I DIDN’T GET the all clear after my first smear test at the age of 25.

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The results returned the presence of abnormal cells. Further tests were conducted and were then followed up with a colposcopy and the possibility of a biopsy.

Thankfully, the situation didn’t escalate further, and my two most recent tests returned normal.

During the time I was waiting on further tests, I knew women who had yet to get their first cervical screenings, and their reluctance came down to little more than embarrassment.

Even hearing that my results had returned abnormal cells wasn’t enough to convince some to avail of the screening service.

For some women, there exists a mental block when it comes to scheduling a cervical check, and consistent encouragement is needed to ensure they do so, so to criticise a woman in the public eye for sharing a photo which raises awareness of cervical screening is woefully ignorant at best, and utterly detrimental at worst.

Rebekah Vardy, whose Instagram followers number in excess of 366,000, yesterday posted a photo of herself, awaiting her smear test.

Her feet – clad in fluffy, red socks – were together, her knees were apart, and she was covered by a sheet; an accurate representation of the required position when getting a smear test.

The former I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here contestant wrote:

I dread smear tests & I don’t even know why, so I wore my red jungle socks from @imacelebrity to my smear test today to remind me that if I can do a Bushtucker Trial and eat a sheep’s anus to win food, then I can certainly brave a smear test that could potentially be life saving and you can too!

She then highlighted statistics regarding cervical screenings and cancer in the UK, and encouraged women not to skip their smear tests.

The post has amassed more than 43,000 likes and more than 1,000 positive comments, with many social media users confirming that the post had encouraged them to schedule their next smear.

Perhaps unsurprisingly however, Rebekah’s comment section also played host to a small number of negative remarks – something Rebekah subsequently dismissed on Twitter as ‘small minded people making silly comments’.

That’s the type of sight that only Jamie Vardy should see.

Some intimate moments don’t belong on social media, fact. I totally respect the subject of the post but I find the photograph a little unnecessary.

Dear god! Is nothing private?

The criticism seemingly stemmed from her decision to depict the position a woman is required to adopt prior to her screening, and share it.

The negativity was thankfully minimal, but it was there, none the less.

Yes, it was ‘small-minded’ and yes it was ‘silly’, but it was also worrying.

When the sight of a woman’s bare thighs can’t be used to raise awareness of a potentially terminal illness, but can be used to sell lingerie, moisturiser and damn near anything else with no opposition, you have to question just how unwilling some people are to advance their perception of women’s bodies.

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