Doctors are warning against a bizarre viral TikTok trend that sees single women using their bodily fluids as perfume.
The trend is called vabbing and it's as gross as it sounds. Put simply, the terms means vaginal dabbing and it has women smearing vaginal fluid behind the ears and neck iin the belief that it will make them more attractive to men.
Yes, really.
The concept first gained attention in 2019, when sex expert and author Shan Boodram claimed she had been using 'vabbing' for over a decade to increase her allure. "I swear if you vab you will attract people, like a date, [or a one-night stand. Or you’ll just get free drinks all night," she said in her since-deleted TikTok, which received over 1.5 million views.
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Since then, TikTok has been flooded with videos of women swearing by the practice, claiming it works like pheromones to attract mates.
However, medical experts strongly disagree and say there is little evidence to support this works the same way in humans as it does in animals.
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Dr. Paraskevi Dimitriadi, a private gynaecologist in London, said the trend carries serious risks of vaginal infections and could also lead to problems with fertility.
In particular, the collection process of the vaginal fluid could do more harm than good.
Using unwashed fingers to collect vaginal fluids can introduce bacteria, potentially leading to bacterial vaginosis or thrush, Dr Dimitriadi said.
"If you use dirty fingers inside your vagina to collect discharge you can not only potentially traumatise the tissue in your vagina and but also spread infection, potentially causing something as serious as a pelvic inflammatory disease," she said. "Dirty fingers could also cause bacterial vaginosis or thrush."
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The private medical expert added that the bacteria introduced can travel beyond the cervix and up to higher organs. This can cause scarring in the fallopian tubes and make it difficult for fertilised eggs to reach the womb.
"If you have bacterial vaginosis or thrush your discharge can be malodorous and will not help you attract a partner," Dr. Dimitriadi highlighted.
Content creators that promote the trend admit that vabbing comes with some common-sense guidelines. For example, users are advised not to vab if they have a sexually transmitted illness (STI) or if they have an unusual or bad smell coming from their genitals.
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Women are also told to wipe down gym equipment after use if they are vabbing (because… hygiene) - and to make sure they do not allow the parts of their body they vabbed to touch surfaces.
While some vabbing advocates swear by it, there’s no solid scientific proof that it does anything beyond making the wearer feel more confident.
Either way, if you’re looking for a new signature scent, maybe just stick to perfume.