Women’s eNews wrote an interesting/scary-ass article this week about a newly popularized form of plastic surgery that makes me quiver -- labiaplasty.
Originally, labiaplasty was performed primarily for women in the sex industry who needed their labia reduced for infection or pain. But more recently, it looks like the average Jane is coming to the doc’s to get her vagina “looking pretty.” Some do get the surgery due to physical discomfort, but it seems to be quite a trend for women who feel like their pussy is “old looking” and want it nice and, er, perky again.
And what does it actually mean to get your labia “reduced?” Exactly what it sounds like. “In a labiaplasty, the surgical reshaping of female external genital structures, larger or uneven inner vaginal lips are cut and shortened.” Ahhhh!
Another form of vaginal cosmetic surgery is called vaginal rejuvenation, which is a tightening of the vaginal and perineum area (which can be stretched during childbirth). I won’t lie, I am a bit scared of damaging my goods while giving birth, but my cooch could be wider than Texas and I still wouldn’t let someone take the knife to any part of it. On top of that, there is speculation of whether vaginal rejuvenation actually increases pleasure or severely decreases it -- seems that there’s risk for cutting nerves, creating scarring and causing future pain during intercourse. Gulp.
And it seems that much of the time, according to two doctors that perform labiaplasty and vaginal cosmetic surgery, the reason for the surgery is due to a comment by a partner. “The bulk of the women getting this surgery are ultimately being pressured by men who want them to conform to a idea of beauty most often seen in the porn industry...Doctors Loftus and Young say feedback from male partners is the number one reason women request the surgery.”
Should we be surprised? Sigh.
Also check out Echidne of the Snakes’ take on this scary shit.
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When they talk about "increasing pleasure", I doubt they are talking about a woman's pleasure. Unless they are assuming that a woman's pleasure is only making a man happy.
"Labiaplasty". The western euphemism for FGM. You know, there are women on the other side of the world try desperately trying escape this sort of thing.
There's a really interesting article that was written a couple of years ago on the comparison between the two, it's titled, "Loose Lips Sink Ships" by Simone Weil Davis.
Nerve did an article on this a while back. The writer went into some of these clinics pretending to be a patient wanting labioplasty.
Is it just me, or "if you don't like the way my vulva looks, take your dick elsewhere" pretty obvious? I've never known a man who is that hung up on what a woman's labia minora looked like.
"Doctors Loftus and Young say feedback from male partners is the number one reason women request the surgery.”
Should we be surprised? Sigh."
Ah. The usual culprits.
It's good that we're always on the same page about who to blame. It makes everything so simple to comprehend.
And 'my body, my choice' you say? Well that no longer applies if you want to alter your labia. That's clearly a different matter.
Please worry about the condition of your own pussies and not someone elses, thank you.
Agreed, Milkman.
You people, hold up -- I think you need to realize that this surgery is not all bad. Not every girl is doing this to herself to make herself pretty for her asshole of a boyfriend, or because she wants to look like something out of Playboy. Personally, I am seriously considering undergoing labiaplasty because of severe pain from chafing while wearing jeans and discomfort during sex.
So fine, say I'm conforming to a standard, but I'll have you know that my boyfriend of a year has loved everything about my labia, and when I brought the subject of labiaplasty up one month ago, he was completely indifferent - but told me that if it made sex better for me, to go ahead. However, he added, he thought there was nothing abnormal about them (though he'd never seen anything quite like them) and he'd love them either way, just the same.
Yeah, men can be dickheads, but I think some feminists need to get over their paranoia that all men are.
My advice? Get a foreign one. English men tend to be hot plus sensitive, not a common combo around here.