WTF?! Case of the Missing Penis

February 15, 2012 | by Lucas Witherspoon

Why exactly is the male penis still considered to be so taboo?

 

As I was watching the Super Bowl this year, I was reminded of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s 2004 performance that cemented the term “wardrobe malfunction” in pop culture history. Janet’s half-exposed boob caused a lot of controversy and resulted in FCC fines, but what if it had been Justin Timberlake that had exposed his wang? The fines would have been astronomical and he likely would have run the risk of being labeled a sex offender, given the amount of children that were watching.

 

This is by no means my espousal of whipping your dick out in front of children. My point, though, is that we still live in a very misogynistic society. While you’re bound to find plenty of tits in a frat-humored mainstream film, you’ll rarely find a cock shot that isn’t being used as a source of comedy (and, yes, some actors’ dicks are pretty laughable, but that’s beside the point).

 

I have to hand it to Richard Gere, who was one of the first prevalent actors to go full-frontal in a mainstream film (American Gigolo). While his decision was noble, it’s done little to convince other A-list actors to do the same. Perhaps they prefer to keep their penis size a secret to add to their mystique, or maybe they’re just insecure with their genitalia. Either way, it’s a highly unfair double standard.

 

A woman who has posed in Playboy and a man who has posed in Playgirl are vastly different. The woman who did the Playboy spread is seen as somewhat respectable for a nude model, while the guy in Playgirl is seen as kind of a joke, because Playgirl is considered cheesy, even though the same company publishes both, and both are tasteful publications (not to mention Playgirl was actually founded in response to the 70s feminist movement, but has garnered far less respect).

 

For an organ that plays such a significant role in life for both heterosexuals and homosexuals, there seems to be a general awkwardness concerning the penis.