Becoming and Being a Women: Meanings and Values of Labial Elongation for Zambians in Cape Town (2016)
This study is a Descriptive research regarding IV FGM/C with the following characteristics:
Author(s): Guillermo Martınez Perez,Mwenya Mubanga,Concepcion Tomas Aznar,and Brigitte Bagnol
FGM/C Type(s): IV
Health area of focus: None.
Objective: To explore Zambian migrants’ perceptions and experiences towards LME,its meanings and values,and to explore its health risks and benefits
Study Population: Zambian women and men aged above 18 years old,with knowledge of LME,and who had been living in South Africa for at least 1 year
Findings: This study demonstrated that labia minora elongation (LME) was a genital modification that was highly valued by some Zambian migrants because it was perceived as a beneficial practice for their social and sexual wellbeing. Traditionally,LME was valued because it symbolized that a woman had received all instruction necessary to fit into the roles in marriage and in sexuality that local norms dictated. To become a ‘proper Zambian woman’,all young girls were expected to practice elongation and achieve malepe (pulled labia) so their male future male partners could appreciate the type of education they received during their upbringing. Traditionally,according to some Zambians,being born with female genitalia was not sufficient: young girls had to undergo a series of rituals,instructions and body modifications for them to gain the social and gendered status of ‘true women’.
Geographical coverage
Region(s):Not specified
Country(ies):Not specified