Elective Vaginal Surgery
Elective Vaginal Surgery
Abstract
The popularity of elective vaginal surgery is on the rise. The impact these procedures have on women, both positive and negative is only just beginning to be researched. The reasons why women claim to “need” such surgeries are to feel more confident with their bodies, to eliminate physical discomfort, and potentially increase sexual pleasure. Research points to other reasons, though. The increase in access to pornography that idolizes certain body types, recent pubic grooming trends, and the change in society’s stance on plastic surgery may have more to do with it than any reason a patient might present. Society’s pressure to look a certain way has negative consequences for girls and women today and in the future.
Keywords: hymenoplasty, labiaplasty, vaginoplasty, vaginal rejuvenation,
Elective Vaginal Surgery
Introduction
The first published description of an aesthetic vaginal labiaplasty was presented in 1983, and since then, requests for procedures like it have increased dramatically. Whether a woman wishes to “rejuvenate” her vagina after childbirth, alter her labia to make them more symmetrical, remove the clitoral hood or shorten the clitoris, or have a surgery to recreate the hymen, many are choosing to go under the knife to “fix” a part that is usually hidden. The following paper will describe the procedures that are being used to give women what is being referred to a “designer vagina.” The reasoning behind why these surgeries are becoming more popular will also be discussed, as well as the negative and positive impacts it has on women. What this sort of surgery means for women in the future also will be addressed.
What Is a Designer Vagina?
For the majority of women, vaginal surgery is for purely aesthetic purposes. The result is what many have coined a “designer vagina.” Many women choose to have their labia reduced because they feel self-conscious about the appearance of their labia. They feel that the
Abstract
The popularity of elective vaginal surgery is on the rise. The impact these procedures have on women, both positive and negative is only just beginning to be researched. The reasons why women claim to “need” such surgeries are to feel more confident with their bodies, to eliminate physical discomfort, and potentially increase sexual pleasure. Research points to other reasons, though. The increase in access to pornography that idolizes certain body types, recent pubic grooming trends, and the change in society’s stance on plastic surgery may have more to do with it than any reason a patient might present. Society’s pressure to look a certain way has negative consequences for girls and women today and in the future.
Keywords: hymenoplasty, labiaplasty, vaginoplasty, vaginal rejuvenation,
Elective Vaginal Surgery
Introduction
The first published description of an aesthetic vaginal labiaplasty was presented in 1983, and since then, requests for procedures like it have increased dramatically. Whether a woman wishes to “rejuvenate” her vagina after childbirth, alter her labia to make them more symmetrical, remove the clitoral hood or shorten the clitoris, or have a surgery to recreate the hymen, many are choosing to go under the knife to “fix” a part that is usually hidden. The following paper will describe the procedures that are being used to give women what is being referred to a “designer vagina.” The reasoning behind why these surgeries are becoming more popular will also be discussed, as well as the negative and positive impacts it has on women. What this sort of surgery means for women in the future also will be addressed.
What Is a Designer Vagina?
For the majority of women, vaginal surgery is for purely aesthetic purposes. The result is what many have coined a “designer vagina.” Many women choose to have their labia reduced because they feel self-conscious about the appearance of their labia. They feel that the
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