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Paper short abstract

Medicalization of FGM/C in Egypt rebrands the practice as “aesthetic surgery” bypassing legal bans. This exploits medical authority to normalize excision as a cosmetic refinement, institutionalizing it under a modern facade and shifting its social perception from ritual to medical necessity.

Paper long abstract

In Egypt, the medicalization of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has fundamentally shifted the practices legitimacy, transforming it from a traditional ritual into a sanctioned medical act. This paper explores how the symbolic authority of healthcare providers is exploited to justify the practice through a blend of traditional arguments and pseudo-scientific rationalizations. By disguising excision as medical recommendation, practitioners suggest the practice as “legitimate” and “medically justified” thereby anchoring it within modern social ideals.

We analyze the transition from a ritual passing by the “medical necessity” arguments to the contemporary rebranding of FGM/C within the expanding field of aesthetic gynecology. As legal prohibitions tighten, a new clandestine cover emerge by reframing FGM/C as “cosmetic procedure” or “trimming” to correct alleged “congenital malformations”. This shift aligns medicalized FGM/C with global beauty standards and aesthetics, effectively normalizing the alteration of female genitalia and reinforcing that the vulva requires modification to be “normal” and “desirable”.

Furthermore, this paper addresses the ethical and legal double standards inherent in international discourse, which often criminalize FGM/C while tolerating genital cosmetic surgeries like labioplasty. By blurring the boundaries between “medical necessity” and “aesthetic requirement”, the medicalization of FGM/C create a “scientific cachet” that hinders abandonment. Ultimately, this mutation highlights a profound ethical crisis within the medical profession, where the pursuit of modernity is instrumentalized to institutionalize the practice clandestinely rather than facilitating its abandonment.