November 1st, 2007
The VaJayJay Dialogues.
I again missed one of the most important dialogues of the century: The vajayjay dialogues.
[1]“It’s an inevitable outcome of one of those vague principles of life: the superior somehow unfolds out of the inferior. Likewise, language evolution begins with the urgent grunting of a guy with a club, moves through a “Me Tarzan, you Jane” phase, and ends finally with the epitome of civilization – the whip crack enunciation of Sir Laurence Olivier as Hamlet,”. Or Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey a pregnant doctor who had gone into labor on Greys Anatomy as she admonishes a male intern, “Stop looking at my vajayjay”.
Haven’t been a fan of Oprah since she released Dr Phil upon the world, busy over the last six months or so I was unaware that vajayjay was her new fave word, or that everyone from Jimmy Kimmel on down the food chain has been using it since it was introduced in an episode of Grey’s anatomy, by Shonda Rhimes, the creator and executive producer, last winter due to “broadcast” being uncomfortable with the use of the word.
From the need for a non clinical word, a pet name, the need to get off “the euphemism treadmill”, to the need to make it sound more childlike and therefore clean it up, linguists from around the country weighed in as the NYT asked What Did You Call It?
Now, vajayjay’s just a given for me,” Ms. Rhimes said. “It’s a word I use, a word my female friends use, a word I’ve heard women in the grocery store use. I don’t even think about where it came from anymore. It doesn’t belong to me or anyone at the show. It belongs to all women.”
So, there ya go.
Me, I’m old skool. I call a toe a toe, a finger a finger and a vagina a vagina. Maybe I just don’t have enough opportunity to reference my vagina while in a grocery store or while talking to friends.
I must get out more.
[1] The The First Word
That’s why you need to make up your own euphemism for it.
Why not just call it a Cooper? LOL
I appropriate words all the time. For instance, my friend and I have begun terming movies that are less than stellar “crank” as in “that movie was totally crank.” That stems from both of us watching Crank with Jason Statham and mutually agreeing it is, by far, the worst movie ever made. As far as we’re concerned, there’ll never be a movie worse than that.
“The movie was pretty bad… but at least it wasn’t completely crank.”
I’d be disappointed if you missed too many of these culturally significant events.
vajayjay: sounds like a bird or a good name for a dog.
Do you think guys have more opportunities to talk about their penises? My roommate used to call hi penis johnny d because women like johnny depp.
I don’t think the world is going to collapse because of it and the term is catchy though it does bring pedophilia into my thoughts. I have visions of some old man telling some little girl to show him her vajayjay. I think maybe they need to box this word up and throw it way.
“The Walkabouts” below, I heard them originally in Europe( where I am now btw), you’re right.
That’s Interesting; I was in a Barnes & Noble the other day and picked up the book you mentioned, The First Word, (I am extremely interested in word origins) but quickly put it down when I found something that looked more interesting (Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russel)… Is it a good read?
And as for the whole vajayjay thing: I have only heard the word once (on Scrubs) but I had no idea it was such a big thing.
Vajayjay sounds way too much like something this one girl in my kindergarten class might have said. She was my first enemy… first thing she said to me was that she hated me.
I’ve always liked the word “vulva.” I like the sound and the way it feels on your lips when you say it.
Vulva? Good lawdie but I think I just experienced a Jerry Seinfeld rerun.
Johnson and gash were the big euphies when I was in college. I recall one guy from Connecticut going a bit overboard with it and some of our female friends started calling him Stupidickhead. We still do. Ah, but anywho…
vajayjay? Why don’t they just call it what it is? Are they afraid George Carlin might suddenly apparate?
meow
I think it’s more fun to use nonsensical euphemisms like “the tar pit” or “the little blue bus”. They confuse people and allow you to secretly mock Oprah when using them.
I haven’t heard that term either. If a girl was talking to me about her vagina ( hey it does happen), and she used the term vajayjay I’d have to suppress my laughter. I can’t see men using it either, too silly.
I’d like to know how often women sit around and discuss their vagina’s too.
Is there an appropriate time to discuss vaginas while grocery shopping? The only time I can think of is if there were an oddly shaped piece of fruit . . . and if the people discussing it are 12 years old.
I heard “Hoo_hoo” referenced on Bones the other night. Or was it House? How stupid is that? Regardless, Vajayjay is not something I’ve heard before, and happily, because it reminds me of San-jaya, which is just wrong.
MoJo: I’m going to work on my own euphemisms this week. I’ll let you know what I come up with.
John: Blue Jay - Vajay jay. I see your point.
Kind of brings to mind that old Beatles song And Your Bird Can Sing.
Jake: Yea I didn’t know either, I miss everything.
As for the book, tend to read a lot of books on linguistics, it is a good book if you are interested in linguistics but there are a multitude of good books on linguistics all written by notables in the field. All have a different opinions. This book is not written in pure academic mode so is probably tolerated better by the general public.
Joe: Hey glad you liked the vid. The childishness of the term does bring all sorts of icky thoughts to mind. That is part of the reason I don’t like it.
