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What size are "normal" labia?

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Amber asks:

hello, my name is amber and i have a larger than normal labia but is their any thing i can do to make it smaller other than surgery?

David replies:

Hi Amber,

Before you can decide you have larger than normal labia you sort of need to be able to say how large "normal" labia really are. But here's the deal: trying to define "normal" for labia is sort of like trying to define normal hairstyles.

I mention hairstyles specifically because hair is another part of the body pretty much everyone, sooner or later, decides to hate about themselves. And that's a trap too because if your hair's curly then sooner or later straight is going be the hot new look and you'll be out (never mind how much your partner enjoys running his fingers through your curls.) And if your hair's straight or kinky instead then, promise, inside just a couple of years curly's going to be burning up the magazine covers and you'll have pressure to hate your hair for, what? Not being curly.

I mention hairstyles for another reason. If you've got the money you can cut or color hair, straighten it or curl it. And if you've got the money you can probably find someone to cut up your labia too. But! Cutting hair doesn't cut nerves that provide sexual feelings the way cutting labia can and does! And with hair you can always grow it back. With labia you can't. Even if what's considered "normal" (in other words "fashionable this year") labia changes!

Know what I mean, Amber?

And can I just say something as a heterosexual man, that might be a little bit too much information? There really, really isn't a wrong size or shape for labia. They all look sexy so yours do to. They all feel sexy so yours do too. And as long as there's as much lubrication for comfortable intercourse they don't make any difference for your partner during intercourse and so neither will/do yours.

Finally, you know you're so not the only person who's come to Scarleteen worrying that there's somehow something abnormal with your labia. And so in addition to my pep talks there's a lot of other great, practical discussion.

One great place to start would be "Worried About Your Labia?" where MizScarlet says

If you truly think something is abnormal or seriously problematic, talk to your gynecologist, who has seen LOTS of labia and is someone who, unlike you, CAN make a sound determination as to whether or not something is problematic. But be prepared to find out otherwise, which is a good thing, anyway: labiaplasty is pretty icky stuff -- surgery sold to women to take advantage of their ignornace about their own bodies, which can limit sexual enjoyment, poses health risks, costs a bundle and is almost always totally unecessary.

Or check out the "International Labia Blog-a-Thon" that begins when KittenGoddess says

Lately it seems like there have been alot of questions around here concerning a negative body image in relation to labia. So I came up with a little project to encourage a more positive labia image. Myself and as many other bloggers as we can collect are blogging about labia and I'd like to encourage everybody here to participate too.

Labia are beautiful and perfect and normal exactly the way they are. The images we may see in magazines or movies of labia are not necessarily true of every woman, nor do they need to be. So feel free to talk about your feelings on labia. Tell your story, make a list of reasons why you like them just the way they are, speak your mind on the subject or read what other people have had to say about labia.

But mostly I think if you just search for the word "labia" on Scarleteen you'll find all the answers you need: you're not alone in worrying; you're already perfectly "normal"; you don't need plastic surgery.


written 02 Dec 2007 . updated 02 Dec 2007
