In a world where signs of feminism are fading, Carla Efstratiou peels back the sartorial layers, literally, to discover new ways women are proclaiming their power and gaining control.
Whoever said 21st Century feminism is dead hasn’t been laid in a while. Look under the structured business suit of any seemingly normal woman and there you will see a silent but immensely powerful statement.
Verb: Vajazzling.
Vah-jaz-ling
Meaning: A bejazzled vagina.
When anonymous blogger, 26 year old Robin Walters, a.k.a Robin Sparkles decided to take the plunge and pay to have Swarovski crystals affixed in a heart shape to her vagina, she didn’t know what to expect. At first she saw the experience as a little bit of fun and a great dinner party anecdote. By the end of the ordeal, nay, adventure she felt empowered, in control and the host of a party in her pants.
A self-confessed attention seeker, Robin loves telling people what she’s hiding underneath her clothes.
“Oh the reactions I get when I tell people I’ve been vajazzled are hilarious, especially from older colleagues. Everyone is so shocked because I work in a very ‘normal’ corporate job, wearing a suit and dealing with very wealthy clients all day, people just don’t expect it….which is the best part.”
The first question Robin is often asked after “Vajazzling?! What is that?!” is, “What on earth would possess you to do that to yourself?”
Robin contrives an almost choreographed laugh, “Yeah I get that question almost daily. I guess I just wanted to prove to everyone, including myself, that body enhancements, whether it be vajazzling or plastic surgery aren’t only for porn stars or insecure teenagers. I think the more mainstream this stuff becomes the more tolerant society will be towards change and different lifestyle choices.
I also felt like I needed to do something completely different, something to shock my boyfriend to spice up our love life.”
For those of you who are still scratching your heads wondering how this is even possible, Robin provides a step-by-step account;
“After my Brazilian bikini wax, Alicia affixed the flair right above my vagina. It came in temporary tattoo form, which Alicia placed on me after first rinsing the area with rubbing alcohol. She used a tongue depressor to push down on the crystals (that hurt) and then I was all set.”
Putting her new, er, accessories to the test later that night, Robin discovered, amongst some itchiness, a whole new side of herself.
“I met up with my boyfriend later in the night and he was bursting to see the new addition. I was so happy with the results so we got straight to it. Seeing his face was priceless, it was a cross between shock and delight, absolutely fantastic.
I felt immediately dominant; my boy was totally and utterly under my control, not sure if it was because he was still in shock or because he just loved it so much, but his eyes followed me like a lost puppy. I was so amazed because like most guys, my boyfriend is a manly man whose pride is always at the top of his mind. I can’t believe how quickly this little show of artistry turned the power tables.
It was great to be in complete control for once, now I know why guys love it so much. Having someone completely at your service, per se, is just an adrenalin rush; an experience I would have never had if it weren’t for the diamantes!”
As a vajazzling convert, Robin now has it done on various special occasions.
“After the overwhelmingly positive response I got from my boyfriend and the power it has to take my sex life to that next level, I get it done a few times a year, on special occasions like my birthday or Valentine’s day. The novelty never wears off, my friends love seeing the new patterns and colours I get everytime. It’s all a bit of fun, so why not.”
Now that you’re up to speed on vajazzling, let me introduce you to some of her friends.
In addition to jewels, the humble vagina can now receive a facelift, restoring that youthful pink glow using ‘The New Pink Button.’ Butt cracks are also included in the below the belt makeover, with the invention of jeweled butt crack covers, and don’t forget the icing on the cake, ‘clitter.’ If all that seems too…. temporary, tattooists have extended their repertoire’s to include ‘vatoos’ for real thrill seekers.
While vaginal embellishment may seem like an activity women in fifteen-inch plastic platforms with a penchant for nipple tassles and poles secured to bar tops would dapple in, it’s bursting into the mainstream and gaining worldwide acclaim from everyone from housewives to lawyers.
Sophie McCombs, a beautician from Ciao Bella Salon in Sydney’s CBD is on the vajazzling front line, manicuring the private parts of all sorts of Sydney women everyday.
“With something as unique as vajazzling, you’d think the only people who were willing to try it would be porn stars. I’m constantly surprised by how many completely normal looking women come in to have the treatment done in their lunch break.
