Porn question I may regret asking

[jsgoddess]

The accepted wisdom is that most porn is made for a male audience, and I'm guessing most male-female porn is made for a straight male audience. So, why are the penises so large (or at least are shown in ways to maximize their apparent size)?

I'm not going to declare myself some sort of porn expert and there may be a thriving industry of normal-penis porn that has escaped my lackadaisical research (which consisted of not much more than seeing some porn and reading an article about how misleading men can find porn penises--which I really want to call call pornises, but won't), but that's not the impression I get.

The prevalence of female-female porn makes it seem that a penis isn't necessary for a good chunk of the audience, but when there is a penis involved, it's not a subcompact.

Granted, the penises might not be quite as large in reality as they seem on camera, but there is definitely an effort to make them look big.

So, why is that? Or, if I'm dead wrong, tell me that instead.

I'm trying to avoid doing dishes. This is the sort of thread that results from my procrastination.

[descamisado]

I'm guessing (since I'm gay and sort of do this in my types of viewing), in watching straight porn, the male gets rid of or at least past the guy being in the picture but subliminally substituting himself in for the actor in the porno. If the guy has a big dick, he can, in a sense, imagine himself really giving it to her, or, at the very least, use that actual participant's size to imagine her as a lusty wench, wanton slut, taker-of-all-and-any-comers (heh!), etc.

[Munch]

I have no idea. I'm a male, and I watch porn (redundant?). There are categories of porn where the penis is gigantic - I can't possibly ever relate to that, why would I find it stimulating? I want porn to be semi-relateable. It's the same reason I have a negative reaction to overly large breasts.

[Simplicio]

I think part of it is just practical concerns. A larger penis means the guy can pull back a little farther without withdrawing, and so make it easier for the camera to see the...err..relevant areas without the guys body being in the way.

[Chronos]

There are primarily^* two different ways to appreciate porn: Either you imagine yourself to be just outside looking in, and can join in at any moment, or you identify with one of the participants. Straight men in the former category will generally prefer that there not be any man in the picture at all: A man present other than the viewer is just competition. On the other hand, if you're identifying with the man in the scene, then you're identifying your penis with his penis. And if it's your penis, well of course you want it to be big.


*The qualification is necessary because of quirks like lesbians who like gay male porn, who apparently aren't doing either.

[johnpost]

penis standin (or standout) during closeups

[TriPolar]

I've never seen any penises except for my own and those of porn stars. Until you started this thread, I had assumed mine was just a little larger than normal. I'm still not sure if you are serious. And what kind of woman would be sexually attracted to a small penis? Is this one of those gag threads?

[Fried Dough Ho]

I am going to speculate that the reason the male appendage is so large is the same reason the women are so unrealistically perfect.

Those males with gigantic appendages are the same social proportion as those women with flat stomachs, gigantic boobs, and gorgeous faces -- and who enjoy all they are subjected to.

It is a fantasy world and the true shame is that men (and women!) who watch porn want what is being idealized and is never, ever really possible.

[runner pat]

Those are average guys. You've just been unlucky.

[bup]

Originally Posted by jsgoddess

pornises

I am amazed this term doesn't already exist.

Are male porn stars' penises abnormally large?

[astro]

Vaginal mechanics aside, a large penis is usually more visually impressive and erotically interesting than small penis just like a women with an attractive waist-hip ratio (which covers a wide range of body styles from slender to "thick" are usually going to be more visually interesting and erotic than someone built like a board or a potato.

Plus there is the factor that if a man has a largish cock it's simply more interesting to see him work it. The guttural pleasure sounds a woman makes when she has a big penis going in and out of her are more "real" (for lack for better term) than the run of the mill "Ooh! Ah!" you see with more normal sized penises. When the big penis comes at her she often has to carefully adjust herself to stuff it in.

When a women has a big dick sawing away inside she often seems lost in the moment. with smaller penises they seems much less engaged, like they are working on their grocery lists in their heads while performing.

There are times where you can see a woman is not physically comfortable with a huge penis and that's a big turn off. You kind of wonder why they bothered filming it in
the first place.

[panache45]

Originally Posted by TriPolar

And what kind of woman would be sexually attracted to a small penis? Is this one of those gag threads?

No, those are the women who don't gag.

Anyway . . . I've known some guys who did gay porn (and there are no small or average dicks in gay porn). Yes, they are above average, but not as big as the camera angle would lead one to believe. As far as gay porn is concerned, you have the option of fantasizing that you're either of the guys you're watching. So either you're hung or your date is . . . for most guys, a win-win situation.

And I'm guessing that in straight porn, the girls are above average as well.

