My GP app criticised for asking women to share cat snap that best resembles their vulva

The myGP app has faced criticism after asking women to tweet photos of the cat which most closely resembles their vulva.

The campaign - launched as part of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week which ran from 18-24 January - aims to discourage women from avoiding routine smear tests because they feel self-conscious about how groomed their private parts are.

“Bushy, bare or half-way there. Share your lockdown look at #MyCat to remind your friends to get a cervical cancer screening,” read the advert, which ran on social media.

Another advert read: “Share an image of the cat that best reflects your undercarriage/flower/bits (technical term vulva!) current look. Don’t be shy, it’s purrfect even if not waxed!”

Though some women did respond with pictures of cats, the campaign quickly caused a stir on social media with many branding the concept “ridiculous".

One user wrote: “Erm, why is tagging people about my muff style & using ridiculous cat related euphemisms for my body parts going to be anything other than ridiculous and frankly, creepy?”

Another added: “Who would EVER use #MyCat hashtag and a picture of a cat ‘reflecting their vulva’?!”

The controversial campaign was also discussed on Loose Women, with host Stacey Solomon admitting that she had let her “bush grow out”.

Viewers hastily pointed out that the topic wasn’t “appropriate for lunchtime viewing”.

The campaign was launched after new research - collected by myGP - revealed that 57 per cent of women would put off attending their cervical screening appointment if they hadn’t had a professional wax.

Hillary Cannon, chief marketing officer at myGP, added: "The spoonful of sugar impact of comedy-led health campaigns is really powerful, hence us using one of the Internet’s favourite talking points – cats.

“The campaign’s cheeky messaging allows the discussion of a serious issue under the veil of laughter, which makes it easier for everyone to participate. Most importantly, the campaign reinforces the message that there is no ‘normal’ and there is nothing to be embarrassed about when it comes to your health, or to the way your body looks."

In response to the criticism, Cannon told The Independent: “myGP’s mycat [sic] campaign was designed with two main objectives - to start conversations, and save lives.

"Since the start of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, 25,000 people have downloaded the myGP app. Based on the fact that one percent of all cancer screenings result in an abnormal reading, we are confident that the campaign has met its objectives.”