In a recent article, The Honest Talk unpacked the “vagina industry,” a phenomenon where companies selling products like vaginal cleansers or supplements share misinformation about gynecologic health on social media. As people increasingly turn to social media to learn about their health, misinformation like this leaves them vulnerable to untested wellness products that may be unsafe to use.
This is especially true for women.
“Women are more likely to go online for health information than men, according to a lot of the research,” says Ciera Kirkpatrick, a professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In a 2024 survey of young women, Kirkpatrick found that about 66 per cent of participants intentionally sought out health information on TikTok, while 92 per cent had come across this information when they weren’t looking for it.
What you see on social media isn’t always false, but you should always verify the information in a post before following its advice or purchasing a product it features.
Experts like Kirkpatrick suggest a few strategies for doing this:
- Pay attention to who created a post
Is this someone with professional expertise or just an influencer? A quick Google search can also help you confirm that people are who they say they are. If they claim to be a healthcare professional, for example, do they have a real medical degree? Or, if they say they’re a researcher, have they published studies on the topic they’re posting about?
Even posts created by influencers can be credible if they actually cite their sources—but it’s important to make sure these sources are trustworthy. In general, scientific studies, government websites, or healthcare associations, such as the Canadian Medical Association, are more credible than personal blogs or websites focused on selling products.
“If they’re not citing any sources at all, then that’s a little bit of a red flag,” says obstetrician-gynecologist Gianna Seeland. In this case, you can always seek out sources on your own and see if there’s anything available to back up the post.
- Think about what a post’s goals are
“It goes back to questioning the source, but also questioning their intentions,” says Kirkpatrick. “Why are they sharing this information?”
If a post is promoting a product, this doesn’t automatically mean it can’t be trusted, but it does mean you should proceed with more caution and be mindful of how facts may be twisted to fit a company’s agenda. For example, notice when a post frames certain experiences, such as vaginal odor or discharge, as abnormal – often, claims like this are used to sell products intended to “correct” something that’s actually completely normal.
- Take the conversation offline
Social media can be a starting point – but it shouldn’t be the final word. If something you see raises questions or concerns, bring it to your doctor. If you’re not sure how to start this conversation, you can always show your doctor the post itself and ask them what their thoughts are. Talking about this in person can give them the chance to verify whether the information is trustworthy and to talk through any questions you have.
As Kirkpatrick points out, social media does have its benefits, especially for learning about topics that feel too sensitive or embarrassing to talk about in person. But as companies, and AI become more advanced, it is getting harder to tune out the noise.
“One of the biggest problems is that people don’t know when they’re seeing misinformation,” she adds.
Which makes it all the more important to give yourself a moment to pause. Not everything needs to be taken at face value, and when it comes to your health, a little extra care in how you interpret what you see can go a long way.
Zoe Cunniffe
