Sun’s out, bums out
From the “HumanCharger” which shines light into your ear to give you energy to deprivation tanks and screaming sessions, weird wellness trends have become commonplace in 2019. But even so, when wellness influencer Metaphysical Meagan shared a picture of herself on her back, legs akimbo, sunning her perineum (AKA butthole), people, understandably, took notice.
And now Diplo has got in on the action. Yesterday, the DJ posted a picture of himself on a cliff overlooking the sea, ankles in hand, ass to the sun. Accompanying this enduring image is the caption “presenting my peace offering to climate change.” Diplo’s famous friends had some things to say about his pose. Chrissy Teigen had a rare moment of speechlessness, writing “been thinking about a comment for a long time,” while basketball player Liz Cambage commented, “I feel like this isn’t your first time in this position.” Megan Thee Stallion summed up all our feelings, meanwhile, with her comment: “dude.”
Discussion around butthole tanning first started last month when Metaphysical Meagan, who, according to her Instagram bio is also a healer, teacher, Tantrika, and Embodied Mermaid, first posted the image of herself alongside a caption explaining why she has recently begun to include sunning her bum and “yoni” in her daily rising routine. “30 seconds of sunlight on your butthole is the equivalent of a full day of sunlight with your clothes on!” she writes, before going on to say she has noticed better sleep, better connection to her “Sexual energy & control of my Life Force” and “so much creativity flowing through my life!!” since implementing the practice.
Meagan’s post was then shared on Twitter with the caption, "People out here butt-chugging sunlight," and it (obviously) went viral. In response to people’s many questions about what she was doing, Meagan then posted a second time expanding on the origins and benefits of the practice. “Perineum sunning is an ancient Taoist practice that originated in the Far East,” she writes. “In Taoism, the perineum or Hui Yin is called the “Gate of Life and Death.” This is a gateway where energy enters & exits the body.”
While there are many who swear by the practice – including Shailene Woodley who told Into the Gloss “Another thing I like to do is give my vagina a little vitamin D… If you’re feeling depleted, go in the sun for an hour and see how much energy you get,” – Western doctors remain unconvinced. “There is absolutely no proven scientific evidence to suggest any health benefit to sunning your perineum or bottom,” Dr Stephanie Ooi from MyHealthcare Clinic in London told Insider. “This is a classic example of social media medical misinformation which in some cases can be damaging or dangerous.”