Labiaplasty and the Melancholic Breast

Abstract

This article is an attempt to think through the sociosymbolic dimensions of the phenomenon of nonmedical or cosmetic surgical reduction of the labia minora, an interventionist medical practice that is gaining currency in the contemporary Western context. The article seeks to navigate the symbolic meaning of labial excision in the contemporary Western “postfeminist” context. I suggest that the desire for labiaplasty is embedded in a dialectical narrative of femininity that draws upon a specifically postfeminist distinction between desirable sexuality and undesirable maternity. I use the Kleinian theory of melancholic loss to argue that the contemporary desire for labiaplasty is indicative of a failure of mourning and the inability to establish the maternal breast as a good internal object in the psychosocial formation of the feminine body-ego. I argue that because the mother’s breast cannot be legitimately mourned, the female body is compelled to abject its reproductive, animal materiality.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am very grateful to my friend, colleague, and “partner in Klein” Natalie Kamber for her suggestions and psychoanalytic insights. I also thank Alexis Harley for her helpful comments on an earlier draft and the anonymous reviewers for generously sharing their time and expertise.

Notes

¹ This approach can be considered a watered-down, not to mention decontextualized, version of more thoughtful critiques of radical feminism coming from “sex positive” quarters of contemporary feminism, the proponents of which see no need to announce feminism’s death just because they disagree with the way sex has traditionally been treated by feminist theorists.

² As early as 1668, French obstetrician Francis Mauriceau had advised surgical intervention in women who “have … [the nymphae] so great and long, that they are necessitated to have them cut off, so much as exceeds and grow without the Lips” (Mauriceau, 1683, p. 25).

³ In Australia, for instance, obscenity laws preclude the publication of images that show labial lips in “unrestricted” category soft-porn publications, such as Penthouse (which can be sold to people over the age of 15 and under the age of 18).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Camille Nurka

Camille Nurka, Ph.D., is a sessional academic in Gender Studies. Her research interests include postfeminism in popular culture and, more recently, the body in public.