A controversial new beauty trend that appears to have had hundreds of social media users in a chokehold in recent weeks has been slammed this week by a team of medics.
All over the internet, more and more women are chiming into a dubious debate over 'vabbing'.
Whilst some say the cosmetic trend has ungraded both their beauty routine and their love life, others have been left feeling squeamish after discovering just what it means.
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Where did 'vabbing' come from?
Like 'very demure', 'brat girl summer' and the 'clean girl aesthetic', the seemingly Gen Z trend of 'vabbing' appears to have its roots on TikTok.
In recent months, countless users of the much-loved video-sharing app are using the hashtag 'vabbing', either to promote the beauty 'hack', or to warn others against it.
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Essentially, for those that aren't familiar with the term, 'vabbing' is a means of using an alternative substance to replace often expensive perfumes, in the chance of attractive a mate.
It is the nature of these substances, however, that has sparked quite the discussion...
Why is it called that?
If you're prone to an uneasy stomach, I suggest you proceed with caution.
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That's because the word 'vabbing' is essentially a hybrid of the words 'vagina' and 'dabbing'. Do you see where I'm going with this?
That's right, a bunch of women across the world wide web have admitted to using the fluid produced inside their vagina as a perfume, dabbing the substances where perfume would traditionally be applied/sprayed.
The questionable trend forms part of an even larger, age-old genetic debate on whether the 'natural scent' of a woman is something that can be used as a way of arousing members of the opposite.
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Countless studies argue that, due to the pheromones inside these substances, a chemical response within the male partner can be triggered and result in physical attraction.
Does it actually work?
Whilst some social media users have turned their nose up at the prospect of 'vabbing', others have opened up about how the trend upped their game when it came to dating.
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One TikTok user who goes by the username @jewlieah advised: "Put it on surfaces that don’t touch other things, and don’t rub your wrists on other people."
Another user, @palesamoon, even went as far as to claim that one particular love interest couldn't keep his hands off' her after she gave 'vabbing' a go.
That said, however, there's no scientific evidence to prove that this trend is a guaranteed success-sealer when it comes to bagging yourself a partner. And as we say, some doctors are actually warning users against trying their hand at 'vabbing', lifting the lid on a potential health risk.
One medic speaking out on the issue is Dr Dimitriadi, who works as a private cosmetic surgeon at the Centre for Surgery in Paddington, London.
Speaking to the Mail Online, he warned that though the trend isn't necessarily dangerous, it can cause the spread of infection.
"If you use dirty fingers inside your vagina to collect discharge you can not only potentially traumatise the tissue in your vagina and but also spread infection, potentially causing something as serious as a pelvic inflammatory disease," he firstly explained.
"Dirty fingers could also cause bacterial vaginosis or thrush."
He added: "If you have bacterial vaginosis or thrush your discharge can be malodorous and will not help you attract a partner."
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Beauty, Social Media, Health
Rhianna Benson