Whitney Cummings says stigma around women's reproductive health is 'getting to the point where it's dangerous'
Multitalented comedian, filmmaker and author Whitney Cummings is stepping into a new role: activist for women’s reproductive rights. Cummings is partnering with TherapeuticsMD and ANNOVERA to launch Just Say Vagina, a campaign that aims to destigmatize conversations about birth control, menstruation and other reproductive health issues.
“With the campaign, there was this kismet ... I see an email that’s like, ‘Just Say Vagina.’ And I’m like, ‘What’s that?’” Cummings tells Yahoo Life.
She admits that in the past, she’s fallen victim to the taboo surrounding the word. “I said ‘crevice’ in my book [I’m Fine ... and Other Lies]. I didn’t even say ‘vagina’ because I was so ashamed for saying it that I didn’t want to be ‘vagina girl,’” Cummings says.
The actress has long been known for her unfiltered sense of humor and tell-it-like-it-is attitude. She recalled her time as co-creator and writer of the Emmy-nominated CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls, saying, “The pilot episode, [actress Kat Dennings] said, ‘When you snap at me, it makes my vagina dry up.’” Following the episode, she said, “older male producers” called her “gross.” But now she says she is unapologetic.
As a kid, Cummings says, there was a lack of communication surrounding reproductive health. “Everything was shrouded in shame and mystery,” she says. But the taboo surrounding the topic, along with frequent misinformation, can be more dangerous than it appears.
“It’s actually getting to the point where it’s dangerous. It’s actually getting to the point where it’s self-deprivation,” she explains. “I know people that have had cysts and [urinary tract infections] go septic because they were too afraid to ask their own doctor.”
So what does the actress hope for the future? With the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on the horizon, changes to health insurance coverage could be possible.
“I would like to see insurance to cover egg freezing. I would like to see insurance cover birth control. I would like to see education about birth control in a real way,” she says.
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