AVS or FGM

The new geographical local for FGM (female genital mutilation) is now Southern California.  What?  FGM in Southern California?  Alas yes, under the guise of Aesthetic Vaginal Surgery, AVS.  Get rid of that unsightly inner labia for a smooth look that is called “The Barbie” and nicely accents the Brazillian wax job.  I wince and squeeze my thighs together in a protective gesture even though I am a man.  Again, I must ask, have I lost my mind?  Did I fall through a worm hole into some alternate universe where things that I consider lovely are rejected as ugly?  Again The Atlantic:

Image Credit, The Atlantic

  The Atlantic, June 2011, Perverse Incentives, Marie Myung-Ok Lee

In another instance of “hey Sextant get your head out of your arse, and look what is going on in the world", apparently this has been going on for some time.  This New York Times article is dated November, 2004:

 New York Times, November 28, 2004, The Most Private of Makeovers

So what is driving this?  It’s a two fold phenomena, “beauty” and CASH.  “Beauty”?  Apparently so, to some degree pornography may be responsible.  Women are watching this stuff and feel they do not measure up to the porno queens.  Good God!  What is the standard that they are using?  The also porn engendered Brazillian wax job / south of the border shave is being touted as well.  Things are more visible these days.  So first women learned from porn that natural hair was unsightly and they removed it.  Alas that revealed the unsightly inner labia and it must be removed as well.  May the saints preserve me.

Image Credit: New York Times

Ahh, but let’s consider the real drive…CASH, beautiful green cash that is not being regulated by the health insurance industry.  What would you rather do, make $800 for a hysterectomy, $1700 for prenatal and delivery services or $5000 to $8000 for a relatively simple out patient in-office procedure with no cap controls by an insurance agency.  So there is a corps of OB-GYNs who are pushing this into hopefully the latest fashion craze.  All that cash, no controls or regulations, and no real standard of excellence by which to measure results.  Has all the earmarks of a cash cow to me.

What does the profession say about this?  From The Atlantic article:

The surgeries themselves are controversial: in 2007, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued an opinion advising against vaginal cosmetic procedures, and one committee member scathingly declared, “The absence of data supporting the safety and efficacy of these procedures makes their recommendation untenable.” The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, meanwhile, refuses to recognize cosmetic-gyn as a legitimate subspecialty.

Like all surgeries, there is the potential for complications, infection, scarring, loss of nerve sensitivity, or painful sex.  “Oh but these complications are exceedingly rare”, (EDIT: Not necessarily so!  See Edit 7-5-11 at the end of this post below.) except when it happens to you—then suddenly that rarity becomes a meaningless statistic.  Again my thighs squeeze shut in an uncontrolled reflex and a shudder goes up my spine.  It was bad enough bringing razor blades and hot wax in the vicinity of the most magnificent sensory organ on Earth, but to flail scalpels and lasers directly adjacent to it to me is madness.  One slip of the wrist, one moment of inattention and slice-o / zappo gone is the seat of one of the most beautiful of human experiences.  Perhaps this is something like hang gliding or rock wall climbing—the tempting of fate.  Squeeze and shudder again.  Oh my, can there be a “Ken”?  Get rid of the unsightly scrotum for the NN look!  (That would be nude nugget.)  Another shudder and squeeze.

So let's see, the World Health Organization is fighting FGM in Africa where it is done for religious and cultural reasons.  Yet in Los Angles, we do this for “beauty” and profit.  Hmmmm!  I am a man and this is shall we say a sensitive area!  As such I shall try to keep my views respectable.  How do I put this without revealing just what a lecherous bastard I am?  Men and women evolved together.  Men are the way they are because women found them appealing.  Women are the way they are because men found them appealing.  Some of us might say heaven on Earth.  How do you improve heaven?  With razor blades and hot wax?  No, because some of us like women to look like women and not prepubescent girls.  With scalpels and lasers?  No because some of us find things quite beautiful just the way they are and find a great deal of, again how do I put this?  Utility!  Yes indeed lovely and wonderful utility.  So ladies, please, if you love the man in your life consult with him prior to having AVS, yes it will ruin the surprise, but it may eliminate a very nasty surprise for you.  Some of us really don’t believe that you can improve heaven on Earth, and unlike hair, inner labia will not grow back.   

For more information on FGM see:

Wikipedia, Female Genital Cutting

Oh I am sorry, we call this "cutting" instead of mutilation to be inoffensive.  Sorry, I find the practice in Africa and Los Angeles to be very offensive.  Women, please, love yourselves and your daughters just as you are. No improvements required.

Oh yes the ad above, "If you can't wear this with absolute confidence, then you need Designer Laser Vaginoplasty."  Need!  Really?  How about you need a bikini bottom with just a little more ass sewn into it so that you don't have to have pricey laser beams fired at you.  You only get one of those issued per life time, treat it well.

EDIT 5-14-2011:  Here is an article describing the controversy in the profession regarding cosmetic gynecological procedures:

The Free Library.com, Controversy rages over female genital cosmetic surgery


Below is a quote from the article that supports my view.  If you want to see what the other side has to say, read the article at the above link. 

Doing such procedures and advertising them with photographs of purportedly "attractive" versus "unattractive"  genitalia constitute a violation of the ethical relationship gynecologists have with their patients, maintains Dr. Paul Indman, an ob.gyn. in solo private practice in Los Gatos, Calif.

