For many women, the phrase “loose vagina” is more than a crude insult tossed around in conversations, music lyrics or social media banter. It often lands as something heavier — a trigger for shame, confusion and anxiety. In that space of uncertainty, many women find themselves turning to unsafe online advice, unregulated products, or myths passed off as fact, all in search of answers about their own bodies.

But wellness advocate and pelvic health educator Christina Gonzalez is pushing back hard against the misinformation. She says much of what is said about women’s bodies in popular culture is not grounded in anatomy, and the result is a cycle of misunderstanding that affects both physical health and self-esteem.

“Vaginal tightening or ‘punani muscle’ tightening is actually a broad non-medical or layman’s term referring to strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles, and use of medical and/or medical modalities to improve the sensations of a tighter vagina,” Gonzalez said.