On ‘vaginoplasty’ and loving your vagina

A reader asked me a while ago to blog on ‘vaginoplasty’. I had completely forgotten about that request but earlier today I was browsing through comments on ‘Adventures’ and saw that request.

Vaginoplasty makes me think ‘ouch’. Why would anyone want to have vaginal surgery? I can understand that women who have survived FGM for e.g. might choose to have surgery to make it easier to have sex, give birth or make menstruation easier but from where I sit its hard to understand why anyone else would choose to have a surgeon trim or tighten their ‘bits’.

Like some of you I have watched one or two of those reality shows where women undergo vaginoplasty, and I’ve heard a number of reasons why women choose to have this procedure. Some of the reasons I have heard include, “I don’t like how my vagina looks like” and “I feel uncomfortable when I wear jeans”. Have you watched any of those shows? What reasons have you heard people give for undergoing vaginoplasty? Do you know anyone who has undergone vaginoplasty? Are you interested in undergoing this procedure?

I do understand that some women do not like the look of their vagina, their clit or their labia. I had a friend tell me that she’s uncomfortable with receiving oral sex because she has a large clit. I for one know that my right labium is larger than the one on the left but what the heck. I think we have gotten overly body conscious in this day and age – and this is speaking as someone who is probably a lit bit too body conscious for her own good. I say love your vagina as it is. Love your clit, labia, and every part of you.

6 comments On On ‘vaginoplasty’ and loving your vagina

  • This is an interesting read! Watch Dr 90210 and get the reasons women give on why they undergo virginoplasty.
    A beautiful mother of 3, once said on the show “i dont enjoy sex anymore after have 2 natural births and 1 c-section”. This in my opinion is comprehensible because a woman’s vagina after birth do not always stay the same.

    Another lady also said “I want to please my man” and another added “I don’t feel comfortable with long labias”. There are endless reasons women give to undergo such surgeries but in all of this, I believe every woman has a choice of what to do with her body!

  • A while ago, I was getting my hair done at a salon that had lots of girls/apprentices. Somehow we got talking about money/bodies etc. I don’t exactly remember the context. But I said that if I had enough money and the nerve I would want to get a breast lift one day. And one of workers, she looked in her 30s, jumped at my comment and said she really would like to do one too. It surprised me somewhat. I had assumed, rather wrongly, when I made my initial comment that the girls would say no, no and such. There are a lot more women who are into/would like to do cosmetic surgery than we acknowledge, whatever their reasons. I can see a direct benefit to vaginoplasty more so than the typical breast/nose jobs. But more importantly, I think there are lots of women who have issues with their vaginas. Like you said, we should love out bodies. So how do we get women to appreciate and love their vaginas when there is so much cultural baggage, most rather negative, attached to this most wonderful of organs. Thanks for the post.

  • @AltiusTendo on twitter sent me this link on ‘designer vaginas’ which is relevant to this conversation http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14627659

  • I’m all for loving your body as is, but this particular type of plastic surgery, particularly the rejuvenation surgery may help women to feel more comfortable and have a better sex life. If its going to make someone feel more sexy and more free, that’s good right?

  • Well, apparently, its not just about tightening a lose labium. There are 2 other forms which could be exploited by desperate women…

    1. Labioplasty – to make the labia smaller
    2. Vaginal rejuvenation – to make the vagina tighter
    3. Hymenoplasty – to restore the hymen and make the woman appear a virgin

  • @Adwoa – I agree with you re women’s right to choose, and bodily integrity. I can completely understand if after childbirth a woman’s vagina has changed and she wants to reconstruct her vagina. BUT sometimes I worry that this surgery is because we are buying into an illusion of what the perfect body is…what the perfect vagina is…you get me?

    @Kinna – “So how do we get women to appreciate and love their vaginas when there is so much cultural baggage, most rather negative, attached to this most wonderful of organs”…that is the million dollar question isn’t it? I think we start by being examples…by loving our bodies ourselves, by telling others what is lovely about their body, by valuing our bodies and what we put in it. Hmm, true ooo…we sometimes make assumptions about some groups…

    @Morayo-Joners – I heart your name 🙂 You make a good point…I’m not trying to imply all rejuvenation surgery is bad. For e.g. women who have undergone FGM may absolutely need rejuvenation surgery, but how about those who think their clit is too long for e.g.?

    @Ben – Sigh.

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