It seems a few are interested, so I wanted to add to my earlier blogs on a disturbing trend amongst young girls these days – that of getting ones’ vagina surgically “neatened.” Boys, I know I’ve mentioned the V word, but it would be great to get your perspective here. Anyways, I posted a blog about a trebling in young gals getting their vag’s prettied up, but I didn’t mention that this was only statistics for publicly funded operations in Australia, aka Medicare. When factoring in private ops, the stats are at much more frightening proportions, with one private practitioner suggesting the increase could be 10-fold in the last decade – yikes!!!!
Now surgery, for any reason, ain’t fun, so can you imagine the self image issues going on out there amongst young girls to make them do something like this? But here’s the question that keeps cropping up in my mind and where I want the boys opinion. Do boys want girls with pre-pubescent looking vags? Because if they do, isn’t that even more frightening?
As most young girls aren’t gobbling up all the porn they can get their hands on, unlike their male counterparts, the only other reason I can see for the increase in surgery is due to all of the waxing going out there. As more girlie bits are revealed due to less camouflage, I believe this could be a reason for the rearrangement of the flange.
Oh and my porn reference was purely because the girls aren’t necessarily seeing the plastic vags on display in these movies and therefore, this can’t be the cause of them wanting to change things… unless their menfolk are suggesting it? Or are more young girls watching porn?
Whatever the reason, I do think there seems to be a very deep seated issue going on here but this stuff isn’t new for females throughout history. I mean women in China were considered delicate and feminine if they bound their feet – if you ever read “Wild Swans” you’ll remember the horrendous description of this ‘beautification” procedure. But then, women used to remove their bottom ribs to get a smaller waist in the Western world, and of course there’s female genital mutilation. Oh sorry, there’s also skin whitening products, some of which have so many poisons in them, the women are breaking out in cancers all over their bodies, because you look richer when you’re fairer – bollocks! I could go on and on and on.
The desire for beauty has always been bollocks and unrealistic. I often wonder when are we going to get back in touch with what’s important in life? Such as our minds and our hearts? So many women suffer so much shit all around the world, and yet we spend more time, money and effort on cosmetic changes to ourselves, when what we should be doing is saying enough to the beauty industry and taking their power away. Then maybe we could focus our efforts on helping others who really do need a leg up? An idealist? Well nothing wrong with hope.
I really thought that Eve Ensler, who wrote and performed “The Vagina Monologues” did an amazing job in bringing the whole ‘let’s talk about vaginas’ to the public domain. But it appears that more needs to be done to get girls back on track and in control once again – in a positive way. Oh and everyone should read this book or see a performance – it will rock your world.
Seriously, if girls think they need to tamper with this part of their body to feel beautiful then we have a very serious issue that needs to be handled and handled bloody quickly. I’m just so thankful I don’t have a daughter. It was tough being a teenage girl when I was one, but could you imagine what it’s like now?
“How was your weekend?” said Stella.
“Great. I got my flaps reduced and righty is now the same size as lefty. I also got some of my clitoral hood reduced and when it’s healed, the doctor said I should definitely consider a reduction in my labia minora,” exclaimed an excited Brittany.
“Oh you’re so lucky! My mum is adamant I can’t get any surgery done on my vag. She’s so yesterday!”
I thought I’d take the opportunity to brainstorm some suggestions on tackling this issue? Any thoughts to add? And boys, seriously, it would be GREAT to hear your thoughts.
Here are some ideas to help women get more in touch with (ooh err) and accepting of their snatches as nature intended them to look:
- Vaginal sculptures on the main streets of cities – kind of like the cow expo – with the same idea of being decorated by local artists?
- Maybe Eve Ensler (aka Vagina Monologues) could do something for young women? A funny movie, article for teen magazines that goes global?
- A famous photographer could do a snatch exhibition – Annie Lebowitz maybe? The purpose being that we’re all different but the same, because let’s face it, we don’t look at our own often, let alone anyone else’s – so maybe an equaliser?
- Kids TV shows could do a fair bit here, maybe incorporating a story line about the issue – I mean talking about it is the best way after all.. one of the young things on “Home and Away” or “Buffy” could go through a snatch crisis???
- What else?
What do you reckon? How can we stop this voluntary female circumcision? Because that’s essentially what it is, minus the removal of the clitoris!
