Associate Professor Gemma Sharp never thought she would find herself in a theatre urging the audience to yell, “Vulva!”
“I thought – like a lot of people – why would people be getting surgery on a body part that lots of people don’t see?” Sharp says. Female genital cosmetic surgery can be performed by anyone with a medical degree, and no formal training is required.“The incidence has not declined, it’s continued to steadily climb from the American stats and what you find online and in the chats,” Simonis says.“There is a phrase that is used to describe what fleshy genital appearance looks like through clothing, and it’s camel toe. And there are all sorts of derogatory comments around that,” Simonis says.
Many GPs at the time of the study felt their knowledge was inadequate to deal with requests for female genital cosmetic surgery.for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, which recommend GPs educate patients about genital diversity, consider mental health and relationship abuse issues, and refer patients for a gynaecological assessment.
A Victorian Education Department spokesman says department resources support schools to provide students with sexuality education that includes realistic and age-appropriate diagrams of genitalia. The video does not include any explicit images. It uses artistic representations of vulvas – such as cupcakes – and medical illustrations to show the diversity of genital appearance.
“My great concern is that if you shorten the labia, women are more likely to tear when they have babies and this is very difficult to repair,” O’Hara says.