Don't Put That Up There - The Dripstick
On this episode of “Don’t Put That Up There” I will be breaking down the many reasons why the product “Dripstick” is misleading, unsafe, and just straight-up garbage.
The Dripstick is essentially a sponge that looks almost like a tampon which is designed to be inserted into the vagina after a partner orgasms inside of you, to soak up that pesky dripping semen.
You may recognize this product from their advertisement where the dripstick is inserted into a cream-filled donut to clean up the cream, demonstrating how you would use it in a vagina. Yes, the comparison of the vagina and semen to a donut is as gross as you are imagining it. Semen is not the same as custard filling.
Unfortunately the issues with this product do not stop with the advertising.
My initial (nicer) thoughts when I saw this product were: is this necessary? Is semen cleanup a problem that a lot of people face that just doesn’t resonate with me? The Awkward Essentials website that sells the Dripstick sure made it seem like this is a common experience. With quotes like this from the product’s founder, Frances:
‘Listen, I love my husband but the mess after sex was not the business. Every time he finished I’d ninja roll off the bed, penguin walk/run to the bathroom, and sit there wiping an endless gush of his stuff.’
Then I put on my critical thinking cap and realized, no, this isn’t a problem, but rather a company creating a problem and then selling you the solution. Side note: I am not sure “Frances” even exists. I can’t explain it, but this product feels like it was birthed by a man trying to make money off people with vulvas by imagining what sexual problems we may face and selling a product that addresses them. Maybe it’s just me.
If it’s better for you not to have semen in your vagina, using a condom, or having your partner cum on you instead of in you, which can be fun and sexy, will work far more effectively.
Plus, the Dripstick is bound to actually make things worse! Dr. Jen Gunter (one of our favorite authors here at the Tickle Trunk) critiques this product on Instagram and TikTok and says that inserting a dry sponge into the vaginal canal and spinning it around can cause microtears and abrasions. In addition to being painful, these small tears can increase the risk of STI transmission. This happens because the sponge could remove the healthy bacteria, disrupt the vaginal microbiome and the natural PH of the vagina, which creates the perfect breeding ground for infections.
Dr. Jen Gunter also criticizes this product for continuing the narrative that it is okay (and even required) to clean inside the vagina when not only is that not necessary, but can actually be medically harmful. What does spreading this misinformation to make a buck say about a company?
Although Awkward Essentials states that the Dripstick is not for birth control purposes, I am concerned that there may be some confusion about that. The Dripstick is a sponge that is designed to remove semen from the vaginal canal. Although the contraceptive sponge isn’t as popular as it once was, I fear there may be some confusion that the Dripstick can function similarly as a contraceptive, but it is not an effective form of birth control.
Also. The Dripstick is incredibly wasteful. It is a one-time-use disposable product. Right on the Awkward Essentials website it says you may have to use more than one.
This also brings up concerns about how people are disposing of this product and the potential for clogs in sanitation systems.
A couple smaller things that I do not like about this company and product:
1. I think their reviews are fake. I know that is common these days, but there is no way the Dripstick has 3051 5 star reviews. This is misleading for consumers!
This review in particular, confuses me (the Dripstick used to be called come & go, and has been rebranded which also raises my suspicions).
- I think a lot of the reviews you may see of the Dripstick on social media are paid promotions. I know this is also common these days, but what does that say about the validity and reliability of the reviews?
The Dripstick makes it to our “Don’t Put That Up There” series because it is not just unnecessary, but has the potential to be harmful as well.
There are a lot of products out there claiming to be beneficial for your sexual health and it can be hard to judge which may actually be helpful and which may be harmful. One way to sniff out a scammy product is to reflect on if it is marketed as the only fix to a big “problem”.
If you ever have questions about the quality of a sexual health product, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Tickle Trunk Team! In our store we only carry products we know to be body-safe and we do not recommend putting anything up the vagina with the exception of clean toys, menstrual products, and clean body parts!
Note from Brenda:
I was just at the big toy trade show in Los Angeles and saw Doc Johnson marketing exactly this product so you'll see it in toy shops (not the Tickle Trunk) soon.
