Made of Plastic, Not All that Fantastic; Part Two

The authors of "Evulvalution: The Portrayal of Women's External Genitalia and Physique Across Time and the Current Barbie Doll Ideals" have taken a close look at growing trends depicted in one of America's most iconic magazines, Playboy, and compared them to an equally iconic American toy, Barbie. The authors did extensive research, as is discussed in Part One. The authors came to the conclusion that at a young age girls are exposed to ideal perceptions of female beauty through Barbie dolls, and later on in life those same perceptions are reinforced by pop culture images like those in Playboy Magazine as the models' breasts get bigger and their genitals get more invisible. As was put by the authors:

"There is a striking parallel between Barbie dolls and Playboy Magazine models in terms of their portrayal of female sexuality. Despite Barbie's designation as a sexual icon, her sexual anatomy is incomplete; while featuring a prominent bosom, she lacks any semblance of genitalia... The juvenile ideals exhibited for women's genitalia match existing social constructions of women's sexuality according to which women's sex drive is absent and their sexual demeanor is subdued."

Our culture and social norms promote the idea that women must be sexy, but that there is a difference between being sexy and being sexual. Women are expected to look sexy, but they are not expected to enjoy sex; it is still largely seen as something men primarily enjoy while women must "give it up." As was put by Jessica Valenti in The Purity Myth: "The notion that women are the sexual gatekeepers and men are the potential crashers is widespread... in mainstream American culture. The idea is that women are supposed to do all they can to limit men's access to female sexuality (and women themselves, really), and men are meant to do all they can to convince women otherwise. This sets up a sexual dynamic that assumes women don't want to have sex" (Valenti, 2010). Ariel Levy came to similar conclusions in Female Chauvinist Pigs, where she exemplified how this dynamic perpetuates the idea that sex is a commodity and not an experience to be shared. These social trends are reinforced through Barbie and Playboy. Barbie is sexy but not sexual, and Playboy reinforces the idea that male sexual pleasure can be purchased.

This perception that women are not sexual beings, and that their sexuality is dependent upon male perception, may be a part of why women are choosing to undergo painful genital alteration through waxing and plastic surgery. According to the authors' findings, as women are increasingly exposed to Playboy they become increasingly aware of the absence of labia minora, and begin to fear that their genitals are not only undesirable but are abnormal. Playboy's male readers are likely to be similarly influenced by the images they see, and impart those beauty ideals upon their partners. With increasing pressure from some partners' perception and the mainstream media, women are choosing to risk their own sexual pleasure and health to be more appealing. Once again as was put by the authors:

"Media images may not only contribute to concerns about genital appearance, but may also effect women's sexual health via the body modifications they encourage. According to a 2001 excerpt from Shine Magazine, "A lot of women bring in Playboy, show me pictures of vaginas and say, 'I want to look like this.'" Women who undergo cosmetic genital surgery in an attempt to more accurately fit media ideals put themselves at risk for reduced physical sensation, among other complications."


Popular culture and societal norms still largely enforce the idea that women's sexual appeal and worth is determined primarily by male perceptions of sexuality and beauty. Because of this, women are undergoing painful, irreversible surgery to  have their genitals "fixed," risking their sexual pleasure for the perceived benefit of their partner. Magazines such as Playboy have increasingly reinforced the ideal of a "neat and tidy" labia, all at the expense of women who are exposed to these images without being exposed to a wide range of different, yet normal labia.