Does Size Matter?

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          American culture has established many standards about the ideal body. Individuals are told, primarily through media, that they must strive to meet this idolized body type if they wish to be an attractive, worthwhile individual. One of the ways in which this manifests itself, as Susan Bordo argues in her article, "Does Size Matter?,  is through the media's emphasis on the importance of penis size. Male individuals are constantly bombarded with images in the media telling them that “size matters”, that a male with a smaller penis is inadequate. Because men are told, in regards to penis size, that bigger is better, an unrealistic ideal has been established. Most men feel concerned that they are not big enough even if they are average or even larger than average. This concern about penis size can affect many different aspects of a male's life.

          This attitude is portrayed in both of the images shown above. The first image is of an advertising campaign which posts pictures of women over urinals, looking down and laughing. It is assumed that the women in these images are laughing at the urinal user's penis. By having the women present, every user is subjected to the message that their penis size is something to be ashamed of. That a small penis is humiliating and will not be attractive to women. It also perpetuates the mentality that no penis size is adequate. Every male that uses the urinal will be subjected to the imagery (no matter the size of their penis), thereby creating an unachievable standard.

          The next image depicts a rhino with a smaller horn, sitting in a sports car, being observed by two rhinos with larger horns. In this picture the horn size is a visual metaphor for penis size. Therefore, this image shows that small penis size is something that supposedly affects every aspect of an individual's life, they are being judged by those that do meet society's ideals. Therefore, to make up for this short coming, they must overcompensate through the purchase of items such as fancy sports cars. The ability to own these big, fancy items asserts one's masculinity and is an attempt to prove their worth to society.

          Ultimately, this issue is much more about feeling normal and sufficient, less about actual size. It is a mental issue, not a physical one. As Susan Bordo argues in her article, “thinking that one's penis is smaller than it should be is not really about inches but 'about how men are trained by the world to see [themselves] as not enough'” (35). Men of all different sizes can suffer from this feeling of inadequacy because, in reality, there is no “right” size. The fear of being large enough is socially constructed, it is a fear that is deeply rooted in society's demand of masculinity. 

Reading: 
Bordo, Susan 2002. "Does Size Matter?" In Revealing Male Bodies.  Nancy Tuana et al, eds. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Pp. 19-37.