"the Happiness Promised By Genital Aesthetics": Female Genital Cosmetic Surgeries in Türkiye

The advertisements circulating online with the theme "enhancing happiness through genital aesthetics" suggest that the female genitalia are perceived as having a "disturbing appearance," which can lead to psychological issues, negatively impacting women's sexual and family lives. Female genital aesthetic surgeries (FGCS), which include procedures such as labiaplasty, vaginoplasty, perineoplasty, G-spot enhancement, clitoral hood reduction, genital whitening, and hymenoplasty, involve altering the structure and appearance of a "healthy" female sexual organ without medical indications. These surgeries are motivated by aesthetic, functional, sexual, and cultural reasons. Traditionally, medical discourse, as well as the state and family, has focused on the vagina from a penetration-centered perspective (virginity checks, vaginismus, hymenoplasty) and its heteronormative functionality. However, in this study, I argue that with the increasing prevalence of female genital aesthetic surgeries, a new discourse on the vagina is emerging in Türkiye (and globally). This new discourse emphasizes that the aesthetic appearance of the vagina is as important as its function. In this context, my research explores 1) how clinics and doctors’ market FGCS on their websites, what justifications they offer, and what risks are overlooked; 2) how FGCS is linked to women's psychological and sexual well-being. Employing digital ethnography and content analysis of clinic and doctors’ websites, I explore the rise of female genital aesthetic surgeries in Türkiye from a feminist perspective, by focusing on global medical discourse, healthcare privatization, and evolving gender and cultural norms.