Labia pride
The Labia pride movement is a feminist activist movement that attempts to raise awareness for the normal anatomical appearance of the female vulva and defy a perceived growing trend towards cosmetic genital surgery (labiaplasty, also known as âdesigner vaginaâ).[1] It is supported by several independent feminist groups and based on diverse channels of communication such as cyberfeminism, protest marches and advocating boycotts against physicians and clinics that make use of deceptive advertising.
Forms of activism
Muff March
The London-based feminist group UK feminista organized a protest march through London's Harley Street, that is known for its high density of upscale medical providers, in December 2011.[2] More than 320 women paraded the street, with slogans like: âKeep your mits off our bits!â, âThereâs nothing finer than my vagina!â, and âHarley Street puts my chuff in a huffâ[3]
âMuff March is about speaking back to a pornified culture which is pressuring women to go under the surgeonâs knife and get a âdesigner vaginaâ. We also want to shine a spotlight on the cosmetic surgeons who ruthlessly mine womenâs bodies to extract maximum profit.[...] Now pornography is exposing women to the toxic myth that there is one ârightâ way for their labia to look. Itâs time to fight back.ââKat Banyard, Director of UK Feminista[3]
The "Muff March" has been criticized for putting too much emphasis on pornography as a root cause of the problem.[4]
Photo campaigns
The growing demand for labiaplasty surgery is sometimes attributed to the idea that many women, as well as men, have unrealistic expectations regarding genital appearance. Almost all explicit depictions of female genitalia that people are confronted with are produced by the adult industry. These media are usually produced in a commercial context and primarily address male customers. Therefore, these depictions of female genitalia are oftentimes "beautified" to suit commercial need (or in some countries for legal reasons),[5] either by the selection of models with a certain anatomy or by photoshopping the images. In practice, this means smoothing out irregularities and "digitally shortening" the labia minora.
"A whole generation of young women who have grown up with ready access to the Internet are learning about their bodies and sexuality through this medium...Often the first and only way girls get to have a good look at other girls' naked genitals is through pornography, [which gives] a false view of what real women look like."âMadeleine Davies[6]
Several feminist groups, such as the Large Labia Project or Courageous Cunts try to oppose the influence that pornography has on anatomic expectations. By encouraging women to release images of their vulvas and post photo submissions of anonymous vulvas on their websites, they want to establish a sphere for women to get realistic impressions of normal vulvas.
However, the campaign itself has been criticized. By giving the false impression that protruding labia are the anatomical norm and small inner labia are the adaptation to beauty standards, it ignores the fact that many women have naturally small labia:
"In an effort to make âreal womenâ feel better about themselves, some labia proud ladies are taking shots at girls whose labia actually look like the imaginary âBarbieâ ideal. Turns out, some girls are actually born like that. Labia, like boobs or entire bodies, come in all shapes, sizes, colors and textures. Shaming one to make another type feel better is bad news. Think of it in terms of thin women who are often shamed or shunned in support of body image advocacy for larger girls."âJessica Sager[7]
Furthermore, these campaigns as well have been criticized for putting too much blame on the porn industry and the subjection to male desires. It is argued that even though this might be the case to a certain degree, other factors that boost these surgeries are basically ignored.[7][8]
New View campaign
New View is a New York City based, grassroots network of feminists, social scientists and health care providers. In a self-description, New View "is opposed to the growth of the unregulated and unmonitored genital cosmetic surgery industry that is medicalizing women's sexuality and creating new risks, norms and insecurities."[9] The group initiated several events with the aim of empowering women and raising awareness for the topic under names such as the Vulvagraphics or Vulvanomics. These include workshops to "celebrate the role of art in activism and to kick off a campus-based movement to celebrate genital diversity",[10][11] "flash activism" in front of surgeonâs offices,[12] conferences (Framing the Vulva)[13] and street demonstrations.[14]
Courageous Cunts
Courageous Cunts is a feminist website,[15] founded in 2012, that is focused on issues of body empowerment and genital self-awareness. Its primary concern is the critical reception of women's health issues, sexualized body images and the sexual objectification of female bodies. Courageous Cunts considers itself to be part of the so-called labia pride movement, with the aim of raising awareness for critical issues around labiaplasty and empowering women to overcome body shame. The site ran a campaign during which women could publicly post photographs of their vulva to promote a natural genital image and protest against "porn aesthetics".[16][17]
See also
References
- â 1.0 1.1 The âlabia prideâ movement. Rebelling against the porn aesthetic, women are taking to the Internet to sing the praises of "endowed" women - Salon
- â Hackney Feminist leads âMuff Marchâ protest - Hackney Gazette
- â 3.0 3.1 Rise in âdesigner vaginasâ sparks Muff March protests - Press release: UK Feminista
- â Is the Muff March such a cunning stunt? - The Guardian
- â "Healing It To A Single Crease". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 2012-06-06. Video-Podcast on Vimeo
- â This Ainât No Porn Star Vagina: Large Labias Need Love Too - Jezebel
- â 7.0 7.1 The Labia Pride Movement Has A Few Problems - Gurl Magazine
- â Insecure About Your Vagina? Sharing a Photo on the Internet Won't Fix That. - Slate
- â Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery (FGCS) Activism - New View
- â Challenging the Medicalization of Sex - New View Campaign
- â VULVAGRAPHICS: An intervention in honor of female genital diversity! - Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, New York University
- â Flash activism - New View Campaign
- â A Different Kind of Vulva Story: Las Vegas New View Conference - About
- â Plastic Surgery Below the Belt - Time Magazine
- â Courageous Cunts website
- â Clark-Flory, Tracy (February 17, 2013). "The "labia pride" movement: Rebelling against the porn aesthetic, women are taking to the Internet to sing the praises of "endowed" women.". Salon.com. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
- â SourdĂšs, Lucile (February 21, 2013). "RĂ©volution vulvienne: Contre lâimage de la vulve parfaite, elles se rebellent sur Internet". Rue89. Retrieved 2013-04-12.
External links
- The âlabia prideâ movement - Salon