THE VILLAGES, Fla. – The Villages is a 55-and-older retirement community in Central Florida that prides itself on its assortment of family-friendly activities spread across its many neighborhoods.
It’s a popular joke in Central Florida that some residents of The Villages have been seen with loofahs on their vehicles.
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But how did this rumor come about? And why do they hang those loofahs out?
THE RUMOR
Some people have theorized that the loofahs are used to discreetly signify a resident’s sexual proclivities.
According to The Palm Beach Post, that rumor gained traction in recent years thanks to an Orlando-area drag queen.
The performer — who goes by the handle “Tora Himan” (a crude pun of “tore a hymen”) — posted a video on TikTok in January 2023 showing vehicles in The Villages with loofahs placed on top.
In the video, a so-called “Loofah Code” diagram is presented that claims certain colors are used to indicate specific tastes, such as swingers and voyeurism.
The diagram reads as follows:
THE REALITY
News 6 reached out to Jerry and Linda of “The Villages Newcomers” community channel, which covers topics relevant to the retirement community for residents.
“We’ve lived here five years, and we had not heard any of the rumors or negativity before we came,” Jerry explained. “But since we have come, we find that people have been hit with these rumors of STDs, loofahs or swingers, that kind of thing.”
In a video back in 2022, the couple looked into the loofah rumor by driving around and checking out local cars. After scouting nearly 2,000 vehicles, no loofahs were found, the pair claimed.
But that doesn’t mean that residents in The Villages don’t put loofahs on their cars.
Jerry told News 6 that the real reason many of these residents put these loofahs on their vehicles is to help them remember where they parked.
“I’ve talked to people that had loofahs on their car now. It’s because they have a gray SUV or a white SUV,” Jerry said. “There are hundreds and hundreds of them here, and they put them on there to spot their car in a parking lot.”
Ryan Erisman, author of the local blog “Inside the Bubble: Ultimate Guide to The Villages,” discussed the myth last year on his website.
In his blog, Erisman said that loofahs are used to help residents spot their vehicles in a crowded area — but pool noodles are more common.
“Some people who have regular radio antennas on their car will slip the noodle over that,” he writes. “Others will slice the noodle down one end and put it on the roof rack of their vehicle.”
‘THE STD CAPITAL OF AMERICA’
These sorts of rumors aren’t anything new, though; The Villages has a longtime reputation for risky sexual behavior.
According to News 6 partner WPLG, this reputation was partially responsible for earning it the moniker of “the STD capital of America.”
WPLG reported that the claim could be traced back to a now-removed 2006 story by an Orlando TV station titled “Doctors in Retirement Community Seeing Increase in STDs.”
The story discussed a growing trend in STD rates, attributed to a physician from a local women’s center. But that center is no longer open, and the doctor was never named, WPLG states.
In a 2009 article, the New York Post said The Villages was “ground zero for geriatrics who are seriously getting it on.”
That article offers several other stories about senior citizens engaging in casual sexual behaviors, claiming that “getting lucky is one of the residents’ primary pastimes.”
It also discussed a reported rise in sexually transmitted diseases at the time among those 55 and older in Florida.
And that stigma has abounded for decades even after the article’s publication.
HERE’S THE TRUTH
Despite the claims, state data shows that the three counties The Villages resides in — Sumter, Marion and Lake — actually have much lower transmission rates than most of Central Florida.
This gap remains wide even when accounting for only residents ages 55 and older.
The data shows that STD transmission rates have steadily climbed since 2006. However, that trend has been seen statewide, not just in these three counties.
“In reality, I don’t see much STDs,” Dr. Marivic Villa — an internist who ran a health clinic in the retirement community — told WPLG. “Compared to other practitioners, I should. People just want to paint the picture that old people are like young people in New Orleans.”
Regardless, many of these residents are still having active sex lives, she explained.
“I’m not saying that they’re not thinking about having sex,” she said. “They do — a lot — but not to the point that there’s STDs left and right and all over the place.”
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