[Asimovian]

Originally Posted by panache45

And I'm guessing that in straight porn, the girls are above average as well.

For some reason, this phrase evoked thoughts of Garrison Keillor. Not someone I really wanted to think about in association with a porn thread.

[Drain Bead]

I always loved this Ron White bit that discusses this subject a bit.

[Arrendajo]

Really, the only reason the man is in porn at all is to provide a penis, so it should be a nice big one. And hard. The biggest turn-off in porn is a guy with a limp dick. Er... I don't have a cite for that, but...

[Tangent]

Originally Posted by TriPolar

I've never seen any penises except for my own and those of porn stars. Until you started this thread, I had assumed mine was just a little larger than normal. I'm still not sure if you are serious. And what kind of woman would be sexually attracted to a small penis? Is this one of those gag threads?

Awesome username/post combo!

[GHO57]

I think you're supposed to identify with the guy... and if you're imagining yourself in the scene...why not throw in larger equipment while you're at it? I've always thought that outside the large penis fetish related movies, the guys usually look to be about my size... which makes all the clever repartee in the scripts seem sort of silly... and most porn unwatchable.

[kanicbird]

I would WAG it has something to do with a subtle form of putting down women, they just have to accept anything being put into them no matter how big and like it.

[InterestedObserver]

Projection (the men watching can identify with the male protagonist and imagine themselves as similarly endowed and lucky with the ladies)???

Beyond a certain point however, it gets into freak show territory (same with enormous breasts). John Holmes was famous for his gigantic cock in porn, but in real life, according to some who knew him both professionally and personally, his unusually large size made it impossible for him to attain or maintain full erection and some women refused to take on his "big boy", leading to some degree of frustration. Bigger is NOT always better.

Just for general reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ho...ographic_actor)

[Sage Rat]

Having seen some porn in Japan, where either men are quite small and/or they don't choose actors for the size of their dick (which is possible, since I think lots of it produced by mafia, with mafioso taking turns to be The Guy) -- it makes it hard to believe all the oohing and ahhing as they're going at it, which throws you out of the scene. True, I pretty well never believe the oohing and ahhing and it always does throw me out of the scene, but the throwing is quicker and more forceful when the dude has a shrimpy dick.

[mhendo]

Originally Posted by kanicbird

I would WAG it has something to do with a subtle form of putting down women, they just have to accept anything being put into them no matter how big and like it.

Maybe the huge penis is the soul tie between the man and the woman?

[Fried Dough Ho]

Originally Posted by Sage Rat

Having seen some porn in Japan, where either men are quite small and/or they don't choose actors for the size of their dick (which is possible, since I think lots of it produced by mafia, with mafioso taking turns to be The Guy) -- it makes it hard to believe all the oohing and ahhing as they're going at it, which throws you out of the scene. True, I pretty well never believe the oohing and ahhing and it always does throw me out of the scene, but the throwing is quicker and more forceful when the dude has a shrimpy dick.

Bear in mind that Japanese porn is a whole different animal than Western porn. For starters, 80% of their "actors" are real, everyday people. They have very few porn stars the way other cultures have so the guys' appendages are naturally what they are - on the small size.

Secondly, there is an inherent fetish within Japanese porn to have the women cry as though they are in pain. It is part of the subjugation of women and rape fantasies and the women in the scenes are taught to cry and appear as though they are being hurt.

[GuanoLad]

For the same reason men like sports stars, tough movie heroes, and watching fast cars. They want the most idealised themselves-substitute as possible.

[TriPolar]

Originally Posted by Tangent

Awesome username/post combo!

I was wondering if anyone would pick that up. Sometimes people don't get the thrust of my jokes. I love this thread. Everything I enter sounds dirty.

[elmwood]

Originally Posted by Sage Rat

Having seen some porn in Japan, where either men are quite small and/or they don't choose actors for the size of their dick (which is possible [snip]

And that's related to a question I was going to ask. In Japanese porn, women yelp and cry like they're being eviscerated by some "massive" 4' long unit that's hammering away at them. ALL Japanese porn that I've seen features men with small penises. That tells me there's ever very little variance among the sizes of Japanese penises, or that the choice of small penises in Japanese porn is deliberate, so the viewer can relate to the scene better. So, is the standard deviation among Asian penis sizes smaller than for other races, or is the prevalence of small penises in porn just another "odd" Japanese thing?

