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Here, ob/gyns explain why you could stop stressing about this frankly magical part of your body.
Getty / JulyProkopiv
First, a quick lesson on your parts.
Those labia minora serve a similar protective purpose.
The two sets of lips are basically like bouncers for your most vulnerable parts.
Thats not all they do, though.
The outer ones also have a ton of nerve endings and can feel seriously good duringsex.
Basically, they’re fun and functional.
Labia can come in a variety of shapes and colors.
Sometimes they match and sometimes they dontwhether we’re talking shape or color.
The combinations are endless and pretty much all are “normal”.
Shes been practicing for over 35 years, so shes an excellent authority on the subject.
Sometimes the inner labia stay tucked in, sometimes they stick out past the outer ones.
Sometimes one side hangs a bit lower than the other.
Having labia that are longer or shorter than that doesnt mean youre abnormal.
Long, luscious, fluffy labia are perfectly normal and beautiful, says Dr. Hutcherson.
FYI: If youd like to see how much labia can really vary, check out the NSFWLabia Library.
Is the patriarchy too short and simple of an answer?
Kidding…kind of.
But really, its ridiculous that even labia are supposed to live up to certain conventional standards of beauty.
There are a few potential reasons why that pressure exists.
But the rise inhair removalmay also be involved.
But, let’s be clear, labia come in all different colors and all are normal!
Hey, not everyone loves every part of their body all the time, and thats totally fine.
So if youre not thrilled with the look of your labia, thats OK. Is it because a partner said something that made you feel insecure?
But some people do choose to do it for aesthetic reasons.
What exactly does alabiaplastyprocedure entail?
Recovery usually means a week off of work so you could reduce the pain and swelling with ice packs.
After four to six weeks, most women can go back to using tampons and having sex.
To be clear, some women’s livesarevastly improved by labiaplasty.
Those who do should feel enormously excited, and basically fall in love with how individually beautiful yourvulvais.
And Dr. Minkin notes that there’s also the chance of infection.
“You’re an inch away from therectum, so there’s a bundle of bacteria down there.
Why risk a significant infection for something thats not medically indicated?”
With that said, if anything about your labia bothers you, you shouldn’t just ignore it.
Whether your labia make you physically or emotionally uncomfortable, it’s worth checking in with your gynecologist.
If there’s a physical reason to consider labiaplasty, they can walk you through your options.
