I think it’s important for us to ask ourselves who women are doing this for
November 10, 2024 12:00 PM
“Do you want to see it?” my friend asks me, her eyes shining with excitement. “Looks really good!” The “it” he is referring to is her vagina.
My friend has had a labiaplasty, a treatment that sees women turning to the knife to give themselves a supposedly more aesthetically pleasing, “younger-looking” vulva. And I get it. We all want to look younger. In pursuit of youth, we spend billions on anti-wrinkle injections, hair transplants, gym memberships, breast jobs. It was probably inevitable that our fear of aging would extend to our breasts, but that doesn’t make me any less concerned about why women like my friend do this.
This anti-aging fad seems to be taking on a life of its own. The “vaginal rejuvenation” industry was estimated to be worth $3.57 billion in 2023 and expected to grow more than 22 percent by 2030. Plus, a quick look at TikTok and you can see that social media is full of women hoping not only for a “better looking” trick, but also for an anatomically tighter trick.
Influencers tell their young audience to “improve their coochie” with tips and tricks and Kegel exercise routines, accompanied by captions that read “your man will love you for it.” One video says to drink boiled water with star anise to help tighten things, which is so ridiculous I could laugh.
At clinics across the UK you can get a facial, get an eyebrow wax and have a giant wand inserted into you that emits a light that is supposed to have a tightening effect. If you can do that and not make a slight Star Wars noise as he walks in, you’re a better woman than me. Injectable gels, similar to dermal fillers, are also available in UK clinics.
While I’ve usually been supportive of whatever improvements women want to make to feel better, I think it’s important for us to ask ourselves who they’re doing it for.
Now I could be wrong, but I’ve never met a woman who woke up one day and said, “I think my vagina needs to be tighter, smaller, and look younger.” This opinion has likely been formed and influenced by men, whether it’s a direct comment from a partner or perhaps influenced by what they see online or in pornography. It saddens me that this may cause women to go under the knife or use products that could make them feel uncomfortable.
Even high street offerings – such as vaginal tightening gels – carry risks. Dr Shirin Lakhani, a former NHS doctor and now a doctor at Elite Aesthetics in Kent, told me: ‘These gels tend to dry out the vaginal lining, which in turn reduces lubrication in the vagina. A reduction in lubrication leads to friction and a feeling of being “tighter” than a lack of lubrication. However, eventually, this friction can cause microtears and damage to the vagina itself. Vaginal gels can also cause vaginal problems such as swelling and irritation. They may also disrupt the delicate vaginal microbiome leading to problems such as bacterial vaginosis.”
The more research I’ve done on this topic, the more sinister things become. For example, after watching a handful of Kegel exercises on TikTok, I get a video talking about hymenoplasty—the process of rebuilding a ruptured hymen.
In some cultures, virginity is highly valued and there is an expectation that a woman should bleed during sex on her wedding night. Hymenoplasty can be used to make sure this happens.
I understand that we’re not just talking about new looking vaginas anymore – the videos being transferred to my phone are now of people wanting an anatomically new vagina. What message does this send to women and our younger generations?
Hymenoplasty and virginity testing (where a girl or woman’s genitals are checked for a hymen) were both banned in the UK in 2022, described as honor abuse. However, it is still offered by clinics overseas and there are fears it has been driven underground into backstreet clinics here.
I can’t help but feel that women have learned this pressure and now comply with firming gels, herbal teas and, in the extreme, hymen reconstruction.
We feel like we’ve turned a dangerous new corner, where not only are our breasts expected to look young, they’re somehow expected to be physically younger. In a world where misogyny is on the rise, I think it would be wise to think about what choices women make about themselves and their bodies, and what choices are made for them.
Lauren Layfield is a broadcaster, author and presenter
