It can't have escaped you, but body image concerns are rife among women today. It's never been easier to torture yourself by looking at impossibly perfect bodies on Instagram, on TV or in porn – and many men and women feel pressured to ensure that even their most intimate parts adhere to society's unrealistic beauty standards.
To that end, cosmetic surgery companies have swooped in to exploit vulnerable women and sell them "designer vagina" surgery, aka labiaplasty, to give them the "perfect pussy."
But one company has had its fingers burned following complaints about its ads on Instagram. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned adverts from cosmetic surgery provider All Dolled Up – which was promoting its "Barbie Pussy" package among others, including a discount on group bookings for friends – criticising them as irresponsible, offensive and as trivialising the decision to have cosmetic surgery.
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In its Instagram post promoting "Barbie Pussy" surgery, All Dolled Up's image featured a naked woman sitting on the floor with her legs crossed and her arm covering her breasts. The text read: "Barbie Pussy From £2,599 Labiaplasty & Viginoplasty [sic]” and included a sparkling heart emoji. There were also various hashtags in the caption, such as: #barbiepussy #designervagina #perfectpussy #cosmeticsurgery #labiaplasty #vaginoplasty.
The ASA said the phrases “Barbie pussy”, “perfect pussy” and “designer vagina” were harmful as they presented labiaplasty as "aspirational, fashionable, and a way to achieve a ‘perfect’, more attractive vagina", which could encourage women to view their labia and vagina as abnormal. The childlike presentation of the ad – with various hashtags and emoji – was also considered likely to appeal to teenage girls and young women in particular.
All Dolled Up's other problematic offering – a discount on group bookings – was also deemed irresponsible. The original post offered a “£1000 DISCOUNT + extra massage treatments ON GROUP BOOKINGS FOR SEPTEMBER 2017 ONLY YOU PLUS THREE FRIENDS...”. The post also featured emoji and hashtags, which the ASA said was "likely to detract from the seriousness of the surgery offered."
The company's website promoted surgery packages with names such as "peachy package", "camera ready", and "forever young", which the ASA said contributed to a "flippant tone and minimised the invasiveness of the procedures offered."
The ASA made its ruling after a customer complained. Meanwhile, All Dolled Up claimed the package names were meant to reassure women who had made well-informed decisions and compared the terms to the phrase "yummy mummy."
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It also said customers would have a consultation and assessment with a surgeon before going through with any procedure. Nevertheless, the ASA ruling means the company can't post its ads again in their current form. Time for Instagram to take a stand now too?
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