SiA Magazine - Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery Vs. Female Circumcion SiA Special Edition FINAL NEW Cvr | Page 6

West writes that demand for labiaplasty is linked
to the popularity of a particularly tight-fitting
item of apparel: “As yoga pants become a staple
of female attire in the United States” many wom-
en want “to ensure they have a ‘sleek’ appear-
ance when wearing the tight pants.” Of course,
swimsuits and other garments are also tight in
the crotch area and women who regularly wear
such clothing contribute to the demand for these
surgical procedures. The website of Board Certi-
fied Plastic Surgeon Dr. Jimmy S. Firouz, M.D.,
states that many observers believe the upsurge
in labiaplasties is partly due to the “fashion trend
of leggings and tight athletic wear.”
Another factor leading to the upsurge in de-
mand for labiaplasty is the increase in removing
hair from the genital area through procedures
such as Brazilian waxes and laser treatments.
Women who remove pubic hair start noticing
things about their pubic areas that they might
have previously ignored.
The proliferation of pornography is another rea-
son for the increase in demand for such surger-
ies, as many women want the clean, tight genital
ideal commonly seen in such material. However,
pictures of genitalia in porn are often airbrushed
and unrealistic.
Finally, many women state that the labia minora
can cause discomfort when engaging in sports
such as bicycle riding or in sexual activity. The
SOCG policy paper gives “sexual satisfaction”
as a major motivation for women seeking la-
biaplasty and other cosmetic genital surgeries.
Thus, they seek the greater comfort that may
result from having the area trimmed or even re-
moved altogether.
Sometimes the same concerns motivating a labi-
aplasty also lead a patient to request clitoroplexy.
Retired plastic surgeon Dr. Charles Gruenwald
is quoted in RealSelf as stating that he some-
times heard “patient questions about whether
a clitoroplexy would also be necessary to give a
satisfactory result following a labiaplasty.” Plas-
tic surgeon Dr. Gary J. Alter remarks on a web-
site devoted to his services, “Some women are
bothered by the size of the clitoral hood and the
clitoris shaft or head (glans). The hood may pro-
trude too much causing the woman to be self-
conscious or irritated.” He also comments that
some women fear the clitoris itself and/or the
hood protrude in clothing, causing annoyance
and embarrassment.
An abstract by Atilla Senayli, M.D., suggests
“clitoroplasty is essential for patients with am-
biguous genitalia” and notes, “Worldwide, one
in 2,000 infants is diagnosed with genital ambi-
guity each year.” The doctor’s abstract also com-
ments that those who suffer from clitoromegaly
also benefit from clitoroplasty.
Female genital cosmetic surgeries of varying
types are by no means limited to adult women.
The SOCG policy statement observes, “Girls
and adolescents have different presenting com-
plaints leading to consultation for labiaplasty.
Girls 9 to 13 years old request consideration
of surgery for relief of symptoms such as rub-
bing, chaffing, and interference with sports.” The
statement continues that a mother’s belief that
the daughter’s genitals are abnormal also leads
to consultations for such surgeries with girls in
this age group. It elaborates, “Adolescents of 14
to 17 years of age are primarily concerned with
their own appearance and have further con-
cerns that their sexual partner may find them
abnormal and unattractive.” The statement also
reports that Canadian courts have ruled that mi-
nors deemed “mature” may get cosmetic surger-
ies – even without parental consent.
Writing for The New York Times, Roni Caryn
Rabin reports, “Gynecologists who care for
teenage girls say they receive requests every
week from patients who want surgery to trim
their labia minora, mostly for cosmetic reasons,
but occasionally for functional reasons, such as
to relieve discomfort.” The Committee on Ado-
lescent Health Care of the American College
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has issued
guidelines that advise doctors getting such re-
quests to suggest alternatives to labiaplasty that
can relieve discomfort and advise them to screen
teen girls for psychiatric problems that can cause
undo obsession about appearance. However, as
Rabin elaborates, “The guideline does not rule
out” labiaplasties for teens although it counsels
that it is usually inappropriate for minors. Dr.
Julie Strickland, Chair of the Committee on
Adolescent Heath Care, believes such surgeries
“should not be entertained until growth and de-
velopment is complete.” Nevertheless, Rabin re-
ports, “Girls 18 and younger account for less that
2 percent of all cosmetic operations but almost 5
percent of all labiaplasties.” What’s more, teenag-
ers can benefit from such surgeries. Dr. Veronica
Gomez-Lobo, North American Society of Pedi-
atric and Adolescent Gynecology President, re-
lates that she knows of a teen girl who could not
attend school when she had her menstrual peri-
ods because her labia became painfully swollen
and another teen girl who quit basketball due to
painfully irritated labia. Girls with such prob-
lems can find relief through labiaplasty.
Medical professionals warn that all surgeries in-
clude risks. Dr. Banwell states, “There is a small
complication rate and a surgeon should explain
that.” Beasley quotes psychologist Harriet Le-
rner as saying that “insensitivity of the clitoris”
is a potential hazard of some female genital
cosmetic surgeries. Moreover, it is also possible
with any cosmetic surgery that the results simply
will not meet the patient’s expectations.
