Sex Essay
Voice of the Phallus – Phallic Imagery and Symbolism in Society, by Peter Baltensperger
Essentially, anything that’s longer than wide is a phallic symbol – pillars, poles, bananas, cucumbers, ramrods, swords, guns. Young men always used to carry swords, brandishing them on every possible occasion to demonstrate their manhood. Men today still like to carry guns, for the same reason. Young women used to rub themselves against phallic symbols such as standing stones and Maypoles to ensure their fertility. They don’t do that anymore. They use phallic dildos instead, though for different reasons. Many of the dildos are battery operated and vibrate, something a penis can’t do.
Torsión, I by Martin Toye available at Obsession Art
Cars are definitely phallic symbols, especially sleek and fast ones, preferably with big protruding exhaust pipes, particularly among the younger crowd, though not exclusively. Middle-aged and older men sometimes treat their cars in the same way. “Look,” the men say to each other, “my penis is bigger than yours.” They rev their engines. “My penis is more powerful than yours.” Their women tend to be impressed, especially the younger ones who don’t know any better yet, or at least they pretend to be. “Show me how masculine you are,” they sigh. The men rev their engines some more. The women practically swoon. “Show me your big penis,” they coo.
Yet women aren’t all that concerned with penis size. It’s the men who attach such importance to their penises, equating size with power, masculinity, and self-esteem. But it’s all a matter of perception and reality. Men tend to underestimate their size, thinking they are smaller than others when they are actually quite average, fearing that women won’t be satisfied with their size. This insecurity about the male’s primary sex organ has led to much anguish, lack of self-esteem, and depression as well as to the development of countless usually quite ineffective products such as penis pumps, pills, and other dubious methods of penis enlargement.
For women, who themselves suffer from breast size anxiety and experience similar problems as the men, it’s the width of the penis that’s more important than the length because it provides more vaginal stimulation. One study shows that 45% of men are dissatisfied with the size of their penis while 85% of women are quite satisfied with their partner’s size and only 6% consider their partner to be smaller than average. The same study shows that 70% of women are dissatisfied with their breasts while 56% of men are quite satisfied with them and only 20% wish for larger breasts. Generally, only a minority of women considers penis size to be important.
Studies dealing with the actual measurement of penis length and width have found that the average size ranges from 6 in. to 7 in. with a girth of between 5 in. and 6 in. The general consensus among the majority of women appears to be that this average size is just about right, especially when the penis comes with a foreskin. The study on measurement classifies a size of less than 5 in. as very small, a size of 5 in. – 6 in. as small, 7 in. – 8 in. as big, and more than 8 in. as huge. The largest penises reported in similar studies measure between 10 in. and 12 in, with the longest in the world apparently coming in at 13 ½ in.
Even in its smaller sizes, the human penis is the largest among the primates. All the apes, chimpanzees, and monkeys have much smaller organs than humans. Some other mammals have, of course, much larger penises, but they are also much larger in size and therefore proportionally bigger.
Although average measurements have been determined by now, and women in general appear to be quite content with an average size, the myth of “the larger the better” keeps getting propagated in some erotic literature and, particularly, in porn movies, videos, and magazines where penis size can easily be manipulated with various techniques. Men with smaller penises are still considered, and probably consider themselves, to be inadequate lovers, despite the fact that it has been clearly shown that this is not the case at all.
Historically, the penis has always played a major role in all the ancient tribes and the earliest civilizations and societies, all the way down through time to our own world. It is, after all, one of the two primary organs of procreation and therefore of the survival and development and growth of the species. It is also the more pronounced of the two primary sex organs, the vagina in the female being almost completely hidden from view because of the upright position of the human race.
Some cave paintings from the Stone Age depict humans and human-like creatures with large, erect penises. This is a clear indication that our cave-dwelling ancestors of some 20 – 30,000 years ago were already quite aware of their importance and their role in the reproductive process. The cave painters didn’t draw human figures very often, but when they did, they usually portrayed the males with well-endowed reproductive organs to emphasize their significance.
In ancient Egyptian civilization, the erect penis was revered as the powerful organ of procreation. The giant obelisks they erected all over the countryside are thought to be enormous symbols of the power of the penis. The world’s largest representation is, however, to be found in China. It is a recent monument, erected in a theme park. The 30-foot erection is said to be “a totem of Shamanistic culture”. The steel structure, named Sky Pillar, is wrapped in straw and stands on an altar atop a 1250-foot hill.
Ancient Greeks were obsessed with the penis, though not with its size. In most of Greek art, the penis is portrayed as rather small. Their phrase “hung like a hummingbird” bears witness to their preference of smaller organs. Yet the number of artistic representations is unprecedented in history. The Greeks created a wealth of sculptures of naked males, with their genitalia prominently displayed although kept quite small. Vases and other pottery were lavishly decorated with penis images.
Pitchers with enormous penis spouts have also been found in excavations of the Mochica culture that flourished in northern Peru between 100 and 800 CE.
In Greek mythology, there is a minor rustic fertility god named Priapus. He is the protector of life stock, plants, gardens, and male genitalia. He was best known for his huge, permanently erect penis. According to the mythological story, he attempted to rape one of the nymphs but was thwarted in his attempt and was subsequently punished by the other gods. They caused him to have the permanent erection and made his penis grow so large he couldn’t move anymore at all. The medical term “priapism” is derived from his name and describes a condition in which the erect penis doesn’t return to its flaccid state and requires emergency treatment.
The ancient Romans took an opposite view from their Greek predecessors. For them, larger was indeed better, and they considered the penis a sacrosanct weapon to be worshipped and revered. Penis amulets and bracelets were worn by the citizens of the state as a magical protection against evil, indicating the deep significance they attributed to the male organ.
Chinese Taoism, which reached its height around 6,000 years ago, worshipped the reproductive organs, as did so many other philosophies. It preached sexual exercises to achieve a natural enhancement of the sex organs and revered them as sacrosanct. In ancient India, the primary sex organs were also venerated, the penis as the “lingham” and the vulva as the “yoni”.
Penis worship and veneration as it was practiced among the ancient tribes and in the early civilizations came to an abrupt end in the 4th century CE when Augustus labeled the penis as “the demon rod” and an organ of corruption. His pronouncement became the dominant influence on Western culture, eradicating the holy and positive attitude displayed by our more distant predecessors.
The penis thus has a long history of importance in the evolution of the human race. Most of the time, it was considered to be an esteemed aspect of male sexuality and masculinity, either as a small or as a large organ, depending on the culture. Now it has become an issue of contention, with large portions of the male species feeling insecure about it and its size and shape. Only the well-endowed males are truly proud of their penises and reserve the bragging rights for themselves.
Perhaps this insecurity is the primary reason for the modern urge to build larger and larger skyscrapers and erect taller and taller structures all over the world – the latest phallic symbols in our evolution. “Mine is bigger than yours” all over again, only now on a much larger and unprecedented scale. How high can they possibly go in their attempts to prove their masculinity and demonstrate their prowess to the world? We’ll have to wait and see to what extremes male penis envy can still go.
Originally Published April 2010