Unrealistic, Painful & Sexist: Why Designer Vaginas Get a Big NO

In a country that isn’t even comfortable enough to talk about sex, women are opting for ‘designer vaginas’. But why?

Time for a designer vagina? (Photo: Rhythum Seth/The Quint)

Lips. Boobs. Butts. And now vaginas.

"You desire to look beautiful from the outside, and now you can choose to look beautiful from the inside too."

That's how the vaginal cosmetic surgeons sell 'Designer vagina' to potential clients.

But first, what exactly is a designer vagina?

‘Designer vagina’ surgeries vary from trimming the labia majora to tightening the vagina for increased sexual gratification. It also includes hymen reconstruction to feel ‘revirginised’ and attain a "Barbie look"; a vagina that resembles that of a newborn.

From nose to boobs, from lips to butts, there's probably nothing that can't be surgically modified. But do vaginas really require a surgery to appear aesthetically beautiful?

As a fact of matter, all vaginas are different and cannot be compared with each other. So, when did the beauty of differentiation become ugly?

In a country where people are not even comfortable enough to talk about sex, women are willing to put their genitals under a knife!

But why?

(Gif Courtesy: Giphy)

The Dichotomy of Good vs Bad

After looking at a number of before and after vagina images, I fail to understand what made the before "ugly" and the after "beautiful".

When it comes to the most private part of your bodies, who gets to decide whether it is good or bad?

Is no pubic hair with a "single-creased" vagina good and enlarged labia bad? No.

Is the porn industry setting these standards? Yes.

Is no pubic hair with a “single-creased” vagina good and enlarged labia bad? (Photo: iStock)

In many south Indian cities, when a woman is not able to conceive after marriage, she is forced to undergo a vaginal enlargement surgery. Is this normal? Or tightening your vagina for increased sexual gratification normal?

Confining to these notions of good and bad is what is more disturbing than the vaginal surgery itself; be it tightening or enlarging.

Time to Please my Partner?

A beautiful tight vagina which will be aesthetically pleasing to look at will surely please my partner.

Am I willing to voluntarily get a painful surgery done that will take weeks to heal?

Am I willing to stay away from all physical contact for weeks for that?

Surely not.

At a time when vaginal surgeries are becoming a rage, penis enlargement surgeries are not even mentioned. Which, by the way, have been performed for a longer time than vaginal surgeries.

(Gif Courtesy: Giphy)

Wait, Isn't Vaginal Surgery FGM?

Female genital mutilation is the removal of some or all of the external female genitalia to ‘control’ (ie: remove) sexual pleasure and desire of women and girls.

Designer vaginal surgeries are surgeries where the external part of the female genitalia is "trimmed" for ‘improved’ sexual gratification, much of the time for men.

Same-same, but different!

A country which is protesting against FGM has happily accepted designer vaginas.

I wonder why?

(Photo: iStock altered by The Quint)

Do we Really Need to 'Revirginise' Ourselves?

Why do we need to revirginise ourselves when there is absolutely no way to find out if the man is a virgin or not?

Yes, your vagina will get looser after you give birth to your children. Yes, it will change when you are sexually active. But do really need to feel 'like a virgin' rather than accepting who we are?

(Gif Courtesy: Giphy)

What if it Goes Wrong?

Yes, these beautification surgeries can go wrong too and there are a number of risks that come along with it.

Prolonged pain and swelling till it is healed that could also lead to loss of sensation and uncomfortable or painful intercourse in the long run.

What happened to “increased sexual gratification”?

(Gif Courtesy: Giphy)

For god's sake ladies, there have been numerous occasions when we have succumbed to the societal understanding of what is right and what is wrong. For years we have confined to the patriarchal understanding of what we need. For decades we have hated our bodies because of the labels that the society puts on us.

Can we please let our most intimate and private parts be the way they are?