The Muff March against `designer vagina` surgery

LINK:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-janemartinson/2011/dec/08/muff-march-designer-vagina-surgery
The Muff1 March against 'designer vagina' surgery
On Saturday morning, women will march down Harley Street to protest against the
pornification of our private parts
Kate O'Brien and Sinead King, members of the Muffia, in London in 2009. Photograph: Anna Gordon
"Keep your mitts2 off our muffs!3" "I love my vagina!" "You've put my chuff in a huff!"
These are some of the slogans of the Muff March taking place along London's Harley Street
Saturday morning. Its aim4? To raise awareness5 of the increase6 in gynaecological cosmetic
surgery – both7 on the NHS8 and in private clinics. The march, which has more than 300
1
Muff  a short tube of fur or warm cloth, into which women in the past put their hands in cold weather in
order to keep them warm. Manchon.
2
Mitt(s)  moufle(s), ou main(s) (cas ici)
3
Retirez vos mains de nos manchons! (à prendre au 2nd degré)
4
Son but/objectif
5
To raise awareness to sth  sensibiliser qq'1 à
6
Increase  augmentation
7
Both  à la fois X et Y (ici)
8
NHS  national health service  services de santé britanniques
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supporters on Facebook, is organised by campaigning group UK Feminista and performance
artists9 The Muffia, who dress up10 in nude bodysuits11 decorated with lavish12 pubic
hair13.
At its most modest, the Muff March is against the pornography-influenced obsession with
removing pubic hair. But it's also about protesting against the sort of surgery that makes you
cross your legs. Typical procedures on offer include labiaplasty (trimming14 or removing15
the labia16) and vaginal rejuvenation (tightening17 – usually referred to by "designer
vagina").
In the US this industry is worth18 $6.8m (£4.4m). In the UK the latest figures19 come from a
2009 report in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. It revealed that in 2008 the
number of operations increased by 70% compared with the previous year20: 1,118 labiaplasty
operations on the NHS. (There were 669 in 2007 and 404 in 2006.) And that's just the NHS.
The Harley Medical Group reported over 5,000 inquiries21 about cosmetic gynaecology last
year, 65% for labial reduction.
Professor Linda Cardozo of King's College London recently warned of the risks22 of
labiaplasty: permanent scarring23, infections, bleeding24 and irritation. "The private sector is
not recorded, audited or regulated. At least25 if you have it on the NHS you have to go
through your GP26 and that's a gatekeeper27." (Although28 one anonymous blogger writes on
the NHS website: "I have flaps29 of skin30 everywhere and the whole thing31 is a total
mess32. I will never be able to be intimate again.")
I recently heard of a woman GP very concerned33 by the number of girls in their mid-teens
coming to her worried about what their genitals looked like: she thought it was becoming an
9
Performance artists  acteurs
To dress up  se déguiser (ici)
11
Bodysuit une combinaison
12
Lavish  en abondance (ici)
13
Pubic hair  poils pubiens
14
To trim  tailler (ici)
15
To remove  retirer
16
Labia  lèvres (parties génitales)
17
To tighten  resserrer
18
To be worth sth  valoir qq chose
19
The latest figures  les derniers chiffres
20
L'année précédente
21
Inquiry(ies)  demande de renseignements
22
A alerté (la population) sur les risques
23
Perm scarring  cicatrices permanentes
24
Bleeding  saignement (sang  blood)
25
At least  au moins
26
GP  doctor
27
A gatekeeper  un gardien
28
Although  bien que, même si
29
Flaps of  pans
30
Skin  peau
31
The whole thing  la totalité
32
Mess  pagaille
33
To be concerned  être inquiet
10
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issue34 largely because of the fashion for shaving off35 pubic hair, which made them more
self-conscious. Of course, there are rare cases where there is an underlying36 medical reason
for this surgery, but they are just that, extremely rare. A doctor who has treated women
seeking37 labiaplasty told me: "When you examine them, they are completely normal."
Some experts suggest this is a new form of body dysmorphic disorder. Others see it as a
depressing but logical extension of the pornification of our culture. As it becomes more
acceptable for young people to watch porn (where a "standardised" genital appearance is
encouraged and many of the women have no pubic hair), so young women having their first
sexual experiences are being measuring – and measuring themselves – against this weird38
porn "norm". As one woman who has sought surgery says: "I browsed through39 one of my
brother's Playboys to see what the girls looked like. Some seemed to have very small or
almost no labia." In a world where not even your labia can ever be pretty enough, it's time to
fight back40. Forward march, muffs!
34
An issue  problème, question
To shave sth off  raser complétement
36
Underlying  sous-jacent
37
To seek – sought – sought (formal) chercher
38
Weird  bizarre
39
To browse through  parcourir, lire rapidement
40
To fight back – fought – fought  contre-attaquer
35
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