Last modified: Thursday, October 14, 2010
Plastic surgery, 'Orgasm, Inc.' screening among Sexploration at IU activities
WHAT: "Pleasure and Plastic Surgery: Reshaping Gender and Genetics": a talk led by Dr. David Teplica, a plastic surgeon and photographer, who discusses why gender and artistic form should be taken into consideration while performing plastic surgery.
WHEN: Monday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m.
WHERE: Woodburn 100, IU Bloomington
WHAT: Viewing of the film Orgasm, Inc.: The Strange Science of Female Pleasure, a documentary about pharmaceutical companies' never-ending quest to be the first to get their "female Viagra" FDA approved. After the film, there will be with a question-and-answer session with the film's director, Liz Canner.
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Indiana Memorial Union's Whittenberger Auditorium, IU Bloomington
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 14, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- David Teplica, a photographer and plastic surgeon who contemplates gender and explores people's inner wishes and desires about their bodies, will speak at Indiana University Bloomington on Oct. 18. His talks are illustrated by his provocative, surprising and artistic photographs of people as they are -- and as they wish to become.
This lecture is free, open to the public and co-sponsored by The Kinsey Institute and the Department of Gender Studies. It will be begin 4 p.m. in Woodburn 100.
Photo by J Dworkin
David Teplica
"David Teplica is passionate about his work, and communicates that to his audience," said Jennifer Bass, director of communications at The Kinsey Institute. "He gets people thinking about how they identify themselves in the world -- and how their bodies play into this identity. Plastic surgery is such a fascinating and controversial topic today, with people electing to change everything from their abdomen to their genitals to their total gender. Dr. Teplica gets us thinking about what we are born with and offers insight into what it means to undergo sometimes drastic, sometimes subtle, body modification. And he's an amazing photographer."
Teplica is vocal about what he thinks needs to change in plastic surgical practices. He believes that gender is not taken into account to the fullest extent, as it should be when it comes to plastic surgery, and he wants to help change that.
"Most plastic surgical procedures were designed for women," Teplica said. "If these operations are used on men, then feminization occurs, and men are very unhappy. Sadly, there isn't much dialogue in the plastic surgery world about this. No matter how gender is defined by any given patient, gender-specific operations must be offered. I always try to realign a patient's phenotype with his or her gender identity. In fact, plastic surgery is the only field where permanent changes in shape can align a person's body with how they think of themselves."
"Insecurity", 2010 by David Teplica
Teplica also believes that his photography gives him more insight into the human form.
"Both my photographic work and my plastic surgical practice are about perception of the body," he said. "Whether in two or three dimensions, human shape can be altered so that society sees the body differently. I do highly standardized photography of patients to accurately capture their anatomy before alteration, during recovery, and once all healing has occurred. I've developed rotational techniques that allow digital subtraction of before-and-after images from the same patient, so that the actual anatomic changes can be measured."
These presentations are part of Sexploration Week, held on the IU Bloomington campus Oct. 18-22.
A viewing of the film Orgasm, Inc., will be held on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Indiana Memorial Union's Whittenberger Auditorium. The documentary is about pharmaceutical companies' never-ending quest to be the first to get their "female Viagra" FDA approved. After the film's viewing there will be time for questions with the film's director Liz Canner, who worked for the main pharmaceutical company featured in this film. Canner has conducted extensive research that didn't make it into the film and has insider information about other "female Viagra" drugs that she will be sharing after the film's viewing. This event is free and is sponsored by Union Board.
"Orgasm, Inc." takes a look at pharmceutical companies' race to create an FDA-approved "female Viagra"
Canner had a job editing erotic videos for a drug trial for a pharmaceutical company that was developing an orgasm cream for women. She received permission to interview and film her employers and realized that this pharmaceutical company and others were not just in the business of developing drugs.
"In order to create a drug that is FDA approved, there needs to be a disease," Canner said. "The cream needs to cure something that is wrong with you. Female Sexual Dysfunction is this broad disorder."
Canner said that this film is important for college women to see because the pharmaceutical companies are not just targeting the older populations -- they want to reach the widest audience possible.
"College students feel pressure to perform sexually," Canner said. "We examine what some of the pressures are. Female Sexual Dysfunction didn't exist when I was 20. They are going after your (college age) generation."
The film allows its viewers to critically analyze a hot topic issue and to decide for themselves if the side effects of the products, such as breast cancer and passing out, are worth the benefits, Canner said.
"The documentary, Orgasm, Inc., doesn't only cover a broader topic, but touches on a timely subject that has been present in the media," said Kathryn Brown, a sex educator at the IU Health Center.
For information about Teplica's talk contact Bass at 812-855-7686 jbass@indiana.edu.
For information about Liz Canner and Orgasm, Inc., please contact Kathryn Brown at 812-855-7338 or kathbrow@indiana.edu.
