Genital Self-Image in Adolescent Girls: The Effectiveness of a Brief Educational Video.

The study investigated the effectiveness of a very brief video aimed at increasing adolescent girls' knowledge of the variation in normal female genital appearance and improving their attitudes towards their own genitals. The video was developed by the researchers and included information about the anatomical features of cisgender female genitals and their function, as well as emphasizing the diversity in the appearance of these features, particularly the external genitalia or vulvar region. A sample of 343 female adolescents aged 16-18 years were randomly assigned to view the educational video or a control video. The educational video significantly increased the girls' knowledge of female genital anatomy. The educational video also significantly increased genital appearance satisfaction and decreased consideration of undergoing cosmetic genital surgery or labiaplasty in the future. The participants who watched the educational video were also more likely to recommend focusing on the diversity in normal female genital appearance when educating other young people on the topic of female genital anatomy. Our results suggest that a very brief educational video could be a useful tool to assist young girls with their genital self-image.