Researcher and psychologist, Dr. Gemma Sharp wants us to start talking about vulvas. In this informative and confronting talk, Sharp highlights the connection between our discomfort talking about female genitals with the frightening rise in labiaplasty, also known as designer vagina surgery, and challenges us to start using anatomically correct terms with gusto. Dr. Gemma Sharp is a researcher, lecturer and practising psychologist. She is currently exploring the increasingly popular cosmetic procedure of labiaplasty, also known as “designer vagina” surgery. Dr. Sharp is investigating the social and cultural reasons behind the labiaplasty trend, the psychological outcomes of this procedure, and its troubling impact particularly on adolescents and adult women.

Dr. Sharp started her career in the lab as a biomedical scientist focusing on breast cancer treatments but decided her skills were best used outside of the lab with actual patients. She took her science background to the field of clinical psychology and hasn’t looked back since. She completed her Ph.D. at Flinders University in Adelaide in 2016. After a brief interlude in the “Wild” West of Australia at Perth’s Curtin University, Dr. Sharp is set to continue her labiaplasty research and psychological practice as an NHMRC Early Career Fellow at Monash University in Melbourne, commencing in 2018.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Gemma Sharp: Why we should talk about vulvas, not vaginas  | Gemma Sharp | TEDxBrisbane

Why we should talk about vulvas, not vaginas  | Gemma Sharp | TEDxBrisbane

A 500% rise in labiaplasty in the US in 5 years mirrors our societal discomfort discussing female genitalia, risking normalcy.

Misunderstandings about genital anatomy fuel insecurity, leading some as young as nine to request labiaplasty for normal variations.

Starting conversations early about the diversity and function of vulvas can empower and prevent harmful perceptions and decisions.