Labiaplasty and FGM

There is of course an enormous difference between a woman choosing to undergo vaginal plastic surgery and a woman or girl who is forced to undergo genital mutilation. There is however a lot of discourse on labiaplasty and female genital mutilation, and there is evidence that suggests some of the side effects are the same. Several feminist bloggers are picking up on this.

Marge Berer, editor of Reproductive Health Matters was interviewed by Marie Claire on vaginal cosmetic surgery and why she believes it should be banned. Berer pointed out that both female genital mutilation and labiaplasty occur due to societal pressures; here is the United States women feel pressured to undergo the surgeries themselves, and in areas where genital mutilation still occurs mothers and grandmothers feel pressured to force it upon their daughters. The similarities between the actual procedures have some people wondering, as Johanna Gohmann of Bust Magazine put it, "at what point the disconnect occurs between denouncing the use of a scalpel by others and then picking it up ourselves."

Quite a few people are criticizing Berer for her statements, for the obvious differences between the procedures. Often times the clitoris is removed as well as labia during female genital mutilation, and the women who undergo it aren't making a choice to make themselves "prettier."

There is some evidence that suggests women who undergo vaginal plastic surgery may have difficulty during childbirth, similar to women who are genitally mutilated. A BBC News health article discussed this, as well as the fact that there are no studies examining the long term effects of labiaplasty or other forms of vaginal cosmetic surgery.

It is easy to criticize those who compare optional vaginal plastic surgery and genital mutilation, but it is also understandable that some people feel both procedures are the result of a misogynist culture that feels there is something inherently wrong with women's genitalia. The difference is in some cultures it is being forced, while in ours it's a choice.