Tag Archives: labia

“I never realised they were so different”: understanding the impact of the labia library

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Women’s Health Victoria, October 2018

Recognising that women are increasingly altering their genitalia through cosmetic surgery, WHV developed the Labia Library, a unique online resource that supports positive body image by informing women about the natural diversity in normal female genital appearance.

The Labia Library houses a gallery of 40 unaltered photographs of female genitalia.
This provides viewers with the opportunity to learn about the diversity of normal female
genitalia and make visual comparisons, in a safe and private way. The site also contains information about anatomy, female genital cosmetic surgery, hair removal, media literacy and pornography.

In order to gain an understanding of the effectiveness of the resource in improving
women’s health literacy, a survey with a free text option was promoted on the Labia
Library home page from September 2013 to July 2015

Overall, the vast majority of survey respondents indicated a positive perception
of the resource, often experiencing a significant reduction in anxiety and
reassurance of normality associated with genital appearance.

 

Knowing your labia (radio on demand)

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Triple R radio,18.04.2017

What does a “normal” labia look like? What is driving the increased demand of labioplasty? These are some of the questions leading to the creation of The Labia Library, an initiative from Women’s Health Victoria.

It provides access to unaltered images of women’s labia, in order to dispel concerns and myths due to the rise of censored and altered images in pornography. Dr Amy Webster of Women’s Health Victoria joins the Breakfasters on Triple R radio to discuss this vital resource.

  • Listen here (please note this link does not work in all browsers: we had success with Explorer, but not with Chrome).

Female genital mutilation ban left out of new SA child protection laws

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The Advertiser, February 14, 2017 8:02pm

The state’s Guardian for Children has complained that a ban on female genital mutilation has been left out of new South Australian child protection laws.

Read more here 

Female genital mutilation is hurting Australian girls and we must work together to stamp it out

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The Conversation, February 9th, 2017

Female genital mutilation or cutting is largely hidden in Australia and other high-income countries. Most people don’t consider it a major issue. But our research shows it should be.

Our research found girls are presenting to paediatricians in Australia with female genital mutilation, but misconceptions about the practice are common and doctors want more information on how to manage this illegal practice.

  • Read more of article here 
  • Read Female genital mutilation and cutting: a systematic literature review of health professionals’ knowledge, attitudes and clinical practice (open access) here
  • Read Female genital mutilation in children presenting to Australian paediatricians (open access) here

 

Labiaplasty surgery prompted by derogatory comments, research finds

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ABC Health & Wellbeing, posted

Every year thousands of women undergo labiaplasties – a relatively new surgical procedure that alters the folds of skin surrounding a woman’s vagina: the labia minora (inner labia) and the labia majora (outer labia).

Derogatory comments about the appearance of their genitals, as well as physical discomfort during certain activities have been identified as key reasons for why women have the surgery.

Research from Flinders University in Adelaide explored the intimate experiences of women who underwent a labiaplasty.

  • Read more here
  • Access abstract of Flinders Uni research here (see your librarian for full text)