One way or another ...

Interesting feedback on this week's column ("How Do My Genitals Look Today?"). Few who wrote me have a centrist opinion on cosmetic genital surgery. And it's been pretty much even-steven among the for-vs-against circumcision.

From a male reader:

Condemn much? Why declaim the arbitrariness of your views and then spend a whole column reiterating them? I sure hope you don't buy chemical cosmetics, because every cent of that money could have gone to a craniofacial reconstruction clinic somewhere. Seriously, most cars cost near 30 grand, so what's a few thousand to augment a body part, be it a nose or a vagina? The case for Americans spending too much money on luxury items is pretty strong. But criticizing what certain people spend it on is a waste of everyone's time. Talk about obnoxious narcissism.

From a female reader:

Funny column. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's female parts don't look like the porn stars'. (Up until this column I thought I was weird). Eeewwww!

And from another male:

For years I've argued that it's simply unnecessary to change your body to please someone. No matter what body type someone has, there is someone else out there who digs it.

Another man pointed out articles from reliable sources that circumcision may reduce HIV transmission, including this one from National Geographic. It's not conclusive though – and hygiene (or lack thereof) plays a huge role as well.