Jada Pinkett Smith is not afraid to tell it like it is. For much of the last year and beyond, the inquisitive supermom has used her popular platform to bring the tough conversations to the forefront and speak openly about a wide range of topics that others may find uncomfortable--whether on her Instagram page, which has over 10 million followers, or her Red Table Talk series. Subjects such as open relationships, infidelity, racism, and even her own family problems are quite literally on the table, no pun intended.
But a recent episode featuring Jada, and her co-hosts, daughter Willow and mom, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, may have been one of the most pearl-clutching yet: an episode of them getting their vaginas cleansed.
Red Table Talk/Facebook Watch
She says:
"We are going to steam our vaginas. Yes, we're gonna steam our vaginas on camera. I ordered some kits from a really beautiful young Black woman who owns her own business. So we're gonna head on up and we're gonna get started. Let's go get steamed, ladies!"
Additionally, the women openly discuss the benefits of the age-old practice, and how it is important for women to celebrate their anatomy despite it being considered "taboo."
She continues:
"I'm sure boys sit around all day talking about their penises. I mean, that's why I'm telling you right now I don't want to hear nothing about this show. It being TMI and all that, 'cause if you can listen to all these little rap artists talk and abuse the vagina, you sure as hell can watch women give it honor and praise. And spend quality time, so I don't want to hear it. They'll be like, 'It's TMI. Oh, my God.' And I don't really care because we have to change the narrative around the vagina, and women have to take it back."
Well said, sis. Well said.
The word 'vagina' is a Latin word that translates to 'sheath' or 'scabbard', and it was used to describe these items until it began to be applied to describe the female anatomy. For hundreds and hundreds of years, it was thought that men and women had the same sexual organs, but that a woman's was simply facing inward instead of outward. That was until some Greek physician came along and explained the difference...kinda.
"Think first, please, of the man's turned in and extending inward...If this should happen, the scrotum would necessarily take the place of the uteri."
Basically, he's stating that if a man's penis and testicles were turned upwards inside a woman, the scrotum would be the uterus and the penis would be the vagina. This theory continued to be popular until around the 1500s, when anatomists were able to get a better look at the female body and produce drawings of the reproductive system. But listen, by that time, the damage was done, and people were hella confused, likely causing the initial shame and secretive nature surrounding the vag that exists today.
But Jada isn't trying to hear all that, she wants women to take the word 'vagina' back.
Not va-jay-jay, not hoo-ha, not the yoni. The vagina.
And this isn't the first time Jada has made the vagina the star of the Red Table Talk. Back in 2018, she revealed she had undergone three non-surgical procedures of vaginal rejuvenation that took years off her vagina.
"When I tell you my yoni is like a 16-year-old, I'm not kidding. I'm talking about the outside. It looks like a little beautiful peach."
She then took her mom to meet with owner Kelly Rainey, who performed the procedure.
Rainey went on to explain that she recommends vaginal rejuvenation to fix issues with dryness, incontinence and pain during sex, along with altering the outside appearance.
The process, which uses a wand that moves in and out of the vagina, "introduces heat which stimulates cellular turnover, which makes you feel younger again and it gets tighter and nicer and functions like it did when we were back in our 20s."
Well, alright then.
So, in 2021, here's to taking back our vaginas, and saying so. Unapologetically.
Watch the full episode, also starring Queen Afua, below:
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Featured image via Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
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In a xoNecoleexclusive, the iconic actress opens up about embracing this season of her life, new projects, and overall being a “bad motherfucker.” Gabrielle reveals that she was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with perimenopause and is still going through it at 51 years old. Mayo Clinic says perimenopause “refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.”
“I haven't crossed over the next phase just yet, but I think part of it is when you hear any form of menopause, you automatically think of your mother or grandmother. It feels like an old-person thing, but for me, I was 37 and like not understanding what that really meant for me. And I don't think we focus so much on the word menopause without understanding that perimenopause is just the time before menopause,” she tells us.
Gabrielle Union
Photo by Brian Thomas
"But you can experience a lot of the same things during that period that people talk about, that they experienced during menopause. So you could get a hot flash, you could get the weight gain, the hair loss, depression, anxiety, like all of it, mental health challenges, all of that can come, you know, at any stage of the menopausal journey and like for me, I've been in perimenopause like 13, 14 years. When you know, most doctors are like, ‘Oh, but it's usually about ten years, and I'm like, ‘Uhh, I’m still going (laughs).’”
Conversations about perimenopause, fibroids, and all the things that are associated with women’s bodies have often been considered taboo and thus not discussed publicly. However, times are changing, and thanks to the Gabrielle’s and the Tia Mowry’s, more women are having an authentic discourse about women’s health. These open discussions lead to the creation of more safe spaces and support for one another.
“I want to be in community with folks. I don't ever want to feel like I'm on an island about anything. So, if I can help create community where we are lacking, I want to be a part of that,” she says. “So, it's like there's no harm in talking about it. You know what I mean? Like, I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change. I'm just getting better and stronger and more intelligent, more wise, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic. All of that is very, very welcomed, and none of it should be scary.”
The Being Mary Jane star hasn’t been shy about her stance on therapy. If you don’t know, here’s a hint: she’s all for it, and she encourages others to try it as well. She likens therapy to dating by suggesting that you keep looking for the right therapist to match your needs. Two other essential keys to her growth are radical transparency and radical acceptance (though she admits she is still working on the latter).
"I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change."
Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Union-Wade
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
“I hope that a.) you recognize that you're not alone. Seek out help and know that it's okay to be honest about what the hell is happening in your life. That's the only way that you know you can get help, and that's also the only other way that people know that you are in need if there's something going on,” she says, “because we have all these big, very wild, high expectations of people, but if they don't know what they're actually dealing with, they're always going to be failing, and you will always be disappointed. So how about just tell the truth, be transparent, and let people know where you are. So they can be of service, they can be compassionate.”
Gabrielle’s transparency is what makes her so relatable, and has so many people root for her. Whether through her TV and film projects, her memoirs, or her social media, the actress has a knack for making you feel like she’s your homegirl. Scrolling through her Instagram, you see the special moments with her family, exciting new business ventures, and jaw-dropping fashion moments. Throughout her life and career, we’ve seen her evolve in a multitude of ways. From producing films to starting a haircare line to marriage and motherhood, her journey is a story of courage and triumph. And right now, in this season, she’s asking, “What’s next?”
“This is a season of discovery and change. In a billion ways,” says the NAACP Image Award winner. “The notion of like, ‘Oh, so and so changed. They got brand new.’ I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
"I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
She continues, “So I'm just trying to figure out what's next. You know what I mean? I'm jumping into what's next. I'm excited going into what's next and new. I'm just sort of embracing all of what life has to offer.”
Look out for Gabrielle in the upcoming indie film Riff Raff, which is a crime comedy starring her and Jennifer Coolidge, and she will also produce The Idea of You, which stars Anne Hathaway.
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