White Women ’ s FGM : FGCS Special
White Women ’ s FGM : FGCS Special
Let ’ s Be Real :
Western Women Seek Genital Surgery
By Denise Noe
The United States witnessed a dramatic 49 % increase in labiaplasties in 2014 according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery . These are surgeries that reduce the labia minora by removing part of the tissue of the labia minora or , in some cases , all of it . Related surgeries include much less common labia surgeries to reduce the labia majora ; vaginoplasty , a surgery that tightens a vagina perceived as overly loose , often from childbirth or aging ; hymenoplasty that reconstructs the hymen to simulate virginity ; and clitoroplexy , also called clitoral unhooding , that removes the tissue that covers the clitoral glans ; and clitoroplasty that typically reduces the genitals of sexually ambiguous or transgendered individuals or females who have clitoromegaly , a clitoris that is uncomfortably large due to a congenital or acquired condition . The results of labiaplasties and similar surgeries are popularly referred to as “ designer vaginas .” An article by Tara West in the Inquisitr quotes plastic surgeon Dr . Jennifer Walden as calling labiaplasties among the “ most popular cosmetic procedures in women .”
Such surgeries are also becoming increasingly common in America ’ s neighbor to the north , Canada . A 2013 policy statement by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada ( SOGC ) states , “ In recent years we have seen an increase in female genital cosmetic surgery procedures available to women .”
Writing in Huffpost Lifestyle United Kingdom , Brogan Driscoll reports that these surgeries are “ one of Britain ’ s fastest growing cosmetic surgery procedures .” Driscoll quotes a member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons ( BAAPS ), Dr . Paul Banwell , as disclosing in 2013 “ that his practice has seen a 300 % increase over the past five years ” in female genital cosmetic surgeries . Banwell continues that , as a result , “ Labiaplasty has become my area of interest and expertise .”
An article by Kali Holloway published in Alter- Net states , “ One of the U . S ., U . K ., and Australia ’ s fastest growing plastic surgeries is propagating the notion that not all vaginas are equal .” Holloway observes that labiaplasty “ appeared in medical literature as early as 1971 , but solely as a corrective measure for congenital abnormalities .” This started “ to change in 1984 when the first description of a purely aesthetic form of labiaplasty appeared in a scientific journal .”
Labiaplasties themselves vary with some reducing the labia minora while others completely remove it . Holloway notes that Dr . Red Alinsod is known as developer of the labiaplasty that removes the labia minora and is popularly referred to as “ The Barbie ” because the results remind people of the smooth crotch of a doll . Dr . Alinsod recalls , “ I kept getting patients who wanted almost all of it off .” To help them achieve their aesthetic genital goals , he elaborates , “ I developed a procedure that would give them this comfortable , athletic , petite look – safely .” Why have labiaplasties and other female genital cosmetic surgeries enjoyed such a surge in popularity in recent years ?”
Dr . Millicent Odunze , M . D ., writes in an article for VeryWell , “ Some women have a natural asymmetry , where one of the labia minora is
SiA And The Shabaka Stone Winter Special Edition 2017 5