Recent studies which have confirmed the efficacy of penis extenders has created a newfound popularity and interest in male enhancement and penile enlargement. While obsession about a man’s penis size is nothing new, perspectives on what men should be aiming for has changed over the ages. Like other ideals for beauty and attractiveness, expectations for penis size have changed throughout history and across different cultures.
Different Times, Different Desires
Today’s men don’t have to strive to be the beefcake popularised in the 1950s or the laid back nature lover of the 1960s. Today, men have more variety when it comes to the physical ideal. But in terms of penis size, men are under more pressure than ever before. Over the years, the mystery of the male penis has been well and truly shattered. While pornography of the past focused primarily on nude photos of women alone or even movies where the man was almost just another prop, today’s adult entertainment makes no bones about showing off how well-endowed their male stars are.
Porn – The Historical Record for Sexuality
Pornography shapes much of how cultures see sex and how men and women see their bodies. In the same way modern day porn has put pressure on men to increase the size of their penis, ancient pornography also established ideals for how men and women should look and perform.
In Ancient Egypt, pornography often depicted women in much the same way as formal depictions. Even in the world of adult entertainment, Egyptian women were generally heavily made up and well proportioned. Men, on the other hand, were often depicted with strangely snakelike penises. The men were also generally depicted as average looking at best. One sample, called the Turin Erotic Papyrus, dates back to 1292-1075 BC and depicts short, balding, overweight men with a long penis having sex with women who would be seen as the ideal beauty. So pretty much the Ancient Egyptian version of Ron Jeremy.
Meanwhile, in Ancient Rome, a large penis was seen as something connected only to lust. That’s why so many ancient Roman statues of men have a penis that isn’t exactly impressive. Men were depicted with smaller penises in order to indicate the man was civilised and someone who could stimulate all of his partner’s senses. Roman men were also encouraged to remain uncircumcised as foreskin was held in very high regard.
Over in India, the Kama Sutra was already being seen as the definitive guide to sexuality. The book acknowledges men come in all different sizes and offered detailed descriptions, advice and instructions for each category. The sizes were named the hare (for smaller penises), the bull (for average sized men) and the horse (for the truly well-endowed). Remnants of this scale have become a part of popular culture as some men are still described as being “hung like a horse”. Indian men were also given advice on how they could go from one class to another by using primitive forms of penis extenders.
Throughout ancient eastern cultures, men know how to use stones and small weights as makeshift penis extenders in order to increase their length. The scientific basis for this practice is still in use today with traction style penis extenders. These offered a way for men to improve their sexual standing and self-esteem – much like men today. When it comes to penis size the times may have changed, but when it comes to men wanting to measure up, some things never change.
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