Designer Vajayjays: Blame it on the Adult Film Industry

Getting a designer vagina, more commonly known as vaginal rejuvenation, is a procedure that aims to repair the structural defects of a vagina. In the process, it takes into account aesthetics and appearance.

But why do aesthetics matter? When we think of vaginas, what do we see in our minds, and where does this impression come from? For most of us, it’s probably from something that we saw online.

An article that first appeared on Scroll.in commented on the growing popularity of ‘designer vaginas’ in India, and how even in such sex-shy countries, demand for such procedures is in exceedingly high demand.

Which got me thinking, is this a thing in Singapore?

One quick Google search, and I was bombarded with website after website of plastic surgeons, discount codes, and the latest trends in vagina fashion. The list, simply put, is endless. From vajazzles and vaginal bleaching to both surgical and non-surgical treatments, there is apparently more than one way to make your vagina sparkle, squeak and shine.

Of all these procedures, three main ones are most commonly performed: Labiaplasty, Hymenoplasty* and Vaginal tightening. All of them, in one way or another, claim to help women “regain” a better, more beautiful vagina.

While there are numerous reasons why women are opting for these procedures, the most popular by far is that a better looking vagina promises better sex. “Rejuvenate your sex life and restore the joys of lovemaking again!” promises The OBGYN Centre, as advertised on their website in way that is both subtle and misleading.

But unbeknownst to many of us, this idea that a perfect vagina leads to amazing sex is one that has been sold to us by the media and the pornography industry. When women choose to alter the appearance of their vaginas, these decisions are, in one way or another, informed by porno stereotypes.

Internet access is now ubiquitous, even in less-developed countries. As such, most boys and girls are now getting their first sexual experiences via porn. In these videos or images, we are generally exposed to only one type of vagina: the perfect, creaseless, hairless one.

While these vaginas are unrepresentative of the general population, they can result in women who have not been exposed to other bodies feeling insecure about having “ugly” vaginas.

Hiring talents with vaginas that look a certain way, or photo-shopping vaginas, is something that adult entertainment companies actively do. We just aren’t always aware of it.

Hence, in the same way that porn memes have been born (spanking, gagging, swallowing, or girls loving cum on their faces), yet another beauty standard has been created when it comes to vaginas.

Boys might not necessarily enjoy spanking a girl, or a girl might not really enjoy being spanked. Yet it happens in the bedroom because hey, it happens in porn movies. Likewise, girls are told that not only do we have to be bald down there, but apparently there is such a thing as having ‘too puffy’ a labia, ‘hooded’ clitorises and ‘abnormal’ vulvas.

And because many conservative, Asian societies continue to place the responsibility of sexual gratification (in relationships) on the woman, women can come under immense pressure to have perfect vaginas to please their husbands.

“We don’t have any conversation about vaginas but yet we now have a myth of what is beautiful,” points out Chayanika Shah, a member Lesbians and Bisexuals in Action, which is based in India.

Whilst I’m all for women taking control of their sexuality and feeling great in the bedroom, what vagina rejuvenation gets wrong about sex is that all it involves is vaginal penetration and orgasm. In reality, there are other forms of sexual gratification like foreplay, masturbation, toys, etc. In some cases, it is the right emotional connection and good communication that helps you hit all the right spots.

If having better sex is the goal, we need to understand these things better. There is no point in choosing surgery to rectify something that can be resolved with more open dialogue about sex. After all, what we see in the media is often a terrible reflection of what happens in reality.

To begin this conversation, we need to start unravelling the common shame that society and mainstream media have placed on a woman’s sexuality. We need to address victim blaming; push back against the myth that being scantily dressed provokes rape. We need to be less icky about what is natural, stop depicting periods as being blue in colour, and realise that yes, of course women masturbate too!

In conservative, sex-shy countries like Singapore, this can be a complex issue. But we can start by doing away with the shame surrounding vagina talk, along with the promotion of certain idealised vaginal aesthetics from the medical industry.

There isn’t one standard to which vaginas should adhere. Until society fully comprehends how both sex and women are so much more than the vagina, better sex might remain elusive.

If this isn’t a good enough reason to start confronting one’s gender biases, I’m not sure what is.

 

*Hymenoplasty is the controversial procedure that involves stitching up the hymen to give the appearance of a pure ‘virginal vagina’. It is popular in cultures where premarital sex is a huge no-no, and girls are pressured to reconstruct their hymen through surgery.