“When I speak to my clients, a lot of them have very influential jobs; lawyers, people in finance, teachers, doctors, there’s no limit to who can be vajazzled. It becomes especially popular around special occasions like Valentine’s Day and wedding seasons.
“I think it’s become so popular because women just want to feel good about themselves. They want to go into the weekend after a long and stressful week feeling confident and sexy, and this is a way they can achieve that,” she said.
Clem Bastow, an editor of the feminist blog, The Dawn Chorus sees this new wave of vaginal embellishment as so much more than just cosmetic.
“Just as women took control of their bodies during the feminist movement of the 1960s by letting their hair grow, often to the point of unruly, modern women are now taking control of their bodies by stripping back.
“The methods may be different but the triumph of women gaining independence and control over their bodies is the same,” she said.
Unlike the masses of rioting hippies and screeching voice of Germaine Greer that stereotyped the women’s movement in decades past, this revolution is silent and doesn’t stop peak hour traffic. Successful and driven working women not looking to draw attention, just to do what they want, when they want. The revolutions accessibility and potential to infiltrate the popular mainstream makes it a real force for change in today’s society.
With every revolution comes opponents and it’s not surprising that many don’t agree with vaginal embellishing. Andrew Sempell of Sydney’s St. James church views any form of invasive body procedure, including piercings, tattoos and vajazzling, as culturally damaging.
“I find it difficult to get too excited about vaginal embellishing. This issue is more a moral and cultural one than a theological one.
“When invading the body with foreign objects, people must realise the consequences of their actions. They are not perceived the same by society and could begin to attract unfavorable attention, which could have a damaging effect.
“Some cultures encourage tattoos or piercings for religious reasons, however beyond this, I don’t see the need for corruption of the natural body, particularly if it has social repercussions. I have great hope for the future of young people, as I have worked closely with them, encouraging them to accept and love their bodies,” he said.
As well as being culturally damaging, some feel vaginal embellishing encourages objectification of women by placing too much emphasis on the importance of aesthetics in all areas of women’s lives.
These claims hold even more weight when statistics from the Australian Centre of Excellence in Eating Disorders revealed that 94% of teenage and university aged women were unhappy with their weight. Furthermore, a Mission Australia survey of 50,000 under 25s last week found that body image is the number one concern for young Australian’s.
Clinical psychologist, Sally McDougal has worked with many young people with body confidence issues and says societal pressures of aesthetic ‘perfection’ are creating a dangerous culture.
“The social pressures are definitely more of a risk factor to younger people these days. The constant focus on image in advertising not only in print, but also TV, radio, and particularly these days, the Internet has created an image of perfection, which is both unavoidable and unattainable. That combination is dangerous for impressionable young men and women,” she said.
In addition to body image issues, some believe mainstream vaginal embellishment encourages and normalizes the premature sexualisation of girls.
A Shine South Australia survey revealed that over 60% of year 12 women and 30% of year 10 women were sexually active in 2010.
Prolific women’s issue’s author Melinda Tankard-Reist attributes the early sexual activities of young people to what she calls the “pornification” of youth culture, which she suggests will have detrimental effects on young girls’ body image in the future.
“Their boyfriends are putting pressure on them to have the pre-pubescent porn star look.
“They’ve come to despise their natural bodies,” she said.
Mary Chan, a Sydney women’s group leader has also noticed a trend in just how young women start to care about their sexual appeal to men but believes education and stigma shouldn’t stifle inevitable societal change.
“Even my teens and their friends are getting brazillianed- not amazing when the local beautician has “student specials” on brazilians. They all seem to start trimming the edges at about 13 or 14 years old- ah well that’s progress. It makes me laugh that their “human & social development” text at school goes on and on about how bad waxing your pubes is when they’re all doing it.”
For those who argue that vaginal embellishment aims to please the desires of males and therefore leads to increased objectification of women, Sean Gorp, a 25-year-old real estate agent from Sydney disagrees.
“Yes, I have come face to face with vajazzling and it was pretty insane.
“It was actually pretty intimidating, she definitely had a lot more confidence and was quite dominating,” he said.
Whether vaginal embellishment is empowering, objectifying, beautiful or tacky, one thing is for certain; having a disco ball crotch is a choice which all women have the freedom to make. That power remains long after the crystals fall off.
carlaefstratiou
Sara Vincent
genevieverosen
Jason Rushton
Gemma Kaczerepa
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