1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910337707403321

Autore

Nurka Camille

Titolo

Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery : Deviance, Desire and the Pursuit of Perfection / / by Camille Nurka

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Palgrave Macmillan, , 2019

ISBN

9783319964904

3319964909

Edizione

[1st ed. 2019.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (276 pages) : illustrations

Disciplina

618.1059

Soggetti

Sex

Human body - Social aspects

Social medicine

Sociology

Gender Studies

Sociology of the Body

Medical Sociology

Sociological Theory

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Includes index.

Nota di contenuto

1. Introduction -- 2. Ancient Anatomies -- 3. Galen's Nymphs -- 4. The Colonial Races Sciences -- 5. Sexual Anthropometry -- 6. Deviant Desires -- 7. Desiring Normality -- 8. DIY Sex.

Sommario/riassunto

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 beof interest to any reader who wishes to know more about how medicine shapes our commonly held ideals. .