At first glance, we were shocked. We hadn’t seen anything like this before.
A mom recently turned her own vulva, or labia, to be more specific, into a necklace! And she has her reasons…
Mom turns vulva into a necklace
British mom, and model, Tracy Kiss recently did the unthinkable – she turned her own labia into jewellery. Her reasons for doing so, however, were far from glamorous.
Tracy had experienced pain during exercise and sex for a long time. Last year, she saw her doctor about a burning sensation in her vaginal area. He told her that it was because she had an excessively long labia minora (the flaps of skin that form part of the vulva).
This shape caused friction that in turn led to inflammation and cysts. He prescribed antibiotics to reduce the inflammation but told her the cysts could not be prevented.
On her blog, Tracy, mommy of 2 writes, “It took me 29 yrs to realise that anything was wrong with my tender protruding labia because nobody has ever talked about it or informed me of what is and isn’t normal.”
“As a result I’d missed out on so many hobbies and interests that I love and had to be mindful with tight clothing, exercise and intercourse because of the discomfort it caused simply because I didn’t know anything could be done about it – I thought all women were just as tender as I.”
Her doctor advised Tracy to consider surgery “to remove the excess labia and prevent ongoing pain.” Labiaplasty would help reduce the size of the labia minora to decrease sensitivity from twisting and tugging.
8 months back, Tracy had a labiaplasty surgery done.
The labiaplasty changed her life, and in a good way. Tracy writes, “It marked a point in my life where my long term suffering finally came to an end and I triumphantly asked my surgeon if I would be allowed to keep my cut off labia as a trophy.”
Initially, the labia was proudly displayed in a jar in her kitchen, “However with time, the cut off tissue got discoloured from pink to a pale grey”, which made it look ugly, and, “more of a Halloween accessory.”
Tracy started to think of better ways to preserve her ‘trophy’, and that’s when she stumbled upon crystal jewellery making – a project she did with her 9-year-old daughter!
PHOTO: Tracy Kiss
The result is this crystal labia pendant (and if you want to watch the video of how exactly she achieved it, click here).
While female circumcision remains a controversial topic, Tracy hopes to, “Raise awareness of intimate health and self examination as well as opening up the discussion about the many health benefits of circumcision.”
“Having my surgery has been absolutely life changing and I feel passionate about raising awareness for women, and men alike, that circumcision is a choice we all have which shouldn’t be embarrassing, taboo or anybody else’s decision but your own.”
“It’s a little known fact that circumcisions also reduces the risk of urinary tract infections, penile cancer, cervical cancer, penile inflammation and dermatoses and sexually transmitted infections including syphilis, gonorrhoea, herpes, HPV and HIV.”
For now, Tracy remains upbeat and proud of her work, “My labia have been successfully preserved, are colourful, bright and cheerful and mark the end of my suffering; one step closer to breaking down the taboo of female circumcision through a unique talking point and bespoke jewellery that I will cherish forever.”
Also READ: Newborn baby boy circumcision, what it is, aftercare and more
(Source: Tracy Kiss)
Republished with permission from: theAsianParent Singapore