Labia elongation
Encyclopedia
Labia Elongation or labia pulling has been practised in many parts of Africa
for many centuries. The early recordings of the results of the practice are perhaps among the Khoisan
peoples of southern Africa, where the inner labia were seen to be several centimetres longer than the outer labia. In Zimbabwe
the practice is not done to such extremes, but there is a general view among women of certain tribes that the inner labia need to be longer than they would be naturally.
The amount of elongation varies from woman to woman.
ual excitement, and in doing so, provide a much bigger surface area for penile
friction during coitus. They also swell inwards partially blocking the entrance to the vagina
.
The process of elongating is part of the transformation from a girl to a woman, a rite of passage
.
. There are marked differences and FGC primarily involves an attempt to forcibly reduce a girl’s sexual desire while LE is an attempt to enhance it as much as possible. In some cultures where LE is practised, they also elongate the clitoris
.
Labia elongation is mostly done by the children and young ladies themselves, singly or communally.
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
for many centuries. The early recordings of the results of the practice are perhaps among the Khoisan
Khoisan
Khoisan is a unifying name for two ethnic groups of Southern Africa, who share physical and putative linguistic characteristics distinct from the Bantu majority of the region. Culturally, the Khoisan are divided into the foraging San and the pastoral Khoi...
peoples of southern Africa, where the inner labia were seen to be several centimetres longer than the outer labia. In Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
the practice is not done to such extremes, but there is a general view among women of certain tribes that the inner labia need to be longer than they would be naturally.
The amount of elongation varies from woman to woman.
Cultural reasons
The general belief (in Zimbabwe at least) is that elongated inner labia swell more during sexSex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
ual excitement, and in doing so, provide a much bigger surface area for penile
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
friction during coitus. They also swell inwards partially blocking the entrance to the vagina
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
.
The process of elongating is part of the transformation from a girl to a woman, a rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
.
Comparison with female genital cutting
Many western writers have compared this practice to FGCFemale genital cutting
Female genital mutilation , also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is defined by the World Health Organization as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons."FGM...
. There are marked differences and FGC primarily involves an attempt to forcibly reduce a girl’s sexual desire while LE is an attempt to enhance it as much as possible. In some cultures where LE is practised, they also elongate the clitoris
Clitoris
The clitoris is a sexual organ that is present only in female mammals. In humans, the visible button-like portion is located near the anterior junction of the labia minora, above the opening of the urethra and vagina. Unlike the penis, which is homologous to the clitoris, the clitoris does not...
.
Labia elongation is mostly done by the children and young ladies themselves, singly or communally.
HIV and other STIs
The practice of LE itself does not precipitate sexually transmitted infections (including HIV). Such infections generally occur later in life through sexual activity. The biggest factor is the promiscuity of Zimbabwean husbands, making it dangerous for women to be married. In an attempt to effect complete social engineering, by women with other agendas, some writers have asserted that there is a causal link between LE and rates of infection.Further reading
- http://www.nocirc.org/symposia/eighth/symp04.pdf
- http://www.heretical.com/miscella/baker4.html
- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/zi.html
- http://asp.african-institute.org/articles.asp?Indeks=183
- http://cst.harare.unfpa.org/359_1594.asp
- http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=59304&nfid=rssfeeds