet gift!). You know what they say: you are what you eat."

The candy "formula"

But what's so special about Lemme Purr gummy candies, on sale for $30 (about 28 euros) a pack? "We've combined pure pineapple juice and vitamin C with the power of SNZ 1969™ probiotics, scientifically designed to target vaginal health and pH levels that support their freshness and taste," the post details. 
One tube contains 60, enough dose for two months, as the advice is to take one a day.

But is there really a need?

The recent launch has also sparked various protests, as it would imply that there is something inherently wrong with the taste and smell of vaginas, something, in practice, that needs to be "corrected" and improved to the point of being "sweetened," precisely.

Critics of the product have therefore called it an example of unnecessary marketing to women, aiming to make them feel insecure in order to push them to purchase. Not only that, the comments reiterated that, on the contrary, the vagina should not smell or taste sweet because this could be a telltale sign that something is wrong. 

In fact, medically speaking, we know that vaginal odor is also an important indicator of health, and any alterations can be useful in signaling ongoing problems.

The odor of each vagina is a personal "olfactory signature" and can be subject to constant change, due to both menstrual and hormonal cycles, as well as the presence of bacterial flora, which is essential for maintaining a healthy and clean vulvar environment and can result in altered odor if there is a bacterial imbalance.

Not least, the new launch also raises a cultural question that embraces body positivity: should we really care about our vaginal odor and taste? Or are we talking about an outdated concept, an idea that, instead of freeing us from fears and promoting serene self-acceptance, takes us back to anachronistic forms of embarrassment related to our bodies?