9/1/10
Comment of the Week: Don't Judge a Man By His Foreskin

photo by Leandro Martinez

We’re not taking sides on this debate (yet!), but we did like Dannie’s analogy where she compares penis prejudice to a man refusing to sleep with a woman whose inner labia hang lower than the outer. And the debate rages on…

When erect, an uncircumcised penis looks pretty much the same as a circumcised penis, and the foreskin provides comfort benefits to the woman involved in intercourse as well. Which leaves only the aesthetic of the flaccid penis to be your criterium for whom you will and will not sleep with. Sorry, but that seems a bit shallow to me. And as for my personal preference, I find nothing aesthetically attractive about a penis that has a strip of skin missing at the glans — but even so, that wouldn’t prevent me from judging a person’s potential for sex based solely on that little personal physical preference.

Also, a man has a right to decide what he wants to do with his body — a woman’s/partner’s preferences shouldn’t weigh in on his own personal comfort and satisfaction. I mean, a woman with her labia minora extending past her labia majora shouldn’t have her inner labia trimmed just because a man thinks it looks bad. She’d be losing precious nerves, protective tissue, and risking awful complications. Sound familiar? It should be the informed, consenting adult man’s choice. Period.

Dannie, responding to the post “Dear Dr. Joe, What Do You Think About Circumcision?”



10 Comments

  1. I find that it is sexy to be uncut. The head protected from rubbing of boxers, jeans or what not making it not as sensitive when a man is cut. Also the pulling back of the skin, knowing that your what touches it not everything else

    just my oppinion

  2. I definitely don’t think you should judge a man by his foreskin. To circumcise or not to circumcise is typically a choice made by the parents when the boy is an infant, so it’s not really like men have much of a choice in the matter.

  3. Ditto! Also in Canada, and Jewish – very used to seeing cut. I had one uncut partner early on, and I think I didn’t like him, and so I didn’t really love his uncut penis (the first I’d seen). However, many years later, current partner (European) is uncut and yes. Best. Sex. Ever.

    As for who decides – fortunately or not, parents will keep deciding for the most part. No kids yet, but hypothetically, for myself, I’d discuss it with my partner, and probably lean toward his feelings on the matter….

  4. I’m a middle-aged man in the US, my grandfather was cut and I was cut as a baby. I was in my mid-20’s before I understood what circumcision was because I had never seen an uncut penis. Now I’m angry at my mother for doing that to me. My sons are complete, thank god.

  5. Lisa: I agree! My fiance is my first uncut lover (I live in Canada so circumcised is more common) and he is by far the best. The tip of his penis is more sensitive, therefore he does not pound away at me like other men have which can really hurt. He is able to move in a way which feels great for me too. He is a much more sensitive lover as a result. Another benefit is that he produces more lubrication than circumcised men do.

  6. @John,

    Given that children do grow up and have a right to their own beliefs, is it really ethical to allow parents to perform irreversable surgeries on their children because of their own beliefs? That doesn’t sound quite right to me. Children aren’t property of their parents. I’d be OK with a grown Jewish man deciding to get circumcised, but that’s generally not how it goes, is it?

  7. No way am I going let someone cut me or my sons. Seems like a barbaric idea. Ok, for Jews and others it has religious significance. Freedom of religion takes many forms and I’ll not judge the beliefs of others. But my belief is the goddess wants me to keep what she gave me.

  8. Regarding foreskin, Lady Diana refused to allow her sons, Prince William and Harry, to undergo the procedure. So yea, the royals are uncut. Anyway, the doggy in the bun is the norm in the UK as the circ rate there is less than 1%. Here in the US, it is down to 33% except in the Rust Belt states/mid-west and South where it is still closer to 50%.

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