For Your Consideration #2 - Labiaplasty

I began reading an article on the blog Anne of Carversville regarding the use of the term "vajayjay" vs. "vagina."  Which I suppose could be a debate for a later time.  But as you might expect, the article points out the fact that North American woman are still not comfortable discussing the subject and have adopted the term vajayjay from the TV show Grey's Anatomy.  Further along in the article it mentioned a topic I didn't even know existed.  I guess I'll have to renew my subscription to Cosmo so I am more informed on these matters.  The topic was Labiaplasty.  Which is the practice of performing cosmetic surgery on the labia majora/minora.  Some of these surgeries are being performed on woman for reconstructive or corrective reasons.  However, the article indicates that this surgery has become more popular in the last 30 months and most of the procedures are being performed for cosmetic or aesthetic reasons.  What does a labiaplasty look like you ask?  Here is a link to a clinical franchise that specializes in the procedure and has 18 locations in 12 states in the U.S.  There are 16 surgeons on this page, each with their own before & after photos, just like a line-up at Jenny Craig.  The obvious irony here is that although American woman apparently cannot bring themselves to use the word "vagina," there is enough of a demand for these cosmetic procedures to justify this one company to have an 18 location franchise across the entire country.

I'm a glamour photographer and a man.  Which means I work in a world that is synonymous with aesthetics and vanity, and probably shouldn't be talking about vagina's or vajayjay's for that matter for fear of not only being called a hypocrite but having a bunch of feminists jump down my throat.  I am neither condemning nor exonerating this practice.  I only present it here for your consideration.  But as with many types of cosmetic surgery, I have to wonder who these procedures are really being performed for?  Are they for the woman themselves to improve their self esteem, or is it the pressure of the beauty conscious world we live in to have a perfect body?  I suppose it really shouldn't be all that surprising.  First it was faces, then breasts, you can get butt or ab implants, and now you can have a perfect pussy too.  Oops, I mean vagina. 

Save it for Facebook

Every once in awhile, I come across a model portfolio on sites like DeviantArt.com or ModelMayhem who are including personal photos of things like their kids, or their dog/cat. This boggles my mind. Not to sound harsh, but I don't care how cute you think your kids are or what your trendy little chihuahua looks like in his new Christmas sweater. Post that stuff on Facebook or open a flickr account and invite your friends and family to view them there. These online portfolios are supposed to help generate interest in people working with you as a model.  It's a way to sell yourself and showcase your talents and your aesthetic.  As a photographer, if I am researching you as a perspective model and I see photos of your kids on your profile, it makes me think you are not serious about modelling and that you don't have a solid grasp of what the industry is about.  It's great that you love your kids or your dog and that you're proud of the photos, but it does absolutely nothing to exhibit your talents or assets.  It's called a portfolio, not a family photo album.