# Is a penis more appropriate than labia in mainstream film?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 9, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238 "2014-03-09T03:32:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/1 "2014-03-09T03:32:36Z")
Penii are rarely in mainstream films, and even when they are its usually for comedic value. Erect penises seem to be the domain of porn/non-mainstream films unless covered by pants/sheets etc.
But what about vulvas? While I see women’s pubic hair/landing strip in films here and there, I can’t think of a recent mainstream film where you saw any indication of a woman’s actual genitalia. It would be like showing men’s pubes but having his actual junk meticulously tucked between his legs (ie Silence of the Lambs).
As silly as it might sound, in _The Counselor_ I was hoping to see some beaver pertaining to the “car fucking” scene. Reviews online and in the papers kept talking about this scene, but when I saw it, I was kind of disappointed (was it even Cameron Diaz’s butt?! I bet it wasn’t! :mad: )
I find it a little ironic that as taboo as it is to show some guy’s weiner in a movie, its even more taboo to show a woman’s actual labias even though women tend to get ‘naked’ more in films then men do.
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### Author:  [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/2 "2014-03-09T04:23:10Z")
Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, and that became a punchline that followed her for the rest of her career.
To address your last point about irony, I think that there’s no conspiracy, it’s simply about camera angles and intimacy. You can spot a dick from across the room, but when a gal’s shot from the front, and especially if she’s got a bush, you’re not seeing much – one would really have to get up in there with a camera to see what you’re talking about. I don’t even like when porn does that, not because I’m grossed out, but because it feels as if any semblance of art is out of the window, and we’ve crossed into gynecological medical film.
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### Author:  [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/3 "2014-03-09T04:30:33Z")
_Which_ labia? Outer lips appear all the time, even more often than floppy dongs – but come to think, at least in a regular non-porn movie, I can’t recall ever catching a glimpse of actual beef curtains.
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### Author:  [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/4 "2014-03-09T04:34:39Z")
Is that what “beef curtain” means? I had been told it meant the scrotum.
Just checked Urban Dictionary. You’re right. I’d been using it wrong all this time!
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### Author:  [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/5 "2014-03-09T05:01:20Z")
> [@Trinopus](#):
>
> Is that what “beef curtain” means? I had been told it meant the scrotum.
I’ve always liked “piss flaps,” as in “How come she has piss flaps the size of John Wayne’s saddlebags?” :eek: :dubious:
I agree: A nice bush is a glory to behold and can be appreciated even at a distance. A wet, glistening trench is, IMHO, not exactly a thing of beauty, especially up close.
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### Author:  [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/6 "2014-03-09T05:18:38Z")
> [@terentii](#):
>
> A wet, glistening trench is, IMHO, not exactly a thing of beauty, especially up close.
That’s why you’re supposed to close your eyes when you dive in. 🙂
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/7 "2014-03-09T06:36:43Z")
[Wiiiiieener wiener wiiiiieener wiener wiiiiieener wiener wiener…](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=south%20park%20wiener&sm=3)
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/8 "2014-03-09T06:38:17Z")
On a man yes.
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### Author:  [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/9 "2014-03-09T07:36:41Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#):
>
> _Which_ labia? Outer lips appear all the time, even more often than floppy dongs – but come to think, at least in a regular non-porn movie, I can’t recall ever catching a glimpse of actual beef curtains.
What outer lips in what movies?? Other than the aforementioned **Sharon Stone** , it’s really not that commonplace.
By contrast, the penis is absolutely no problem to show, especially in a comedic context. Recent movies to feature this ‘gag’ (although not all examples listed use it as a gag) include, off the top of my head, _Forgetting Sarah Marshall_, _The Rebound_, _Watchmen_, and _Boogie Nights_. Oh, and _The Brown Bunny_. I betcha with a little googling I could multiply that list exponentially.
Movies with tits obviously vast outweigh either category (or even both together), so I wonder if that is a better comparison. The visibility aspect also might play a role. But I do agree with the OP that it has somehow, for whatever reason, become more appropriate to show the penis than labia.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/10 "2014-03-09T08:07:32Z")
There was a comedy movie released recently that had a completely nude Riki Lindhome (comedy songstress) in one scene. [Hell Baby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_Baby).
I have a weird, somewhat hypocritical, opinion about gratuitous nudity, I’d really rather not have any nudity in any movie outside of porn.
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### Author:  [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/11 "2014-03-09T13:32:48Z")
> [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](#):
>
> What outer lips in what movies?? Other than the aforementioned **Sharon Stone** , it’s really not that commonplace.
>
> By contrast, the penis is absolutely no problem to show, especially in a comedic context. Recent movies to feature this ‘gag’ (although not all examples listed use it as a gag) include, off the top of my head, _Forgetting Sarah Marshall_, _The Rebound_, _Watchmen_, and _Boogie Nights_. Oh, and _The Brown Bunny_. I betcha with a little googling I could multiply that list exponentially.
