# Why do Men Have Nipples? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2000, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-have-nipples/39047 "2000-10-31T05:13:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-have-nipples/39047/1 "2000-10-31T05:13:30Z")
I’m sure this has been covered before, but I can’t find it. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-have-nipples/39047/2 "2000-10-31T05:29:30Z")
Why do men have nipples? It’s like the portholes on the side of a '54 Buick Roadmaster, strictly for looks. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Lao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dr.Lao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Lao)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-have-nipples/39047/3 "2000-10-31T05:38:17Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m sure this has been covered before, but I can’t find it. Indeed it has been covered before. By no less authority than the Master Himself. [Why do men have nipples?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_093.html) ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-have-nipples/39047/4 "2000-10-31T05:38:28Z")
Ask [Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_093.html). ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-have-nipples/39047/5 "2000-10-31T05:39:36Z")
I shouldn’t have previewed to see if the link worked. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-have-nipples/39047/6 "2000-10-31T13:47:27Z")
Nipples help you find your cigarettes when you’re drunk. Sua ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-have-nipples/39047/7 "2000-10-31T14:34:54Z")
According to an ancient Saturday Night Live, they’re actually owned by the phone company. One’s for call waiting, one’s for call forwarding. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-men-have-nipples/39047/8 "2000-10-31T15:14:23Z")
Steven J. Gould covered this in “Bully for Brontosaurus” along with why women have a clitoris. (He wanted to name the essay “Tits and Clits” or some such thing.) Essentially, if I remember correctly, evolution works to propagate favorable traits within a SPECIES, and does not distinguish between the male and female gender of the species. Hence if mammals need breasts, both male and female MUST have the genetics to develop breasts (and nipples). That the male doesn’t develop full breasts is because development is under other genetic controls. Same with clits. If males require sensitive penile tissue to ejaculate and propagate the species, the females must also carry the genes for the same system, the development into a clitoris and not a penis is based on other controlling genes.