T03-P-06 Evulvalution: portrayals of female genitalia across time and the current prepubescent ideal presented in mainstream men's magazines in the USA

Abstract

Introduction Media depictions of the female body often inform women's conceptions of the societal ideal, serving as the gold standard for self-evaluation. Given the taboo surrounding display or discussion of female genitalia, these published images may be one of few sources of information regarding genital appearance that women encounter; consequently, any perceived physical deviation may be particularly disconcerting and compromise sexual satisfaction. The current study examined the portrayal of female genitalia within a mainstream men's magazine to characterize the prototype and its evolution across time. Design and Method Two independent raters conducted a content analysis of the centerfold pictorials (N=647) of a popular men's magazine featuring images of nude women for all monthly issues published between December 1953 and October 2007. The appearance of each centerfold model's external genitalia, including the color and visibility of her labia minora, as well as other physical and demographic characteristics were coded and analyzed. Results Despite medical evidence of wide variation in genital appearance within the general population, specific ideals were identifiable per era because of the homogeneity among images presented during each. An emerging trend towards nonexistent pubic hair and minimal visibility of the labia minora was found in recent photos that exposed the external genitalia. Conclusions Findings suggest that the genital ideal may be shifting farther away from the natural female form in favor of a prepubescent appearance. Accordingly, women's physical deviation from the prototype may become increasingly salient to them, which may have detrimental implications for their self-image and sexual satisfaction.