Something I never knew until I started high school was that guys really care about their penis sizes. Something I did not know until just recently was that there is actually a term for it: small penis anxiety or SPA. Personally, as a female, it is always been difficult for me to understand why this is a thing. Comparatively, it is not uncommon for cis females to worry about breast size, but breasts are also usually some level of visible under the clothes we wear. A penis and its size, however, is only ever truly visible when the pants are off, and yet as much as 55% according to X, are unsatisfied with their penis size. Therefore, to the best of my ability, I want to explore and analyze all the reasons why penis size is such an important factor in masculinity.
A common worry with small penises is that they cause less pleasure for their partner during sexual intercourse. Most women do not care too much about penis size given that penetration does not provide that much pleasure. Similarly, some men who engage in anal sex might even prefer smaller penises since the rectum does not stretch the same way a vagina does. Obviously, there are people who like larger dicks. But it is rare for this to present any sort of deal breaker in most relationships, yet males with small penis anxiety like to imagine it does.
I believe a large component of this is locker room culture. From a very young age, boys change in front of each other. Whereas females are expected and taught to maintain a certain level of poise and humility, masculinity often requires a different kind of boldness. There is no equivalent of the cup check for females. In addition, urinals also require a display of the penis within that space. Although males often do not stare at other penises cis in the restroom, it is important to note that it is much easier to compare penises in this space, then say a female restroom with stalls.
Outside the only the locker room, bathroom and the mirror, the only other place most average cis hetero males in this century can learn and see other penises in action, is pornographic content depicting those penises. Of course, porn is not educational, it is entertainment. Because of this, male actors have much larger penises then necessary which in turn perpetuates the standard for male penises to be larger than necessary.
Small penis anxiety appears in about two main ways. Some men with SPA have actually regular-sized penises. Then there are men with SPA as well as body dysmorphic disorder or BDD, which causes social issues and severe psychological suffering. Unlike body weight, there really is not much a male can do increase his penis size. There are definitely advertised, and marketed ways fabled to increased penis size including but not limited to: stretching exercises, vacuum pumps, mechanical penis-extenders, plastic surgery, and jelqing, however, most of these are both risky and not too effective at lengthening the phallus. The real root of the problem has much less to do with the size of the phallus and much more to do with how it is perceived in male minds.
To an extent, the need for a large penis size is understandable. Gender cannot exist without the body. Besides the penis, there is not much a male point to ascertain their masculinity. The penis is something that cis men have that cis women do not and is much more visible than hormones such as testosterone. Therefore, it makes something that do hold on to masculinity, an important of value would be placed on and into the penis. We also know that hegemonic masculinity needs something to compare itself to survive. I argue that this is what is happening with penis sizes. It is not enough to just have a penis. It needs to big and long in order to be to serve as a visible indicator of masculinity.
Research shows that the average penis size is 5.2 inches. Of course, the penis can change shrink or lengthen according to mood or environment. A cold penis is smaller than a hot penis. And an erect penis is larger than a flaccid penis. I still believe a little strange to put so much worth on something as inconsistent as penis size. I also still feel that putting a ruler anywhere near the genitalia is mind-boggling. However, given the circumstances, it is understandable. When I initially began this paper, I was skeptical of this problem, but now I understand now that penis anxiety is as real and important as a problem as all other body image issues that people experience. We all deserve to feel confident in the bodies we live in and I hope we can continue to work to ease this issue.