Medical Essay on Cosmetic Genital Surgery

Cosmetic genital surgery is a relatively new field of medical practice that entails alteration of ones genitals to fit a preferred physical appearance. It is a controversial field as many people differ with the reasons why people decide to undertake cosmetic genital surgery.

For both labiaplasty and penile enlargement, the people who decide to undertake the procedures do it mostly for the reason of pleasing the other sex. For both the sexes, the decision to go under the knife and have the appearance of their genitalia changed is on most occasions a depiction of an underlying psychological problem rather than a physical issue. For most people, the inspiration to go under the knife was because someone had looked at them not being normal or perfect for having a penis regarded as short or a vagina which is not considered aesthetically attractive especially by the opposite sex. For example, twenty-one-year-old Rossie wanted her labia trimmed because her sister and boys she had slept with laughed at her. Jared wanted to undergo penile enlargement so that her girlfriend would talk positively to her peers about his penis and their sex in general.

The common theme in the film My Perfect Vagina and My Penis and Everyone Elses is the idea of what is regarded to as perfect by the society. In both films, both women and men feel as lesser individuals for not having genitalia that the society regards as perfect. The impact of this on the individuals is that they feel the necessity to fit in and hence decide to take an extreme measure such as surgery. The society has a fixed definition of what normal genitalia is for both the males and females. It fails to appreciate that genitalia just like everything else varies from person to person. It puts pressure on individuals to look in a certain way, which is impossible. From both films, it is clear that the problem is not with the physical appearance of the peoples genitalia but with the society and the way in which it has shaped the manner in which people look at this. When individuals look at themselves through this lens which is the society, they fail to appreciate the diversity of humans.

I think that altering ones genitals for cosmetic purposes is not a solution to the problem they have in the way they see themselves. The reason I believe this is the case is that on most occasions the reason why this category of people thinks of themselves as lesser individuals is that they do not look at themselves through their own eyes, but do so through the eyes of other people. People tend to criticize everything, and the society has a narrow range of what it deems perfect. What an individual ought to do in my opinion if they feel that their genitalia is not perfect, is to try and change the way in which they look at themselves. Just like physical appearance, the society is always going to find something to criticize. I believe the problem does not lie in the physical appearances of genitals but in the clouded lens through which people view them. Therefore, if any long-term solution to the problem is to be found, peoples perception is what ought to be reviewed.

In conclusion, labiaplasty and penile enlargement are similar in many aspects, mainly the reasons for doing them. The theme of the societys description of perfect is common in both films. I believe if one is dissatisfied with the appearance of their genitals, the solution lies in changing ones perspective and not undergoing cosmetic surgery to change that.