>
> Movies with tits obviously vast outweigh either category (or even both together), so I wonder if that is a better comparison. The visibility aspect also might play a role. But I do agree with the OP that it has somehow, for whatever reason, become more appropriate to show the penis than labia.
For you to enjoy a good view of an actress’s labia, she’d need to spread herself for a camera closeup. An actor who displays his floppy equipment across the room–especially as part of a joke–is hardly exposing himself as much.
I find some American film conventions a bit prudish, but female nudity (or semi-nudity) is generally more common than the male equivalent. Those wishing for more beaver shots might seek out more specialized films…
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### Author:  [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/12 "2014-03-09T15:02:47Z")
> [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](#):
>
> By contrast, the penis is absolutely no problem to show, especially in a comedic context. Recent movies to feature this ‘gag’ (although not all examples listed use it as a gag) include, off the top of my head, _Forgetting Sarah Marshall_, _The Rebound_, _Watchmen_, and _Boogie Nights_. Oh, and _The Brown Bunny_. I betcha with a little googling I could multiply that list exponentially.
Add to that list \*two \*of the films nominated for Best Picture this year, _The Wolf of Wall Street_ and (the winner) _12 Years a Slave_.
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### Author:  [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/13 "2014-03-09T18:57:25Z")
Oh yeah, and Django, if you want to see explicit grabbing of Jaime Fox’s Junk.
I guess it would be kind of hard to see ‘labia’ in most contexts, unless people were mimicking the Sharon Stone bit. Then again, you don’t have scenes where a woman sits on a copy machine and has the the result on display, or ‘upskirt’ type scenes which I would assume would be more common in raunchy comedies.
In fact, even in NC-17 films, I can’t remember one where you get a really good look at a woman’s labia.
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### Author:  [@heathen\_earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heathen_earthling)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/14 "2014-03-09T20:02:09Z")
> [@Incubus](#):
>
> I can’t think of a recent mainstream film where you saw any indication of a woman’s actual genitalia.
_Zack and Miri Make a Porno_.
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/15 "2014-03-09T22:08:42Z")
> [@Incubus](#):
>
> In fact, even in NC-17 films, I can’t remember one where you get a really good look at a woman’s labia.
Lawrence of a Labia. 😃
> [@heathen\_earthling](#):
>
> _Zack and Miri Make a Porno_.
When? That movie was comparatively tame, considering the content.
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### Author:  [@heathen\_earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heathen_earthling)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/16 "2014-03-09T22:58:25Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#):
>
> When? That movie was comparatively tame, considering the content.
When they’re looking for porn actresses at the strip club, there was a brief rear shot of a nude dancer’s genitals, IIRC.
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### Author:  [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/17 "2014-03-09T23:52:43Z")
> [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](#):
>
> What outer lips in what movies?? Other than the aforementioned **Sharon Stone** , it’s really not that commonplace.
>
> By contrast, the penis is absolutely no problem to show, especially in a comedic context. Recent movies to feature this ‘gag’ (although not all examples listed use it as a gag) include, off the top of my head, _Forgetting Sarah Marshall_, _The Rebound_, _Watchmen_, and _Boogie Nights_. Oh, and _The Brown Bunny_. I betcha with a little googling I could multiply that list exponentially.
>
> Movies with tits obviously vast outweigh either category (or even both together), so I wonder if that is a better comparison. The visibility aspect also might play a role. But I do agree with the OP that it has somehow, for whatever reason, become more appropriate to show the penis than labia.
Eva Green showed quite a bit of her hey-nani-nani in _The Dreamers_, more than Stone (there’s also quite a bit of dong in that film, reason Dicaprio chickened out of it). And the schlong at the end of _Boogie Nights_ was fake…
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### Author:  [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2014, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/18 "2014-03-10T02:42:11Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#):
>
> Eva Green showed quite a bit of her hey-nani-nani in _The Dreamers_, more than Stone (there’s also quite a bit of dong in that film, reason Dicaprio chickened out of it). And the schlong at the end of _Boogie Nights_ was fake…
As was Jonah Hill’s in Wolf of Wall St.
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2014, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/19 "2014-03-10T04:39:25Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#):
>
> As was Jonah Hill’s in Wolf of Wall St.
Hodor, Hodor’s Hodor Hodor Hodor.
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### Author:  [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2014, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-penis-more-appropriate-than-labia-in-mainstream-film/683238/20 "2014-03-10T05:10:14Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#):
>
> Hodor, Hodor’s Hodor Hodor Hodor.
Indeed, also a prosthesis, if the actor is to be believed – though one questions why a bloke would lie about a cock which could have only come from giants north of The Wall.
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