A British study published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology this month looked at websites that advertise labiaplasty and other female genital cosmetic surgeries. In addition to downplaying the risks associated with surgery — to say nothing of the role of mental health in body dissatisfaction and sexual confidence — the sites used normal, healthy people for its “before,” pre-op pictures.
“Six sites posted photographs before and after labiaplasty. In all cases, the ‘before’ pictures represented larger normal labia whereas all postoperative pictures showed a homogenized vulval appearance.”
Labiaplasty providers have made up a medical-sounding term for having “larger normal labia” — labial hypertrophy. “Despite an absence of increase in identifiable labial pathology, more and more articles have described new techniques for managing this supposed disease,” the authors wrote.
In related news, an American study found that porn stars have higher self-esteem than other women, presumably because their labia are so small and symmetrical.