EW: Vulva is hard to say for some reason. I think it’s the two V’s so close together.
SK: I’ve called many people stupiddickhead but I’ve never called a penis that.
Jason GS: vayjayjay is pretty nonsensical to me but what can I say. I don’t say pwetty widdle goil either.
G: Not too often from my experience. Maybe as it gets older it requires more discussing I don’t know.
Coyote: My thoughts exactly. Though I’m going to take very opportunity to discuss mine in the grocery store from now on. I’m, sure the clerks will love me.
Kelly: Ho Ho? Isn’t that a little chocolate thing? It all seems so wrong some how.
Right on, Cooper.
I don’t understand the point of making up frivolous-sounding names…it’s much sexier when you can comfortably/confidently say the actual word anyhow. I think one slang I’ve said before for intercourse is “jump your bones”…that’s the only one I can think of right now…
Latinos, at least in my experience, don’t fall for that kind of thing.
The Latino side of my family uses proper terns for body parts, the blue blooded American side uses all sorts of ridiculous terminology.
I heard that term on the radio a couple months ago. I didn’t realize that it was becoming another word intergrated into our popular culture.
Hmmm… I just never get to reference my privates enough to use any other word than what it is, a vagina. Actually, I may use cooch or coochie, but not because I am uncomfortable with saying vagina.
Sounds like baby language to me. In Sweden (and me) we call it vagina too, no translation of the word. Well, all kind of other more ugly nicnames maybe….
…and no, I’m not gonna tell you what words…. *giggles*
I came by from 9rules to congratulate you for being one of the 500 finalists (of 4000 nominations) in the Weblog Awards 2007.
Congratulations x millions, you’re a truly worthy finalist :-)
ENJOY the voting period that starts late Thursday evening as it said now.
you say vajayjay
and i say vagina
you are a juvenile
I am quite ripened
vajayjay
vagina
yīndào
in China
let’s call the whole thing off
( sung to” let’s call the whole thing off)”
( sung to” let’s call the whole thing off”)
Yes, cooper congratulations. ;)
Joanne: It all seems rather silly to me. It’s just another thing to laugh at in passing. Jump your bones is a fairly crude term I’ve always thought. Then again I’ve never heard any but the most vile people utter it.
Kait: You may be right on that. When I think about it I don’t see my Cuban relatives talking in silly euphemisms like that.
Leigh: I’m glad I’m not the only one who missed such a significant cultural turn.
Lifecrusier: It does sound like baby language, we are a bunch of immature babies here at times.
Hey thanks, I will have to go take a look after I settle in here and eat some tasty tofu. I looked earlier in the day and the ecosystem thing wasn’t out yet. Congrats to you as well - much deserved it is.
jacob: I will be writing of this later, as you are the one who nominated me, at least you and john - deserve some praise for your persistence. I think you have nominated me for every award out there every year, yes?
Nice song. ha ha.
yīndào? who knew?
Wow, Jacob wrote a song
Hate euphemisms. They’re so damn cute
I can’t say I ‘ve heard of the word until now…I will have to watch Oprah more often…..congratulations on your finalist selection…sounds very impressive….
love the new look too……
Like a lot of your commenters, I think it is silly. I don’t necessarily find anything wrong with people finding pet names for their body parts, so long as I’m not around them much. Like you, I call it as I see it. I personally like plain English language for everything, there’s a lot less confusion.
I too think that it is most peoples juvenile discomfort that they have never gotten over and this makes it easy for them to refer to their vagina or penis.
On the other hand I have heard couples who have “sassy,” if you will, pet names that they use and it’s part of their sex play. Whatever turns ‘ya on.
Hahahaaaa! Brilliant post to stumble upon as I jump back into the fray (all gracias to a certain and much loved Cooperina te digo!)…
Wombat is right… the correct term is vulva though vagina is what I use… ’tis a word oft used in the bohemian household and “TAMPONS FOR YOUR VAGINA” a self-made little ditty Lil’ BoheMia was once kind enough to sing to me, full blast, in the grocery store whilst in Spain… good times FO SHO! So no, no vajayjay shit for me thank you very much… it’s the vagina, LOUD and PROUD!
By the by… love the new digs my dearest Cooperina! And I SO missed you!
I think it is just apart of the culture to add these euphemisms as much as we can.
Writers & poets have done it for as long as time. To make for cool imagery or just to be different. I didn’t think it worked when I saw the clip - I mean - since when do “doctors” have trouble with anatomy terminology. (And I realize this character is a bit different.)
Anywho, this show - from all 3 episodes I tried to slog through - will soon reside in the dustbin of TV history. And that little clip will be it’s addition (or subtraction) from the cultural landscape.
What’s funny to me is that for us English speakers “vagina” was originally a cleaned up term (borrowed from Latin) for what our ancestors used the “c” word. Maybe someday “vajayjay” will be seen as vulgur, and we’ll have to appropriate yet another euphemism.
pls 4give my typeos and badd grammer in that last comment…