Group protests rise in ‘designer vaginas’

Vulvanomics Caitlin Copland (left), Alli Towns, and Alysia Morrow carry signs calling attention to female genital surgery at a rally at Kitchener City Hall.

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KITCHENER — A group of university students and professors took to the streets Saturday in front of Kitchener City Hall with signs that proclaimed, “Your vulva is beautiful naturally .”

The students from a sexuality, marriage and family program sought to raise awareness of a growing trend: female genital cosmetic surgery. They joined activists across North America in “Vulvanomics,” a month-long campaign to challenge the growing industry.

“We’re talking about surgery, on the genitals, for a purely cosmetic purpose,” said Toni Serafini, associate professor of psychology and sexuality, marriage and family at St. Jerome’s University, one of the University of Waterloo’s colleges.

“I think for a lot of us, there’s a line (when it come to cosmetic surgery),” Serafini said. “Cosmetic surgeries are optional. . . . That choice needs to be contextualized because we live in a consumer society” where the “designer vagina” is now being marketed.

The event questioned procedures such as vaginal tightening, labial reduction and hymen reconstruction. It also highlighted the increased medicalization of female sexuality through efforts such as the quest for the “pink pill” — a female equivalent of Viagra. North American academics now host conferences to discuss the implications of the medicalization of sexuality for both genders.

Some academics have written that female genital cosmetic surgery is the fastest-growing segment of the industry. But it’s hard to gauge because the only organization that tracks cosmetic procedures in Canada also provides financing options for such surgeries.

“Where’s the demand coming from?” asked Serafini. “The demand is being created by consumer society and, I would argue, medical professionals.”

First offered widely in the 1990s, the procedure finds its origins in gender-reassignment surgery. But as the cosmetic surgery industry expanded, surgeons started marketing female genital cosmetic surgeries as part of “mommy makeover” packages that also include postpartum breast lifts and tummy tucks.

Now, Serafini said it’s increasingly popular among young, childless women.

She said that the dissemination and proliferation of pornography has also increased demand. Young girls, unlike boys, don’t see others’ genitalia to understand that everyone’s different down there. Serafini said when all teens see is airbrushed or unrealistic porn stars, it’s easier for girls to form the idea that a naturally asymmetrical vagina is abnormal.

“Labial reduction, also known as labiaplasty, is a surgical procedure designed to reshape and reduce the size of the labia minora. Enlarged or hypertrophic labia minora can be functionally, psychologically and socially distressing,” states the website of SpaSurgica , a Waterloo-based clinic that offers labial reduction among its “body contouring” procedures.

Attempts over the weekend to contact local clinics that perform the surgeries were unsuccessful. But some cosmetic surgeons have openly defended such surgeries in the past, saying they can be medically necessary.

The SpaSurgica website states, “Indications for labial reduction surgery include: Large labia, asymmetric labia, physical discomfort or irritation (and) interference with sexual intercourse.”