Canesten’s ‘The Truth, Undressed’: Major Policy Wins For Intimate Health Education

Canesten’s ‘The Truth, Undressed’ is a robust social purpose initiative, founded on the principle that every girl and woman should be empowered to understand their body without metaphor, euphemism, oversimplification or sexualisation.

Education on intimate health is inadequate. This is a sensitive topic that must be taught early to help girls form positive relationships with their vulvas that last a lifetime. In just a short space of time advocating for policy change to improve education and eradicate this societal taboo, we have made a significant cultural and policy shift from embarrassment to empowerment. Our bold ambition to make intimate health education a mandatory part of the school curriculum has been realised through an unprecedented Big Policy Win in this area: For the first time, key inclusions appear within the Government’s updated RSHE guidance announced in July 2025, such as teaching anatomically correct terms for body parts (like vulva and vagina) and strengthened content on menstrual and gynaecological health in secondary schools. This is a major milestone in women’s health that will have a transformative impact for the next generation. Since then, we have continued to work with community stakeholders and policymakers to share our credible teaching materials developed with the PSHE Association and free-to-access resources (Truthundressed.co.uk) to ensure teachers are supported to deliver the new content guidelines thoroughly and confidently, reaching every child in every classroom.