TJ Brady

Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery is a practice that has been growing in popularity recently.  People get procedures done in order to improve the look and function of a vagina.   The causes behind the growth of these procedures is discussed in Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery: A Critical Review of Current Knowledge and Contemporary Debates, Professor Jafar’s video, and The Women are doing it for themselves.  

            In Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery: A Critical Review of Current Knowledge and Contemporary Debates,  Genital Cosmetic Surgery is described.  Genital Surgery wasn’t and isn’t always Cosmetic.  It can occur for medical reasons just like any other cosmetic surgery.  But like those surgeries, Genital Surgery is growing because of the Cosmetic appeal to certain women.  The appeal of the surgeries is shown in the marketing.  In marketing, women’s sexuality will be played on which results in older women trying to get their sexuality back by tightening their vagina, or just making a prettier vagina.  In the marketing, the fact that all women have different vagina’s and that they shouldn’t all look the same isn’t addressed.  And the fact that these procedures are surgeries,  and that “every medical intervention has a complication and failure rate” (1398).  I think the point of this article is to show us that Genital Cosmetic Surgery is  just like any other Cosmetic Surgery.  It is occurring because women feel embarrassed, or that they don’t compete with the ideal women, and make up for it during surgery.  

            Professor Jafar’s Ted X talk discusses numerous aspects of sociology, which we have discussed this year.  It discusses weight issues, clothing issues, and other issues associated with women worldwide.  The part of her talk that discusses Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery addresses why women do this to themselves.  Some reasons Professor Jafar gave were to be considered more beautiful, cleaner, and less masculine.  These show the pressure on women, and how they are transforming into more and more cosmetic surgeries each and every day.  The part of the talk that really caught my attention was that FGCS might grow in 15-20 years to be just as socially acceptable as breast implants.  This would result in teenage girls getting FGCS surgery as a graduation present, which to me sounds utterly ridiculous.  It’s scary to think that this is where we are going as a culture. 

In The Women are Doing it for Themselves article, the reason’s behind women choosing surgery is analyzed.  Women feel like they have the ability to do these surgeries, and that this right should we accepted and not scrutinized.  Although I am all for women having the ability to do what they want with their bodies, just cause you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it.  Women are saying that since they have the option to do the surgery, that they are empowered because of it.  I disagree with this and think that they are suffering because of the pressure they are put under to have the surgery, and to have the perfect vagina. 

            These articles and video shed light on the factors behind FGCS, and made me feel that it is sad how far this surgery has come, and how far it probably will go to becoming completely socially acceptable in the Western World.