Cosmetic Surgery On Your Pink Bits

Vulva reconstruction, vaginaplasty, vulvaplasty, vaginal rejuvenation, labia plumping, hymen repair, even g-spot enhancement…

A horde of plastic surgeons stand ready with needles and scalpels aimed at women’s most intimate areas. Feminists across the globe continue to respond with burning vindication at yet another trend requiring impossible “perfection,” now in areas that many of us don’t even talk about in public. Is genital cosmetic surgery a low blow or is it an opportunity for some women to finally come to peace with new and “improved” bodies?

There was the college housemate with inner labia so flowery that she had to roll and tuck them to keep them from chafing. With her buzzed rainbow hair and army boots, she wouldn’t opt for surgery to change her body anywhere, much less a labia reduction. I might not fault her if she did, it seemed potentially uncomfortable and inconvenient. But she loved her body and prided herself on her unique and highly sensual vulva. Her lovers felt the same.

This summer, I learned that women have been flocking for a procedure termed g-spot enhancement, in which a common cosmetic plumping agent is inserted blindly into the vagina. The result is a more prominently raised area in the g-spot region and, providers claim, a woman who is more desirous and responsive to sex. Sound too good to be true? The blind method of injecting the stuff is imprecise and runs the very frightening risk of causing long-lasting or permanent, painful damage to the urethra and bladder. Even if it works, the stuff breaks down in a few weeks or months and so she must go in and risk her health again to maintain the effects. “Clinics” that offer these procedures collect premium fees, but have failed to be monitored or studied. They claim to have research to back up their work, but refuse to release the details. Hmmm…

As nice as the g-spot is, and it can be VERY nice, I can’t help but think it is wonderful on its own. If properly aroused, the area will plump naturally and respond delightfully to the right stimulation. Perhaps her partner needs an enlarged interest in her pleasure and a more swollen set of sexual skills. Do we have a shot for that yet? Or perhaps an injection for confidence in one’s body?

And now there are Kegel spas, as featured in today’s Teasers (see the post below). On one hand, I’m all for plush palaces of pelvic pleasure where women learn the right way to do exercises that naturally tone intimate muscles and increase sexual sensations as well as the strength of orgasms. Heck, we even know that these wonderful exercises can ease childbirth and relieve many cases of stress incontinence (aka the dreaded sneeze and pee). Why must it be combined with cosmetic procedures? I want to trust a place that praises and teaches Kegels. They trust women who are insecure or unhappy with their genitals to pay for “enhancements.”

I want to know…

Are these women doing it so they are happier when they look in the mirror, or to look “better” for their partners? Are they seeking to perform “better” in bed, or are they primarily interested in their own pleasure?

In the back of my mind a small voice is screaming “It’s none of your business.” It’s easy for me to judge. I have not given birth, so I don’t want it is like for a baby to change my vagina. I’ve never felt disgusted while looking at my gentials. My g-spot is my friend. Heck, I don’t even wear make-up, so I clearly am at peace with the looks my mom & dad gave me. What happened to me here? Why do I think I should get to insert my opinions and ideas about health and morals into the pants of other women?

Perhaps, instead of asking these women why they do it, I should be asking myself:

How am I different from these cosmetic surgeons when I seek to pressure women about how they should feel about their genitals?