Lip service

So I was 'net surfing last night about reconstructive surgeries and came across a procedure known as labiaplasty.  As in, vaginal labia "lift" surgery.  At first I thought it was a procedure for women with certain gynecological health issues but it turns out that it's actually an increasingly popular elective procedure for women who are dissatisfied with the appearance of their vaginas.  I thought I'd heard everything.

Perhaps it is not surprising; the pressure to fit a certain societal standard of beauty is not a new one, but I guess I'm just surprised, amazed and saddened by how far some people will go.  One of the doctors quoted in the article mentioned that it is an inevitable result of the media and the easy access to pornography; men and women view these images and find that their own bodies fall by the wayside.  Many women, this doctor states, bring in pictures of porn stars, point and say, "Make me look like her."  You know how some hair stylists have folders of celebrity hairstyles for customers to choose from?  Imagine the samples in a plastic surgeon's office:  "I'd like the Janet Jackson Special, please."  Yikes.

I think the worst part of this trend is the middle-aged women who requested the surgery, not because they wanted it themselves but, because their husbands or boyfriends did not like their sagging labia.  Their partners' remarks made them so self-conscious they elected to have a surgery that can have fairly serious risks, including scarring, infection and nerve damage.  One woman went even farther; before the surgery, this woman states, her marriage was on the rocks and her husband told her after giving birth to their four children, "she was looser and he didn't want her anymore."  She had the labiaplasty along with a procedure called "vaginal rejuvenation" to tighten her vulva.  She reports:  "He's become my sweetheart again," she said. "He bought me a house and he wants me all the time."  
 
But why the hell do you want him?