Genital modification and mutilation
[3][2] Similarly, pearling involves surgical insertion of small, inert spheres under the skin along the shaft of the penis for the purpose of providing sexual stimulation to the walls of the vagina.
[2] Similar to tattooing, genital scarification is primarily done for aesthetic reasons by adding decorative scars to the skin.
[7]: 1 : 17 : 22 The Brussels Collaboration on Bodily Integrity is made up of "physicians, ethicists, nurse-midwives, public health professionals, legal scholars, human rights advocates, political scientists, anthropologists, psychologists, sexologists, sociologists, philosophers, feminists from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas with interdisciplinary or experiential expertise in child genital cutting practices across a wide range of cultural contexts".
In a 2024 statement, it argued that: the hard-won protections that have been put in place for girls with anatomically normative genitalia, and now increasingly for children with certain intersex traits, will not be secure against objections and countervailing pressures as long as nonvoluntary clitoral reduction surgeries on children with CAH, “cosmetic” hypospadias surgeries, medically unnecessary removal of internal gonads, and nontherapeutic, nonreligious penile circumcision of newborns continue in healthcare settings unrestricted.
[7]: 24 In its second statement, it said: therefore, that as a matter of justice, inclusivity, and gender equality in medical-ethical policy (we do not take a position as to criminal law), clinicians should not be permitted to perform any nonvoluntary genital cutting or surgery in prepubescent minors, irrespective of the latter’s sex traits or gender assignment, unless urgently necessary to protect their physical health.
[9] For example, in cases involving male children with micropenis, doctors may recommend the child be reassigned as female.
[14] During childbirth, an episiotomy (cutting part of the tissue between the vagina and the anus) is sometimes performed to increase the amount of space through which the baby may emerge.
[1] The motivation behind such actions vary widely; it may be done due personal crisis related to gender identity, mental illness, self-mutilation, body dysmorphia, or social reasons.
[18] Infibulation, the most extreme form of FGM (known as Type III), consists of the removal of the inner and outer labia and closure of the vulva, while a small hole is left for the passage of urine and menstrual blood; afterwards the vagina will be opened after the wedding for sexual intercourse and childbirth (see episiotomy).
[21] Hymenorrhaphy refers to the practice of thickening the hymen, or, in some cases, implanting a capsule of red liquid within the newly created vaginal tissue.
In May 2007, an article published in the British Medical Journal strongly criticised this craze, citing its popularity being rooted in commercial and media influences.
[25] Some women undergo vaginoplasty or vulvoplasty procedures to alter the shape of their vulvas to meet personal or societal aesthetic standards.
She states that the media, such as pornography, creates an unhealthy view of what a "good looking vagina" is and how women feel that their privates are inferior and are therefore pressured to act upon that mindset.
[31] Also leading to a surge of these types of procedures is increased interest in non-surgical genital alterations, such as Brazilian waxing, that make the vulva more visible to judgment.
When performed with the consent of the adult individual, it can be considered an elective plastic surgery procedure for reducing the size and the area of the clitoral hood (prepuce) in order to further expose the glans of the clitoris; the therapeutic goal is thought to improve the sexual functioning of the woman, and the aesthetic appeal of her vulva.
Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, the double-layered fold of skin, mucosal and muscular tissue at the distal end of the human penis.
[39][40] Opponents, particularly of routine neonatal circumcision, question its preventive efficacy and object to subjecting non-consenting newborn males to a procedure that is potentially harmful, in their view, with little to no benefit, as well as violating their human rights and possibly negatively impacting their sex life.
Nonsurgical methods involve tissue expansion by stretching the penile skin forward over the glans penis with the aid of tension.
As well as being an aesthetic practice, this is usually intended to enhance the sexual pleasure of the receptive partner(s) during vaginal or anal intercourse.
Removing the penis was often performed on eunuchs and high ranking men who would frequently be in contact with women, such as those belonging to a harem.
[citation needed] In the United States In 1907 Bertha Boronda sliced off her husband's penis with a straight razor.
[55] Penile subincision is a form of genital modification involves a urethrotomy and vertically slitting the underside of the penis from the meatus towards to the base.
[56] When the surgery is not performed in a hospital or by a licensed medical professional, complications such as infection, exsanguination, or permanent damage are major concerns.
A rectal slit (also known as superincision) is an incision made along the upper length of the foreskin with the intention to expose the glans penis without removing skin or tissue.
The practice appears to have occurred in Ancient Egypt, though not commonly: A few examples of Old Kingdom ... statuary present some adult males—usually priests, functionaries, or low-status workers—as having undergone a vertical slit on the dorsal aspect of the prepuce, although no flesh has been removed.
Gerry Mackie, "Ending Footbinding and Infibulation: A Convention Account" Archived 2019-07-20 at the Wayback Machine, American Sociological Review, 61(6), December 1996 (pp.
999–1017), p. 1002: "Infibulation, the harshest practice, occurs contiguously in Egyptian Nubia, the Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia, also known as Islamic Northeast Africa."
