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Designer Vaginas
An answer to female genital issues or an attempt to live up
to superficial standards
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Living in a society where, collectively, we are more obsessed with body modification than our own personal issues, it should come as no surprise that the obsession has regressed to far deeper territory. In the year 2005 alone, 11.5 million cosmetic procedures were performed in the United States. Of those, approximately 2,185,000 surgical procedures were performed. While the top five performed procedures are specific to the upper region of the body, the fastest growing and emerging trend in cosmetic plastic surgery is Labiaplasty. Labiaplasty, also known as labia reduction surgery and beautification, is defined, on the website of lasertreatments.com, as "the surgical reduction and/or reshaping of the female external genital structures." Also, according to the website, reasons that one might require a Labiaplasty are "to alleviate discomfort caused by large and/or thick labia, which often interfere with biking, working out, wearing tight fitting clothes, or to enhance or improve the appearance of •butterflyę or asymmetrical labia." To many, this procedure is still virtually unknown, but others may have been familiar with this for quite some time. While the procedure is still very new (the first modern Labiaplasty was performed only eight years ago), women are consulting with their doctors in record numbers, in the hopes of attaining a "perfect" vagina. So, to whom can we attribute this recent obsession with attaining such perfection? As preposterous as it sounds, have some been influenced by the work of contemporary artist Georgia OęKeene? The flowers in her artwork with their lovely symmetry have long been quoted as being meant to symbolize the female genitalia. With our societyęs already unhealthy obsession with entertainment, could it be possible? Upon further research in the subject, it may be somewhat far-fetched. |
To whom should we really be pointing our fingers? According to Drs. Young and Loftus, the chair of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and a Floridian plastic surgeon respectively, the number one reason that women are requesting this surgery is "feedback from their male partners." So, there it is, all out in the open. It seems that we can attribute all of it to our male counterparts. But wait...not so fast, ladies. While the idea of our men making negative comments about our genitalia sounds harsh and disrespectful, it seems that we are falling victim to the standard, as well.
As aforementioned, there are an array of reasons that a woman might request (or even require) such a procedure, but the bulk of those wishing to have the procedure performed are being manipulated by those around them and the images that they see on a daily basis. In the business of placing high standards and ideals of sexuality, there is no greater domain than that of the adult film industry. In a day and age, where a Brazilian wax is the norm and a teenageręs idea of abstaining from intercourse is oral and/or anal copulation, itęs no wonder that our views of sex and our bodies may be a bit distorted. In the year 2000, many people were "turned on" to the procedure of Labiaplasty by an adult film actress named Houston. She was reported as having the procedure performed and taped for public viewing. Soon thereafter, tapes of the procedure were sold to the public. Her reason for getting the procedure done? "To enhance [her] •lookę during close-up video work." |
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So where does it all begin? While, for some, our men may be to blame for making the negative statements in the first place, why should a man have so much say in the construction of our anatomy? Shouldnęt we, as women, be taking pride in that which makes us unique? Shouldnęt we be embracing the fact that our "flowers" are just part of what makes us beautifully different from others? I believe so. While all of this may seem utterly disgraceful and sad, the saddest part of all rests in the fact that our nationęs teenagers are also consulting with plastic surgeons and requesting this procedure. Doctors are reporting that girls, as young as 15, are requesting the surgery in large numbers. So, what is really going on? Have we, as a society, become so "intoxicated" with the idea of perfect beauty that we are willing to pay such a high cost? What about the fact that it has spread to our nationęs youth? These are all questions that are important to ask, right? Itęs extremely important to look at all of the facts in every case to get a clear idea. Ięve reviewed all of the facts on this subject and itęs somewhat hard for me to get a clear view. While I donęt disapprove of cosmetic surgery entirely, I am more of an advocate for those who seek cosmetic surgery for health reasons. There are those who request Labiaplasty for those reasons, but those reasons have become outweighed by all of the more superficial ones. So, where do we go from here? Do we allow these images to keep taking precedence in our lives? Do we keep allowing "them" to manipulate us into requesting procedures that some have likened to other forms of genital modification and mutilation? The answer is purely subjective but by bringing the necessary information to the forefront, we can have an upper hand on the subject. As individuals (and women), we must come to our own opinions about this issue and act accordingly. Our nationęs teenagers need to be educated in these matters and our first order of business is starting with ourselves. Hopefully, my presentation of such matters has helped in beginning the process. While I am very much "on the fence" in my opinion of cosmetic vaginal surgery, my position could probably best be summed up by the words of feminist / progressive politico writer Naomi Wolf, as stated in her first book The Beauty Myth: "women deserve the choice to do whatever we want with our faces and bodies without being punished by an ideology that is using attitudes, economic pressure, and even legal judgments regarding womenęs appearance to undermine us psychologically and politically." 2006 |
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SPECIAL
NOTE From L'Oreal As the sex and relationships editor, I am on the lookout for all submissions centered around the topics of sex relationships (go figure); be it an interview, an article centered around a recent study/news story, or a personal account. My motto
is “No inhibitions. No pretense. No problem” and I firmly stand by
those terms. I want you to feel free to express yourself and have fun doing it. |
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Michelle7
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