As someone who grew up on teen magazines in the 00s and 2010s, I’ve come across my fair share of rather unique ways to ‘attract a potential partner’.
But admittedly, nothing quite as bizarre as the trend of ‘vabbing’.
I mean, sure, back in the 50s, magazines told women to ‘volunteer for jury duty’, ‘stumble into rooms’ and ‘cry softly in a corner’ in order to attract a man.
However, this trend for getting into a relationship could be seen as more X-rated.
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And yet one woman named Cassy claims she’s ‘addicted’ to doing it as she appears on TLC’s infamous My Strange Addiction show.
Yet while she might not be able to get enough of it, doctors have warned about the serious health consequences of the vaginal dabbing trend.
What is vabbing?
Yeah, that’s what I said, it’s an amalgamation of the words ‘vaginal’ and ‘dabbing’.
Essentially, it’s the act of taking vaginal discharge and dabbing it on certain areas of the body where you might normally put a fragrance – such as the neck, wrists and behind the ears.
The thought is that this will ‘attract a partner’ thanks to the idea of vaginal fluids supposedly containing pheromones (the chemical released by organisms that triggers a social response in others).
‘Vabbing’ had its viral TikTok moment a few years back when one user declared: “I swear if you vab you will attract people, like a date, a one-night stand. Or you'll just get free drinks all night."
But while some people really do believe it works, others say it’s just more of a reminder to avoid hugging people.
Woman is ‘addicted’
On her episode of My Strange Addiction, Cassy straight up said: “I’m addicted to vabbing.”
She then went on to explain how she goes about the act: “You put two fingers up there.
“I stick my fingers in my [censored], and I rub it on my body so that people can smell my pheromones.”
Doctors’ warning against vabbing
Women’s health specialist Hana Patel previously warned against trying out vabbing as it could pose a risk to people’s health.
“There is the potential to get an infection. We have bacteria and fungi on our skin, and if we upset the vagina’s natural balance, it can cause a localised infection," Dr Patel told Women’s Health.
And gynaecologist Dr Paraskevi Dimitriadi also warned it could result in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), particularly if people aren’t washing their hands well.
"If you use dirty fingers inside your vagina to collect discharge, you can potentially traumatise the tissue in your vagina and spread infection, potentially causing something as serious as pelvic inflammatory disease," she told the Daily Mail.
Topics: Weird, Sex and Relationships, Health
Jess Battison