A body image educator known for taking pictures of women’s vulvas is accusing Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives of setting a bad example for women by airing labiaplasty procedures.
Australian photographer Ellie Sedgwick, who founded the female body positivity movement Comfortable In My Skin, told DailyMail.com that the successful series could lead to “sensitive teenagers” developing body image issues.
Sedgwick was furious when she saw cast member Jessi Ngatikaura undergo labiaplasty on the series after the birth of her second child.
On the show, Ngatikaura called her lady parts “meat curtains” and said she wanted to make them “beautiful and perfect again” through surgery.
Because the Hulu show’s cast consists entirely of TikTok influencers, Sedgwick stressed that Ngatikaura was sending the wrong message to young girls by normalizing the procedure.
Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jessi Ngatikaura (pictured) has come under fire for getting a labiaplasty on the hit Hulu series
Vulva photographer Ellie Sedgwick told DailyMail.com that the Hulu series could leave “impressive teens” with body image issues
“She uses words like, ‘I’m going to get really tight.’ And, ‘Yes, I’m going to cut off my excess flesh so my lips are nice and perfect again,'” Sedgwick said.
‘And that gives those sensitive teenagers the idea that if you have sort of labia that hang down, or beautiful mothers who have just had a baby, they get the idea that if their vulva changes during birth, that if something hangs down, it’s fleshy and it’s wrong and it’s not pretty.
“You’re not attractive, you’re not worth it, and labiaplasty is so easy to do these days, you can just have it cut off and that’s fine.”
Sedgwick has published a book of vulva photography, Flip Through My Flaps, and says most women don’t know what a normal vulva looks like because of the normalization of things like “the Barbie vagina” in the media.
“I’d like to ask Jessi if she’s seen a lot of vulvas. So I’d like to ask her where she got her information that her vulva is a lot worse than other people’s,” Sedgwick said.
‘For example, in my book you see a lot of vulvas after birth. Do you actually know what a normal vulva looks like?’
Sedgwick also warned that many women are unaware of the dangers and complications that labiaplasty can entail.
Sedgwick says most women don’t know what a normal vulva looks like, because of the normalization of things like “the Barbie vagina” in the media
On the show, Ngatikaura called her lady parts “meat curtains” and said she wanted to make them “beautiful and perfect again” through surgery
‘People are not educated about these types of surgeries and what they are. It is clear that women are severely excluded in [medical] “We’ve done a lot of research throughout history, so we don’t know exactly how many nerve endings are in there,” she said.
“I know from the research that I’ve done, and from working with sexologists, that the part of the inner labia that everyone gets cut off is full of nerve endings. They say there are upwards of 8,000 to 10,000 nerve endings in there,” Sedgwick continued.
“What worries me is that people are having this surgery because they saw something on TV and they are having this beautiful instrument of pleasure cut off, just to conform to society’s ideal of beauty and beauty standards that are unrealistic.”
She added ominously, “And you’ll never get that back. It’s like, if you cut it off, it’s gone forever.”
Ngatikaura told DailyMail.com last month that she has no regrets about her surgery.
“Everything is amazing, I’m so glad I did it,” she cheered.
“I think as a mother who has had children, your body changes. And I wanted to share that it’s okay to want to feel better and look better, especially as a mother because you sacrifice so much of yourself to have those children that you love so much, so you want to feel like yourself again,” she continued.
“I know plastic surgery can be a hot topic, but I hope that if anyone looks at it and wants a similar surgery, they will contact me and I can share my experience.”
Ngatikaura told DailyMail.com that she had no regrets about her surgery. “I’m so glad I did it,” she enthused.
The hairstylist, who has also had three breast augmentations, also decided to have her implants reduced while going under the knife for her labiaplasty
The Hulu star had no qualms about showing the results of the procedure on camera
Ngatikaura shocked her castmates on the hit Hulu show by showing them the results of her labiaplasty on camera.
In the episode, the 32-year-old mother of two says that her vagina has changed due to childbirth and that she can no longer wear yoga pants as a result.
“My meat curtains are just hanging low,” she told her stunned co-stars in episode six of the controversial Hulu series.
“I’ve noticed a huge difference down there, it’s so bad it’s uncomfortable,” she continued.
“So basically they cut off that excess flesh and make my lips look nice and perfect again.”
Jessi added with a laugh, “Extra meat, I’ll make a sandwich out of that!”
The hairstylist, who had previously undergone three breast augmentations, also decided to have her implants reduced while going under the knife for her labiaplasty.
‘I’ve never had two surgeries done on the same day, but I figured I might as well do a 2-in-1 surgery [and] “You can only go under anesthesia once,” she said.
The 32-year-old mother of two said giving birth changed her vagina and she could no longer wear yoga pants
Jessi is pictured during her second pregnancy, where she said she had a protruding vulva after giving birth
When Jessi discussed the results with her co-stars, she said she couldn’t have sex for “four to six weeks” while she recovered from the painful procedure.
Jessi talked about the ‘tough’ recovery period: ‘It felt like I had a burner in my head!’
She then dropped her shorts to show her results to her friends, who were visibly shocked to see her surgically enhanced lower breast.
“Open it!” they screamed as Jessi undressed in front of them.
While showing off her designer vagina to her friends, Jessi said, “It’s swollen. They said it should look like hot dog buns now, which it does, but once it’s not swollen anymore, it’s going to get tight.”
She added: ‘Before [the surgery] ‘All that stuff was hanging there at least as hard.’
Dr. Deepak Dugar, a board-certified plastic surgeon at Beverly Hills Rhinoplasty Center, told DailyMail.com that some pain and bleeding are normal during the recovery process.
“You’ll usually have about a week of some pain, bleeding and spotting. Then it takes about four to six weeks for the general swelling to go down and for you to resume most major physical exercises and activities, including sexual activity,” he said.
According to Dr. Dugar, most women who undergo labiaplasty are mothers who have noticed changes in their vagina after giving birth.
“The biggest changes in the labia usually occur hormonally during puberty or after pregnancy, when there is stretching and tearing,” he explains.
“So there’s an important thought that these types of procedures should normally only be done after delivery and should be saved until after delivery because there can be more changes after a vaginal delivery,” he added.
And when it comes to getting the vulva of your dreams, Dr. Dugar said patients can request a certain level of customization.
“I think there is definitely a lot of customization and different ways that people approach labiaplasty,” he explained.
“There’s a trim procedure. There’s a wedge procedure. So there are different types of labiaplasty that are done and discussing it with a board-certified plastic surgeon is key for them to show you examples of work that is very similar to yours,” he continued.
‘Because labiaplasty is such a personal and private matter, there’s not going to be a lot of public information about it. That’s why I think it’s important to go to a surgeon who does these types of procedures frequently and have them guide you with before and after photos. That way you can understand the differences and see where you can achieve your goals.’