SiA Magazine - Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery Vs. Female Circumcion SiA Special Edition FINAL NEW Cvr | Page 10
Below is a collage of vaginas culled from the internet. It shows that uncut or “natural” or “intact” vulvae can come in all shapes and sizes and there is
no real “normal”. Within this wall of unaltered vulvae, I can also see images that come very close to WHO Types I, II and III alterations or “labiaplasty”.
(see below in highlighted boxes). The picture highlighted to the right of the collage is the one selected as most “attractive” by nearly all women I’ve
shown this collection of images, irrespective of type of circumcision or whether or not they are circumcised. One wonders whether the author of this
visual medley had this preferential bias in mind in situating this picture in the center of the collage.” I would love to see a wall that shows the many
variations of female genital alterations - whether they are called genitoplasty or female circumcision, excision, or infibulation. In this ideal world, both
these walls would present a fuller picture of the variations of female vulvae worldwide (natural and reshaped) and options women might have to either
keep what they were born with or change to whatever they desire or prefer when they are old enough to make this choice. At AWAFC we advocate
that all procedures that involve more flesh or tissue than WHO Type I (i.e. clitoral hood removal only, which parallels male circumcision), should be
left to the individual woman to decide when she’s 18 years of age or has reached the age of majority in her own country.
Given the ridiculous increase in demand for FGCS and normalization of “labiaplasty” among white western women, perhaps it’s about time to call
out the glaring white female privilege of female genital cosmetic surgery. I think the importance of comparing photos of FGCS and FGM is to show
that such bodily practices are shared by women worldwide, crossing all races, cultures, religions, and socioeconomic status (just as men share varied
bodily and genital aesthetic practices in different parts of the world). Perhaps the moment has finally arrived for some of us feminists and activists
to move beyond racist and sexist labeling, cultural stigmatizing, body shaming, criminalizing or defending some bodily practices over against others
and to begin more equitable, mutually respectful conversations about our bodily aesthetics and sexual preferences -- as well as our rights to choose.
Masaai W O M E N
Masaai
W O M E N Masaai Masaai
Mende W O M E N Mende
W O M E N SOMALI
AWA-FC
All Women Are Free to Choose
W O M E N Mende
Mende
www.awafc.org
10 SiA And The Shabaka Stone Winter Special Edition 2017
SiA And The Shabaka Stone Winter Special Edition 2017 11