Misconceptions About Sex, AKA Penises are Problematic

July 18, 2014
COLEEN-AND-DAN-SINGER

By Coleen Singer at Sssh.com

Because sex, across every culture, is shrouded in so much mystery, shame, curiosity, emotion, political posturing and outright superstition, it should come as no surprise that, even in our modern age of instantaneous fingertip information, that many people still harbor all sorts of misconceptions, misinformation and mistaken assumptions about that wonderful human function that brings us equal measure of angst and pleasure all our lives. We might assume sexual misinformation died out after the Victorian age, or with the sexual revolution of the 1960s, or even after the safe sex fin de siecle. But sexual ignorance is alive and well.

In other words, the more things change the more they remain the same.

This article from Gizmodo looks at some journalist’s version of the top twenty sexual misconceptions In Today’s Society.

The cool hipster guy who compiled the video list starts off with one of the most prevalent sexual myths: the correspondence of foot/shoe size to penis size. At first glance this bit of physiological folklore (which often seems to eerily echo certain ingrained ethnic, racial and cultural stereotypes about penis size) seems to make a strange kind of physical logic. But studies confirm there is no evidence to this correlation. Must be the same with nose size, hand and finger length, etc. But then again, those Secret Symbolic Keys to the Size of Any man’s Junk are also related to the many ethnic and cultural stereotypes that permeate American culture

Cuz guess what? We’re a country full of immigrants! Our ancestors came here for a better life, and they competed with each other for a piece of the pie that was mostly underbaked and full of grit at that point in time. They cast aspersions upon each other based upon these (sometimes obvious) difference related to their origins and tradtions: foodways, religious beliefs, grooming habits, mode of dress, marriage customs, etc.

And of course, our many curious sexual attitudes form these portraits of culture, too. If you’re reading this and have ever given any thought to the social stereotypes attributed to your race or ethnicity, imagine how it must have been for your ancestors in an often hostile and unfriendly New Worls, where vocaized prejudice was not only tolerated but commonplace.

What’s that? You’ve never heard that Italians are great lovers? That Jewish men have large penises but an aversion to oral sex? That French guys love to perform cunnilingus but are often lacking in personal hygiene? That the Germans are clean but also a little bossy in the bedroom? That the Irish are prone to falling in love quickly? That Nordic men know how to keep the bed warm in winter?

I could go on; and include a wider range of ethnic groups to make my point, but then I’d be talking about penis size. Point is: every culture has ridiculous stereotypes, and every culture has stereotypes that contain a kernel of truth. I was a precocious reader as a kid and I learned a lot about the sexual proclivities of various ethnic groups by simply reading that funny and sexy best seller, The Happy Hooker by Xaviera Hollander: a Dutch prostitute who enjoyed her work and wrote several exposes about it in the 1970s.

Okay, there were some more myths exploded in this video list; but the second one was also about penis size (and the idea that the average penis is seven inches long when erect). At first I felt disinclined to be interested in another penis size myth but then the discussion of how the system of measurement worked intrigued me; longer penis length as observed in penises that had receive oral sex than those that had not. The question: does oral sex cause larger erections? Or do larger penises receive more oral sex?

The third item on the list is also about penises. Sigh. About condoms and longevity. Four is about ejaulate build-up. Okay, dudes, I have no problem with you debunking some myths about penises. But then, you need to be clear about your list being penis-centric, and not just about “sex.” The list does, of course include some non-penis-themed items. But it does seem like there are a lot of misconceptions about penises.

Or, perhaps more truthfully, an awful lot of concern about the potential for misconceptions about penises.

Dudes. Come on. Life is short; stop worrying about your penises.

About Coleen Singer:
Coleen Singer is a writer, photographer, film editor and all-around geeky gal at Sssh.com, where she often waxes eloquent about sex, porn, sex toys, censorship, the literary and pandering evils of Fifty Shades of Grey and other topics not likely to be found on the Pulitzer Prize shortlist. She is also the editor and curator of EroticScribes.com. When she is not doing all of the above, Singer is an amateur stock-car racer and enjoys modifying vintage 1970s cars for the racetrack. Oh, she also likes porn.