[Fried Dough Ho]

Originally Posted by elmwood

And that's related to a question I was going to ask. In Japanese porn, women yelp and cry like they're being eviscerated by some "massive" 4' long unit that's hammering away at them. ALL Japanese porn that I've seen features men with small penises. That tells me there's ever very little variance among the sizes of Japanese penises, or that the choice of small penises in Japanese porn is deliberate, so the viewer can relate to the scene better. So, is the standard deviation among Asian penis sizes smaller than for other races, or is the prevalence of small penises in porn just another "odd" Japanese thing?

See my post above. The yelping and crying has little to do with the "massiveness" but with the fetish of rape and subjugation that the girls are supposed to imply.

[Onomatopoeia]

Originally Posted by mhendo

Maybe the huge penis is the soul tie between the man and the woman?

Hahahahaaa...Somebody had to say it. Thanks for causing me to laugh explosively and wake my wife, mhendo. Thanks a lot. Really.

[elmwood]

Originally Posted by Fried Dough Ho

See my post above. The yelping and crying has little to do with the "massiveness" but with the fetish of rape and subjugation that the girls are supposed to imply.

What about the uniformly sized shorties, though?

[Sage Rat]

Originally Posted by Fried Dough Ho

It is part of the subjugation of women and rape fantasies and the women in the scenes are taught to cry and appear as though they are being hurt.

Eh, it's not like women aren't subjugated, thrown down, and "brutally" fucked in Western porn. I'll admit that the sounds the women make is higher pitched in Japanese stuff, but the message is largely the same in both cases. "Oh he's so powerful. Oh he's thrusting through me with a 10 foot rod. Save me! Save me!"

Both are rather silly, but the Western version works just slightly better for having a penis that is somewhat closer to being a 10 foot rod.

[Fried Dough Ho]

Originally Posted by elmwood

What about the uniformly sized shorties, though?

It is cultural -- they ARE uniformly short with few exceptions. And because their porn utilizes real people instead of the abnormally large, you are seeing what is the cultural norm for them.

[Fried Dough Ho]

Originally Posted by Sage Rat

Both are rather silly, but the Western version works just slightly better for having a penis that is somewhat closer to being a 10 foot rod.

The bold is mine -- I believe that is entirely culturally subjective because it is what you are used to seeing.

[Sage Rat]

Originally Posted by Fried Dough Ho

The bold is mine -- I believe that is entirely culturally subjective because it is what you are used to seeing.

I've lived probably an even portion of my adult life in the US and in Japan, with about an even mix of the pr0n of both, I'd guess.

[PookahMacPhellimey]

Originally Posted by astro

When a women has a big dick sawing away inside she often seems lost in the moment. with smaller penises they seems much less engaged, like they are working on their grocery lists in their heads while performing.

Just in case you're serious, and this should be very old news but:

If the girl is not engaged there are usually other reasons than just size.

p.s. Great question and educational thread!

[astro]

Originally Posted by PookahMacPhellimey

Just in case you're serious, and this should be very old news but:

If the girl is not engaged there are usually other reasons than just size.

p.s. Great question and educational thread!

I understand that. The point I'm making is that all other things being equal (unless her vagina is cavernous) a female porn performer is usually more animated when engaged with large penis. John Holmes was possibly the world's worst conventional actor, but when he put his big penis in some women (not all) they went to a place of real erotic rapture that is rarely seen in porn.

For all the talk of size not mattering all that much, there are a number of women who like the erotic aesthetic appeal of a large penis.

See The great size debate: In defense of big penises

[Richard Pearse]

I always thought porn penises were quite small...

[BorgHunter]

Originally Posted by Fried Dough Ho

It is a fantasy world and the true shame is that men (and women!) who watch porn want what is being idealized and is never, ever really possible.

So do Tolkien readers. How is that a shame? Fantasy is fantasy; we're wired for it.

[PookahMacPhellimey]

Originally Posted by astro

I understand that. The point I'm making is that all other things being equal (unless her vagina is cavernous) a female porn performer is usually more animated when engaged with large penis. John Holmes was possibly the world's worst conventional actor, but when he put his big penis in some women (not all) they went to a place of real erotic rapture that is rarely seen in porn.

For all the talk of size not mattering all that much, there are a number of women who like the erotic aesthetic appeal of a large penis.

See The great size debate: In defense of big penises

Adding in that "all other things being equal" caveat made the difference for me and I don't, in essence, disagree with you. I'm sure there are women who are turned on aesthically or are physically stimulated more by a big penis. Just would hate the idea that anyone would walk away from the thread thinking that a smaller one couldn't engage a woman or that this was solely a matter of size. Which it is now clear you didn't mean to suggest.

[GSV Consolation of Dreams]

Originally Posted by Richard Pearse

I always thought porn penises were quite small...

I see what you did there.

