The increasing phenomena of the ‘clean slit’ perpetrated by the porn industry have resulted in women questioning the sizes of their labia and a rise in the surgical procedure Labiaplasty.  This idea that pussies in porn are perfect and all our vulva should look the same is insane and contradictory to how human bodies are designed.  No two human bodies are identical, so how is it now an expectation that our vulvas should look identical?

What are the labia?

Within our vulvas exist our labia majora, known as the outer lips, and our labia minora, known as the inner lips.  It is ironic how they were labeled because most people’s labia minora are much bigger than their labia majora and will protrude past the outer lips.

When we become sexually aroused, blood flows into both lips, causing them to swell and engorge with blood.  As a result, the lips’ size can significantly increase, with the inner lips growing more extensive than the outer lips.

Your inner lips are like your fingerprint

These inner lips are like a unique identifier for your vulva.  No two are the same.  Consider them your vulva fingerprint.  The inner lips start just under the nub of the clitoris and can run all the way down to the vaginal opening.  Some will fan out while others will be wrinkled, some can peak up like peacock feathers when aroused, others can droop, some will deepen in colour, and others will not.

The tissue of the inner lips is identical to the tissue of the glans of the penis, which means they are jam-packed full of nerve endings and sexually reactive.  This is why they can feel sexually pleasurable when tugged, licked, and caressed during foreplay and sexual intercourse.  They are meant for your pleasure for this very reason.

My lips look different from yours and even from each other

Your inner lips will vary from ¼ inch to 4 inches long and from ¼ inch to 2 inches wide.  They will most likely be asymmetrical, much like many of our bodies.  One boob is bigger than the other, one foot is bigger than the other, oh look, guess what, one lip will be bigger than the other.  They are designed for pleasure.  Their purpose is to move inwards and outwards as the penis moves in and out of the vagina.  This movement pulls and tugs on the glans of the clitoris and helps to stimulate the clitoris, leading to sexual arousal of the nerve endings at the opening of the vaginal canal.  Those lips are designed to give you pleasure.  Aren’t we lucky as women, our own set of pleasure lips, working in the interests of sexually arousing us?

The porn model on the Vulva

Due to porn’s preference for showcasing small inner labia or using women who have had labiaplasty, there has been an increase in women not liking the look of their vulvas, and the rate of labiaplasty performed has increased.  There is this assumption that pussies depicted in porn are the ‘perfect’ pussies; however, this preference for small inner labia women in porn is not about pleasure and everything to do with the visual.

The porn industry does not depict or view female genitalia from a pleasure perspective.  To porn, the female genitalia is all about camera angles and visual images.  As a porn director, I cannot clearly see a penis entering the vaginal canal if a big inner lip is in the way.  Or I cannot get a clear vision of a man attempting to perform oral on the woman if the inner lips are getting in the way of that camera angle, so what should we do?  Let’s cut them off; problem solved, right?  I mean, sure, when it’s never been about the pleasure for the woman but the camera angle and visuals. 

The very lips that exist to provide pleasure for women during sex are now being removed to satisfy a camera angle and visual of female genitalia. 

So what happens when you cut your inner lips off?

Labiaplasty, a surgical procedure that reshapes the labia, is now the fastest-growing cosmetic surgery procedure.  What is concerning is that in a survey of GPs, they reported girls as young as 11 are looking to alter the appearance of their genitals.

So are there any valid medical reasons to have a labiaplasty performed?  There are two medical indications for surgery.  The first is if the labia are significantly large in that they cause discomfort and friction within everyday activities.  The second is if the labia are extremely asymmetrical and result in chafing or painful sex.

For the record, labiaplasty is only covered by Medicare in Australia if the labia extends greater than 8 cm past the vaginal opening.

Like all surgical procedures, labiaplasty comes with potential risks and side effects.  In fact, some of the significant side effects include:

• Painful or uncomfortable labia.  Yes, sometimes the surgery results in more painful or uncomfortable labia than you previously had.
• Painful or uncomfortable urination.  Due to the increased sensitivity in the vaginal area or incorrect tissue sculpting in the labia and near the clitoral hood, urination may become very painful.  You may need additional surgery to correct this.
• Loss of sensation.  You may, in fact, end up with a decreased sensation in the labia.  Those pleasure lips will no longer be pleasurable.
• Scarring or changes in pigmentation

Learn to love the lips

I advise anyone questioning whether they are ‘normal’ or concerned about the shape or size of their lips.  Grab a mirror.  Find a quiet place alone and spend some time looking at your fantastic vulva.  It is yours.  Those lips are unique to you; no one else has a set like yours.  They are there for your pleasure.  YOUR PLEASURE!

If you would like to confirm my theory that all labia are different, come in various sizes and shapes and colours, and are just AMAZING no matter what shape or size they are, then I encourage you to visit the Labia Library.  The Labia Library was developed by Women’s Health Victoria to show you that, like all parts of our bodies, our labia’s are unique to us and come in various shapes and sizes.  It is packed with information and designed to debunk some common myths about how normal labia should look.  There’s even a fantastic photo gallery that will prove what I have been saying.  Our labia are unique, amazing, and wonderful.