by Camille Nurka (Author)
Examining the fascinating history of female genital cosmetic surgery,
Camille Nurka traces the origins of contemporary ideas of genital
normality. Over the past twenty years, Western women have become
increasingly worried about the aesthetic appearance of their labia
minora and are turning to cosmetic surgery to achieve the ideal vulva: a
clean slit with no visible protrusion of the inner lips. Long labia
minora are described by medical experts as ‘hypertrophied,’ a term that
implies deformity and the atypical. But how far back does the diagnosis
of labial hypertrophy go, and where did it originate? Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery tells the story of the female genitalia from the
alien world of ancient Greek gynaecology to the colonial period of
exploration and exploitation up to the present day. Bringing together
historical, medical, and theoretical documentation and commentary, Nurka
uncovers a long tradition of pathologizing female anatomy, a history
sure to be of interest to any reader who wishes to know more about how
medicine shapes our commonly held ideals.
