I find it very disturbing how there are actually people in this world who would go through that kind of surgery. It sounds extremely painful. And what on earth is a 'designer vagina?' Seriously, I'd rather spend my $5,000 on something more useful.

Tres, you know I love you - but I think a "designer vagina" is a really unfair way to look at this. There are a number of legitimate medical issues that could cause someone to have a labiaplasty. It's a serious surgery - you could end up anorgasmic. I think most doctors would not perform this unless there was a clear need.

There has to be a balance here, real need v real crazy. Sadly some plastic surgeons sadly will exploit the latter.

Spacektgal — The article I read focuses on genital surgeries done primarily for appearance's sake rather than for medical purposes. I'm just calling attention to the way in which there is almost no part of a woman's body, it seems, that doesn't need "correction" based on some impossible standard.

I can only see this being acceptable to do if your children have destroyed your vag trough childbirth, or if you have a medical condition.

I understand both sides (as supported by Spacekatgal and Tresugar).

There are cases were lapioplasties were medically warranted, and some were about cosmetics (no medical conditions existed).

Designer Vaginas? Can I get mine with the Burberry plaid?

Okay, well - I think we'd both agree on that, Tres! If you're doing this to get a "perfect" vagina, you might want to look into therapy for body dismorphic disorder. Thank you for explaining.

Hey if I ever get those loose, hanging, floppy vagina lips, you can be sure I'll sign up for a labiaplasty.

I know somebody who has considered this but couldn't afford it and was too embarrassed to talk with her doctor about it. Her reason was she has the hanging labia and it gets caught and pulled during sex, often making sex painful. She also blames it for why her boyfriends never last, which no matter what I say, I can't convince her otherwise. She thinks it has to do with breaking her hymen when she was little - riding a bike and had a biking accident. She's never been able to have an orgasm nor let a guy go down on her because she feels like a freak. For people like her, I think it could be justified as a necessary medical procedure.

I agree, Yogaforlife.

I don't think pictures of models cause people to exercise and diet, and I don't think there's any one cause for this. My guess would be that either women have a legitimate reason (like Yoga's friend), or if it's for purely cosmetic reasons, they have a mental illness.

I've often wondered - and this is horrible but I'm also speaking from personal experience - if certain "curvy" celebs have had theirs "done", because i'm sorry, if you're a heavier gal, well, things tend to get chubby. Sad, can't we even leave THAT part of ourselves alone?

I realize I don't have one but this is crazy. If this is happening more often than not for cosmetic reasons to meet a perceived standard that standard must have originated from men. I don't understand how in this day and age where men's exploitations of women have been unveiled that women still buy into these standards lock stock and barrel. These women need to own their beauty and stop allowing a patriarchal society to screw with their heads.

I don't know how (un)common it is to have a hanging labia, but I know that I always was wondering about that flap of skin "down there." This will sound weird, but I had a conversation w/ my gfs about ladyparts and sex, and I mentioned my "condition." Well, come to find that they also had the same thing! We all had thought it was an odd and ugly abnormal part of our bodies. Perhaps some women have it and, while I was never conditioned by anyone to think it was wrong or gross, I had thought to myself, how useless and unsightly. After that conversation, I felt "normal" and have not felt self-conscious about it since!

If it's causing physical discomfort, ok, but no doubt there are women out there opting for this surgery for purely cosmetic reasons. We nip, tuck, wax, pluck every other part of our bodies, why not?

There was an artist who did plaster casts of women's vaginas in response to the idea of "designer vaginas". Google Jamie McCartney. If you can find images, I think you'll find your vagina is normal.

I realize not many on here will agree with me, but I would honestly do this. I've never liked the look of mine, it has parts that get in the way, and I'm so self-conscious that it intrudes on sex sometimes, despite positive feedback. I don't think that I have a mental problem, although some might disagree. I honestly don't really see a difference between this and breast implants or liposuction (which are also potentially dangerous, mostly unnecessary, and generally performed solely for cosmetic reasons).

That's disturbing.

I don't think mines perfect, far from it. Like Tlsgirl, mine gets in the way sometimes and it kills to the mood to have to"readjust" every now and again during sex so it doesn't hurt. However, I know that if I did go for the surgery I wouldn't do anything drastic (I wouldn't walk in with a photo of a porn stars vag for instance), just a little tuck to make things a bit easier.

The vagina is gorgeous and wonderfully sculpted. I've always believed that while the penis looks like it was put together hastily(ha!) the vagina was time consuming and a work of pure perfection. They come in all shapes and sizes, like we as humans do, and we should love them fore the beauty they are.
But I think if someone really wants to have it done, why not? It's like plastic surgery, if it makes someone feel better then more power to you.

Autumns_Eleg, I agree with you. It's a bit uncomfortable to always be "readjusting" during situations and to tell you the truth, I have considered labioplasty. I have also considered it ugly at times and been embarrassed by it. I think it was the fact that my boyfriend is so wonderful and seems to really appreciate every part of me the way it is that helps me to appreciate my body the way it is. It took him loving it to help me understand how perfectly unique and gorgeous it truly was.
I think many women have this view of the "perfect vagina" maybe based on what it looked like before puberty or when we just hit puberty. When it was all "nice and neat" and "in place". I think we also tend to think we are the only ones who have a different thing going on down there. But in all actuality, each vagina is different and unique. And a small percentage actually resemble what they did prior to puberty. Just as all men's penises are different, so are women's vaginas.

This is disgusting. Next women will be getting surgeries to rearrange their organs a certain way.

Anonymous, you don't need surgery for that, just a well-made corset. They already thought of that.

A lot of women think their vagina is kind of ugly... I don't think genitalia was meant to be pretty.

Sorry, but I disagree. I think it is culture which has taught us that our genitalia is not pretty. I think it is quite the opposite - very beautiful and resembles a flower.

Long live Betty Dodson (if you don't know of her, check her out!).