[Broomstick]

Originally Posted by TriPolar

And what kind of woman would be sexually attracted to a small penis? Is this one of those gag threads?

Internet rule #34 - I am certain there is a group of people with small penis fetish out there.

More commonly, though, I'd guess that it is something else in the man the woman is attracted to and a small penis is just part of the overall package

Originally Posted by astro

When a women has a big dick sawing away inside she often seems lost in the moment. with smaller penises they seems much less engaged, like they are working on their grocery lists in their heads while performing.

Actually, not only are we women working on our grocery lists while having sex, we're also wondering what color to repaint the walls of the room and pondering the weather. You're just not supposed to know we're multitasking.

[Thudlow Boink]

Originally Posted by jsgoddess

So, why are the penises so large (or at least are shown in ways to maximize their apparent size)?

I've wondered that myself.

Originally Posted by Chronos

if you're identifying with the man in the scene, then you're identifying your penis with his penis. And if it's your penis, well of course you want it to be big.

But wouldn't it make it harder to identify with his penis if said penis is freakishly large?

[silenus]

Originally Posted by Chronos

But wouldn't it make it harder to identify with his penis if said penis is freakishly large?

Not for me.

[Bam Boo Gut]

I'm hoping for a reasonably sized and/or feasibly sized porno backlash. I find these huge dongs a bit disconcerting and end up making silly jokes and can't take it seriously. I'm more of a nice and easy than an ouch and squeezy kind of girl and it seems no one is catering to my reasonably sized fetish.

[Bob Ducca]

I think a lot of it is imagining yourself having that big of a dick, but also, a lot of straight guys (myself included) are turned on by seeing big cocks. Dan Savage calls it being "gay from the waist down" or something like that. .

It's hard to explain why they turn me on but they do. I don't consider myself bi because I don't have any desire to actually play with one, and I have zero attraction what the penis is attached to (I prefer to never see a male pornstar's face during a scene), but I do enjoy watching a big cock at work.

I've heard this is pretty common and is a big reason why porn movies for straight men feature so much cock.

[Fried Dough Ho]

Originally Posted by Broomstick

Actually, not only are we women working on our grocery lists while having sex, we're also wondering what color to repaint the walls of the room and pondering the weather. You're just not supposed to know we're multitasking.

High-Five, Sistah!

[tdn]

I think that the "identifying with the guy" explanation is the most plausible one I've read so far. But I think there might be another reason: A big penis just "reads" better on screen. Just like (legit) actresses need to be super thin just to look normal, because the camera adds 10 pounds. Video is not reality, and distorts everything a little, so certain traits need to be exaggerated just to look right.

[PookahMacPhellimey]

Originally Posted by tdn

I think that the "identifying with the guy" explanation is the most plausible one I've read so far. But I think there might be another reason: A big penis just "reads" better on screen. Just like (legit) actresses need to be super thin just to look normal, because the camera adds 10 pounds. Video is not reality, and distorts everything a little, so certain traits need to be exaggerated just to look right.

Aha, I see. They really have quite small dicks, but the cameras has added ten pounds to them.

[descamisado]

Originally Posted by tdn

I think that the "identifying with the guy" explanation is the most plausible one I've read so far. But I think there might be another reason: A big penis just "reads" better on screen. Just like (legit) actresses need to be super thin just to look normal, because the camera adds 10 pounds. Video is not reality, and distorts everything a little, so certain traits need to be exaggerated just to look right.

Wow, a 10 lb-plus penis; I'll be in my bunk.

[jsgoddess]

Originally Posted by descamisado

Wow, a 10 lb-plus penis; I'll be in my bunk.

And I'll be in therapy.

[mhendo]

Originally Posted by tdn

I think that the "identifying with the guy" explanation is the most plausible one I've read so far. But I think there might be another reason: A big penis just "reads" better on screen. Just like (legit) actresses need to be super thin just to look normal, because the camera adds 10 pounds. Video is not reality, and distorts everything a little, so certain traits need to be exaggerated just to look right.

I think this is crap.

Actresses don't "need" to be super thin just to look normal. In fact, it's very clear to me, when i see them on TV, that plenty of actresses are seriously on the skinny side. I can't count the number of times i've seen popular, successful actresses on TV or in a movie and thought, "Jesus, she could do with putting on a few pounds," or "Her arms are so damn skinny."

[tdn]

Originally Posted by mhendo

I think this is crap.

I didn't say that there are no actresses on TV who look skinny. But it's often said that the camera adds 10 pounds, and whether or not that's true, I'm quite sure that some things read in different ways onscreen than they do in real life. I've seen some porn in which the guy probably had a pretty average sized penis but becuse of the medium he came off as practically castrated.