Douche and its variants (douchebag, douchenozzle, etc) are terms of disapprobation often used by feminists.
In literal terms, douche or doucheing refers to "cleaning" a woman's genital area by flushing it with a liquid. Commercial douche products are sold to women with claims that they will make their genitals clean and fresh-smelling.
Some people assume that the term "douche" is rude/offensive because of its association with female genitals. However, when used by feminists, the negative associations aren't with women's vulvas or vaginas, but as follows:
- Douches are unnecessary. Women's genitals are generally self-cleaning, and don't need to be flushed with soap, lysol, or anything else to keep them fresh.
- Douches are harmful. Flushing the vagina or genital area with a douche can upset the natural balance of bacteria that keep it healthy, and can lead to the exact problems—such as yeast infections or urinary tract infections—that they claim to prevent.
- Douches are a tool of the [[Kyriarchy|patriarchy. They are promoted in such a way as to make women feel bad about their bodies, and the sale of them enriches men at the expense of women's physical and emotional health.
For this reason—i.e. that douches are harmful tools of the patriarchy—the term has come to be a popular one among feminists, to refer to people who are misogynistic, sexist, etc. [[Category:Language