However, many patients do in fact express sat-
isfaction with the results of their female genital
cosmetic surgeries.
The website of Dr. Firouz notes that “recon-
toured and reshaped labia” often give the pa-
tient’s “self-confidence a boost.” Another benefit
of such surgery is that “tight clothing, such as
yoga and workout pants, swimwear or pant-
ies, fit better and more comfortably.” Holloway
writes,
“The reality is, for some women, labiaplasty has
made all the difference between a life of chronic
anxiety and doubt and one of pleasure and con-
fidence.” Dr. Walden states that labiaplasty “can
prove life-changing for so many patients.” In an
article for Reuters, Denna Beasley recounts the
case of a woman who had asymmetrical labia
minora and is happy with the results of her la-
biaplasty, saying, “It makes me more comfort-
able. I like the way that it looks.” Dr. Paul Ban-
well says, “With labiaplasty people realize that
they can change something they may have been
worried about for a long time. It’s empowering
women with the ability to have choice.”
By Fuambai Sia Ahmadu, PhD
Since I wrote my first article for Pride Magazine back in 1995 while in the UK, I never would have imagined this day when white women and
their teenage daughters would freely choose and pay thousands of dollars for the same surgery I underwent in Bondo, which is the name of the
women’s sodality that manages female initiation/circumcision in Sierra Leone. The reasons white women and adolescents give for vaginal surgery
are the same justifications I heard over and over again from Bondo women: It looks better, smoother, more symmetrical; makes sex easier and
more enjoyable and is easier to keep clean. So then, how do we explain the general acceptance of white women’s genital surgeries and the refusal
of western feminists and activists to seriously label or criminalize these procedures as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting (FGM/C) as “all procedures that involve partial or total
removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”.
WHO divides FGM/C into four broad categories. Type I involves partial or complete excision of the external clitoral hood or exposed glans. The
clitoris is a much more extensive organ than most observers once thought and the bulk of the structure lies unseen within the female body. Type
II involves some form of Type I and excision of the inner labia. Type III may or may not involve Type II but includes the trimming of the labia
minora and stitching together the labia majora, leaving a small hole for the passage of urine and menses. Type IV includes other procedures such
as nicking, pricking, piercings or lengthening of the labia. The most common procedures, over 90% of all affected women, comprise Types I and
II. Type III is rare, and accounts for less than 10% of women who uphold these practices.
Any surgery should be approached with caution.
Cosmetic surgery in particular runs the risk of
disappointing the patients who are looking for
dramatic change. However, greater physical
comfort and an improved sense of emotional
comfort with this most intimate of areas are
among the possible positive results of female
genital cosmetic surgeries.
The term FGM/C is problematic for the vast majority of women who support various forms of what we refer to as female circumcision. Most
affected women prefer the term female circumcision because of anatomical or ideological parallels with male circumcision and the rootedness of
both practices in pre-Biblical beliefs about human creation. Anti-FGM laws and policies effectively discriminate against local practitioners and
supporters of female circumcision while permitting the flourishing of so-called female genital cosmetic surgeries or elective genitoplasty among
white or western women and adolescents.
As the founder of All Women Are Free to Choose, a movement that seeks equality among all practitioners of female genital surgeries irrespective
of race, religion, culture, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status and aesthetic preference, I think it is important that circumcised women
around the world understand how we are being discriminated against. This article exposes how the very procedures that western doctors are now
referring to as “labiaplasty” or “designer vagina” are nothing but medicalized versions of what our traditional circumcisers and midwives have
been performing in our communities for thousands of years.
Denise Noe is a severely disabled yet tenacious
writer living in the United States. She has been
published in “The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,”
“The Humanist,” crimemagazine.com, “The Literary
Hatchet,” and other venues.
WARNING!!! The next few pages contain graphic images
6 SiA And The Shabaka Stone Winter Special Edition 2017
Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery
or White Female Privilege?
The reasons given for FGCS and female circumcision are the same – prevention or treatment of infections and other serious medical conditions
due to poor foreskin hygiene; prevention or treatment of clitoral and labial deformities or abnormalities; feminizing of intersex or sexually am-
biguous genitalia; and improving the overall appearance and attractiveness of the vulva.
The ages at which FGCS and female circumcision are performed varies. Female circumcision practices are performed just before, during, or just after
puberty or in adulthood and in some cases of WHO Type I just after birth (in parallel with male circumcision). FGCS is normally performed on adult
women and in some cases on young girls and adolescents. In cases of intersex children, FGCS is usually performed during infancy. Female circumci-
sion is performed in informal settings by traditional circumcisers or traditional birth attendants as well as in hospital settings by doctors, nurses or
medically trained mid-wives while FGCS is primarily performed in hospital settings under trained medical doctors. In cases such as clitoral piercings
or “neotribal” genital modifications, including labial trimmings, these are performed in informal settings by non-medical practitioners.
SiA And The Shabaka Stone Winter Special Edition 2017 7