10 thoughts on “I just want to elaborate on the vagina discussion one more time…”
I watched a sad TV show recently where adolescent boys were shown a series of photos of breasts and asked which they found attractive and why. And why they didn't find the others attractive. They all, without exception, approved of the fake breasts and pointed out that the others were uneven, asymmetrical, too big, too small, too far apart etc etc. These were teenage boys, who, when I was young, would have been creaming it at the prospect of just getting close to a live pair of breasts. What kind of a nightmare is that? That normal healthy homegrown breasts are considered less attractive than manufactured bosoms that all look the same. That their first experience of sex would be coloured by porn.
I have a four year old daughter and a 19 month old son. The prospect of raising them to be confident and respectful is a scary one. This is going to be one long battle.
love love love LOVE this post Andrea! Well said!
I have spent the larger proportion of my life in the last 5 years working on my internal bits (ie: mind, heart, soul) and everytime I learn something more about my inner world and connection to what is real in life, the less I feel the need to buy into the bollocks that you have rightly pointed out here.
Now, finding an amazing man who could equally appreciate the work I have done on creating a happier, gentler, more accepting person has been a challenge, as I believe so many men are more visually driven (hence the bollocks that women put themselves through in these horrific ways), but one that I think is well worth the effort xx
Wow Andrea.Good on u for bringing this up. AS i come out of my sleep deprived breastfeeding delerium it is becoming stronger in me that i think there is alot we can do to reduce this. Like( and i knoe everyone will not agree with me here) but using our breast for what they were put on our body for…BREASTFEEDING!!Shock horror and not just to be a sexual playtoy. And also taking a leaf out of the old ways with rites of passage for girls becoming women. The only people who can stop this are women and frankly i am stoked to have a girl to pass on all of the srength and wisom i feel i have as a woman. And i hope this will give her the self esteem to laugh in the face of such sadness. I mean there is a fight going on against genital mutilation ( female/male circumsition) and now we are doing it to ourselves!! Its craziness.
Voluntary having your girlie bits chopped so they look prettier is just unthinkable. As a scrub nurse working in private practice & public over the years I haven't actually seen this done "just for the fancy of it" however I have seen loads of Vag repairs done. These are often necessary post child birth or as we get older to put everything to rights again after the joys of motherhood. So on one hand for medical, functional reasons I think it is all good.
However I think it is terribly sad to be doing it for any other reason. I also worry about where they are doing these things if it isn't in main stream hospitals. Another question is how on earth do they get it publicly funded if it is purely for vanity & not functionality?
As much as I would love my body to back to something similar to the pre baby shape, there is little chance that I could bring myself to have my body butchered to try & get it back. Even less chance this tight arse would shell out the money either.
Love all the comments girls although Muse of Flights of Fancy – who are you? Reading your words, you could be so many women I know!!!!
Hey Andrea, I am Tash
Maybe they do it so they dont have camel toe in their tight pants? It is very sad that people need to take such extreme measures to feel desirable and confident. Maybe they feel if they obtain perfection they will gain some kind of power, feel in control of their lives and experiences. Imagine wanting to please so much you would deny yourself or take risks that could deny you the pleasure of sex! Amanda x
I find it shocking the need to enhance your bits at a young age. Fine if you are in the your 60+'s and you have to "roll your flaps up and put them in your underwear"(courtesy of my 80 year old aunt)
The media is somewhat to blame. It was only a month ago I watched the Kardashian girls going in for anal bleaching. I mean who the hell wants to stick their ass in someone else's face to lighten it with chemicals that could be absorbed internally! I could go on but you have definitely touched on an interested subject that one would never discuss in normal conversation.
Ha love it Naomi – anal bleaching? Now that is something I've never heard of – perhaps a new blog opportunity? xxxxxx
I really think these things have come about in so many degrees of acceptance. First make up, then hair colouring, then eyebrow plucking, waxing, permanent makeup tattooing, collagen lips, dermal fillers, botox, tummy tuck, liposuction, breast augmentation…the degree might be incremental, but it all comes from the same place – our need to feel good about ourselves. The trouble is, feeling good about ourselves is increasingly about these shallow pursuits and not about how we make others feel about themselves, what we contribute with our hands in our communities, or the love we give (the gift that keeps on giving!). It's all about me me me me me me and how others perceive me me me me me – on the outside, that is. Don't get too deep! Don't get too philosophical! Don't get too political! Just keep on pouting and someone will like your exterior enough so that all the work you put into it is validated. For now, at least.
I say that it's definitely up to older women and men to help young people understand that love is not about how you look. Attraction might be, but love isn't. Love takes time and commitment to bear fruit, and defies any short term body reconstruction.