Leith’s Campaign for Sexual Health Brand Hanx Asks Everyone to ‘Open Up’ about Vaginismus
Valentine’s Day is famously the one day of the year when you can share your feelings with those that you love. This February 14th, HANX is using the opportunity to help people with vaginas have open conversations about Vaginismus in their new campaign, developed by Leith, Scotland’s largest creative agency, Let’s Open Up.
Vaginismus (the involuntary contraction of vaginal muscles) is a debilitating condition that can make everything from tampon use to penetrative sex painful or impossible. It parallels with erectile dysfunction, but unlike its male counterpart, there is no pill to treat Vaginismus. Instead, the treatment is a combination of physiotherapy and psychotherapy – but recovery and even diagnosis is often hindered by embarrassment about the condition and a societally-ingrained reluctance to talk openly about vaginas.
An incredibly common health condition, Vaginismus is thought to affect 2 in every 1,000 people. These statistics potentially represent an underestimate due to the lack of general awareness around this condition and its symptoms. As such, doctors believe as many as 1 in 2 people with vaginas will experience Vaginismus at some point in their lifetimes, but due to the shame and stigma attached to it and the lack of conversation around the condition, many will suffer in silence.
Dr Sarah Welsh and Farah Kabir, HANX Co-Founders, said “As we say at HANX, sex is too often considered a boys’ club. This excludes people with vaginas and makes those with Vaginismus feel ostracised. We wanted to help Leith to build on the frank, female-centric and positive conversations around sex that HANX and its pioneering female founders have started - including how to experience pleasure if you ‘can’t have sex the way everyone else does” ?, HANX added “For too long, the ins and outs of sex has been a male-dominated topic, with vaginas, and painful conditions such as vaginismus, too taboo to discuss openly. We’re excited to team up with Leith to build on the frank, female-centric and sex positive conversations we have with our community - including how to experience pleasure when your body won’t play ball.”
A series of provocative, straight-talking OOH and Social ads are being launched to pique interest and get the word ‘Vaginismus’ out there, directing people to a website offering more information and tips for how to talk about Vaginismus with your partner, doctor, date and yourself. As part of the campaign, HANX will be hosting an event to bring people with vaginas together to have an honest conversation about Vaginismus and explore how it and pleasure need not be mutually exclusive.
“Getting a brief like this doesn’t happen every day - but that’s why when a project like this does come around, it’s so important. It’s a chance to use our strategic and creative thinking to give vaginismus a platform in the mainstream media, and to start a wider conversation about women’s health. It’s great seeing your work out in the wild. And even better when it's doing the rounds on Instagram, starting much needed conversations in our own friendship groups. As a brand, we couldn’t think of a better partner than HANX - they’re pioneers of breaking down taboos around female wellbeing and the oohs and ouches of pleasure,” said Mairi Wilson and Debbie Morgan, the Leith creative duo behind the campaign.
By spotlighting and talking openly about Vaginismus, HANX hopes to alleviate some of the shame attached to the condition. Those that have been diagnosed will be able to see that they’re not alone and will be given the tools to help them discuss Vaginismus openly – alleviating some of the stigma and hopefully aiding their mental and physical recovery. Those with symptoms, but as yet undiagnosed, will be able to identify their potential condition and will be able to seek the treatment they may previously have been too embarrassed to ask for or not be aware it was available. By involving men in the conversation through the press, we can help normalise and open up necessary conversations with all.
“2023’s wider cultural zeitgeist; to talk more openly about previously taboo women’s health issues. We’ve seen Endometriosis, Miscarriage and Ovarian-fertility being discussed more openly, but Vaginismus remains relatively unknown. It’s a chance to tap into the discussions about normalising female pleasure; an area that HANX are known to spearhead,” said Brian Coane, partner of Health, Leith.
Mairi Wilson, copywriter, Leith added: “Let’s Open Up is also an opportunity to align with wider, necessary discussions about certain unbalances within female healthcare; having Vaginismus can be debilitating for practical medical care like smear tests, as well as conceiving children and receiving some fertility treatments. It’s not simply a case of people with vaginas not being able to have penetrative sex, it leaks into our greater wellbeing and is something that will resonate with people across many life stages.”
Media was donated by Smart Media Group, their CEO, Mark Catterall said of the campaign: “It’s important that we see OOH being used as a force for good. Smart Media is proud to be a part of highlighting this important issue.”
