I have been wondering about perception about penis size over time as a result of different cultural conditions and fashion changes.i.e. Up until the 1960s there was a more conservative attitude toward hooking up. It was all about marriage - till death do us part. Women and men perhaps in the dark about others penis size, through less sexual promiscuity.Mens clothes/pants were not tapered to the body. There were no large / small bulges. Mens swimmers had a modesty flap.Porn was less readily available. You got married, and were for life. You saw, or did not see your partner naked. Modesty existed in small or large doses.Any insecurities were probably limited to the male change room for comparison.I was a small kid during the 1970s, and suddenly mens crotches were everywhere. Satin pants singers leaving nothing to the imagination.Speedos were the norm, the tighter the better and suddenly penises were defined and easy to see. Who was hung, who was not. Ads in magazines for swimming gear - everywhere.
This was in your face, and really made me compare self, those around me and what was on TV and magazines.But if I had grown up in an earlier decade, I feel I wouldnt have thought about penis size, as it just wasnt in your face so publicly.It was like the penis had entered popular culture as an item of discussion which led to
derision and anxiety.Also, women who had been previously considered archaicly as the second sex, were emerging through a cultural shift to become empowered with justified needs and wants and expanded roles. One of these was an equality of sexual freedom, and suddenly there were magazines which were discussing sexual fulfilment - penis size and so on. Beginning in the 70s and so on. In Australia it was Cleo and
Cosmopolitan with male fully nude centrefolds. And mostly it was celebrities or models who were hung, and not semi
Erect. But
Flaccid and large.So, you could see what the ideal was, - bulging speedos, tight satin crotches and big dicked nude centrefolds. My Auntie collected these mags. This must be what she wanted. This made an impression on me, so when faced with sex with girls as a 13 - 14 year old, I compared to these images. Nup. I am definately small. I will not do this, dont want humiliation. This partly influenced me to sleep with boys of the same age as me. At that age, we seemed to mostly be the same size. Only later getting married etc.During the late 90s and the 2000s we have also seen the emergence of the 3rd wave of feminism.
A part of this is where sexuality is owned by a woman. This is not fully a descriptoin, but regards to sexuality it relates this way. - as opposed to being seen as a sex object, the ownership of sexuality and its display is owned, used and overtly pushes the female sexuality as someone in control. This has been known as riot grrrl and has pop culture images resplendent with camel toe and allows the self use of words such as slut / whore etc. taking it from derogatory to being acceptable when used by woman. Whereas grinding overly sexualised images were previously relegated to strip club / hooker. Now this image was emerging into the more mainstream media. The dominatrix look, sexually confident.Somewhat intimidating to have these images. The girly sexuality of the 80s video clip,
suddenly being replaced with bolder emodiments through Madonna and a wave of girl punk music. It gradually softened and settled into a slightly more innocent form with \'Spice Girls\' Pussy cat dolls and beyond.And to not forget that Hannah Montana grinded her way into the world\'s groins whilst on the world stage, and then owned that big ol wrecking ball. Images that turned what we knew as innocence into agressive sexuality and perhaps intimidating to those who feel uncertain of their own sexual confidence.I would ask a Hannah Montana type for a coke by the beach. But could I ask the overlty sexualised Miley Cyrus out for a beer and perhaps more? Nuh.I know that I am intimidated by women, and have trouble identifying that not all women are sexual aggressors who will make fun of, look disappointed or reject once we hit the bedroom.But analytically I know this is not the case. I feel that the changing cultural shift which
thrust the male member into the consiousness through bulging images, plus the emerging shift toward promiscuity and the ever depressing need to discuss every detail in public, has seen the penis scrutinised more times than ever.
The perception of what is private has completely changed over the decades. When you consider what used to be personal is now reality TV. We laugh at people, have lost repect. Jerry Springer and so on and so on. People can be dismissed,
talked about, sympathised with and so on.
The private world of the penis is also on display. What do
others think of me?Dont forget that \'fat\' was hot through parts of the 15th - 17th Century. Fat was wealth.Curves for women were a 1950s thing, and skinny was \'it\' through the 70s - to now. And curves and \'booty\' is headlining again courtesy of the Kardashians and a few beautiful Spanish and latina women.For men, Hairy chests of the 70s , moustaches and endless flowing hair and a few gold chains and a bit of satin was \'hot\'.In the early chinese and Japanese dynasties, \'Gay\' was an accepted as a middle to upper class and military thing. Same in the early Roman and Greek cultures. Changing perceptions over time.
And then there is the genetic blue print regarding survival. The human form is an animal. Choosing an acceptable mate has an inherent survival aspect to it, that is perhaps beyond analytical or spiritual control. 100 000 years ago it is possible a woman chose her mate based on physique. These muscles will protect our family, will provide food. Perhaps it extends to the penis. This large thing dangly thing will definately impregnate me. This small thing is just for a boy. not mature. He wont provide for the family. I dunno, but possible.
I beleive that our perceptions change through cultural times, and do so, partly through media representation.And of course, it doesnt help that the top 0.5% of men with a well above average penis size are employed in Porn. Gotta remember that that is the case.
All one would have to do, is create a ripple of what is hot through the media - mens and
womens magazines that small penis is hot, it is the new black, is more desirable.Images which display the bulge as aestheically compact, more aesthetic than a clumsy large
Hanging dong.
Drive this home unapologetically. it would be interesting to see if any of us who have manifested concerns over a small penis complex, would suddenly feel more confident and less introverted over the size, due to public changing perception. It is interesting if we would have felt concern growing up in an earlier 20th C decade or even earlier. It is possible.Just some random thoughts.Oh - what the hell - It would still be nice to have a PE procedure or two.Steven