"What we do is destroy women's self-esteem [with such photographs] and then charge them a lot of money to fix what we have destroyed. I think our job as gynecologists is to help women understand what the range of normal is, [to counteract] society-caused, society-influenced perceived differences," he said in an interview.

EDIT 7-5-2011:  According to this blog entry by one of the experts in the field on the "Vaginal Rejuvenation Blog" there seems to be a "Rising Need For Revision Surgery".  Imagine that.

http://vaginalrejuvenation.blogspot.com/2009/03/rising-need-for-revision-surgery.html

This post deserves to be directly quoted, I would hate for you to get a 404 error on this jewel:

Friday, March 27, 2009

Rising Need for Revision Surgery

As more gynecologists, urologists, plastic surgeons, and cosmetic surgeons perform labial and vaginal surgeries, the need for revision surgery has steadily risen. Most of these surgeons attempting labial and vaginal surgeries have had no formalized training in aesthetic vaginal surgeries. This leads to complications, displeasing appearance, and unhappy patients. An example is a very notable porn star who allegedly had a botched vaginoplasty performed in Beverly Hills by a renowned surgeon. More and more anecdotal reports have surfaced about less than optimal results following labiaplasty surgery such as asymmetry, excess removal of tissue, disrupted blood supply, and pain. Vaginoplasty patients report painful intercourse, tightening only of the entry, lack of deep tightening, and recurrence of looseness. This has given established labial and vaginal surgery experts more secondary attempts at repairing improperly done or aesthetically displeasing surgeries. This has also given a select group of surgeons more and more legal consultations from patients and lawyers alike as the standard of care evolves and grows. In our center, a full 10% of work is done as revision surgery. The number continues to rise as more revisions, resurfacing, re-tightenings are asked for. It behooves a surgeon thinking of perfoming labiaplasty and vaginoplasty surgery to be properly and completely trained before attempting these intricate surgeries.

Posted by Vaginal Surgeon at 11:42 AM

Directly quoted from the Vaginal Rejuvenation Blog 


Note the emphasis in the above quote is mine.

Wow!  One in ten are "revisions"!  Sort of casts a shadow of doubt on the claims of the safety and wisdom of these procedures.  I believe that the terminology "revision surgery" is an euphemism for corrective surgery (using the poster's own words) for a "botched vaginoplasty".   I am curious, who pays for these "revisions"?

Do you really want to go back and get a "revision" so you can wear that bikini bottom "with absolute confidence"?



Are you considering having an AVS procedure?  Watch this video by British film maker, Heather Leach. It is one hour long.  Please note that it does have a few graphic moments and rather frank discussion, but it is well done and balanced.  If you are dissatisfied with your appearance, this video may change your mind.

Vimeo.com, The Perfect Vagina by Heather Leach 


EDIT 9-13-2012  MUFF MARCH

Muff March, London, December 10, 2011
Photo Credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muff_March_Harley_Street.jpg

I just happened to run into this.  Feminists in London protesting in the Muff March against the porn inspired removal of pubic hair and designer vaginal surgery last December.  I hope they make it a yearly event!

The Guardian, The Muff March against 'designer vagina' surgery

The Guardian, Is The Muff March Such a Cunning Stunt?

 I bet you can't say that title 10 ten times rapidly!  The author questions the Muff March's target.


The following is an interesting discussion between a proponent of the industry and journalist.  There is an amusing video which parodies the cosmetic gyne industry.  At first blush the video seems to treat women's choice in a condescending manner, but remember the video is trying to illustrate the opinion that these practitioners have to women, and remember the image of the Porsche 911 that the Atlantic article mentioned.   Also realize that the video is produced by a group that is fighting the excessive medicalization of sexual difficulties and is supported by various feminist organizations.

The article with video:

http://www.politicalflavors.com/2012/03/06/dr-vajayjays-privatize-those-privates/

I commented in the above article under hsextant.

Here is the website for the group that provided the video:

http://newviewcampaign.org/default.asp


Unfortunately, I see no activities listed for 2012 in either the New View Campaign or the Muff March.


Edit 9-19-12:   I ran into another very interesting article on the hoe downs that the boys are having trying to promote cosmetic gynecology.

Huffington Post, Cosmetic Vaginal Surgeons Clueless About Female Sexuality

If you think for one moment that these guys have your best interests in mind, feast your eyes of this bit of male arrogance:

"The message from New York City gynecologist Robert Jason was that surgery for a vagina that is "all stretched out...helps and saves relationships." He heartily agreed with his mentor, Matlock, who in his morning remarks told of a husband delighted with the result of his spouse's vaginal rejuvenation procedure because it was "like having the same wife, but a new woman." Jason added his own arguments for the surgery, to wit, "It's cheaper to keep her," and "breasts catch a man, but a tight vagina keeps him." He wondered when a man goes "after a younger woman, is it that she's more beautiful or is it because of this?" And of course, if it is because of "this," then (a) it's understandable, and (b) surgery is the answer. The case he made had little or nothing to do with the woman's sexual pleasure."

Emphasis mine.  Would you like my opinion?  Ladies, if your man wants you to be tighter, just remind him that if he is not big enough to handle the job, that is his problem, not yours.  Don't subject yourself to a painful, potentially dangerous surgery that may destroy your sexuality.  Men can be replaced, vaginas can't.  If this is an issue, the bastard don't deserve you.