In a world of constant communication, disappearing social content, and desire for immediate gratification, taking and sending pictures of oneself has become an everyday occurrence. Yet there is one group of private photographs that leave many women scratching their heads, not only because they are unsolicited, but because they are unwanted—except for a good laugh: The dick pic.
While I acknowledge that everything about my poll was unscientific and most likely biased, I asked groups of women over several weeks about their history with and desire for penis pictures. (As a good academic, I did have a decent sample size of 37 women who ranged from 22 to 56 years in age and covered most of the United States geographically, representing a diverse ethnic and racial makeup.)
Out of those women, zero say they love dick pics or that getting one had convinced them to sleep with someone. Almost all said they had laughed and showed at least one friend. Several were markedly unhappy at receiving the picture, and most noted they didn’t really care, but when they received it were surprised and wondered why he chose that picture at that moment.
Clearly, my poll needs additional investigating, and an academic assessment of why men behave as they do.
It appears three main things come to light when a man sends a picture of his penis to a woman. Not so shockingly, all three relate back to ego and how excited his brain gets. That’s right, his ego and brain, not hers. The common theme appears to be that men, for the most part, are very proud of their manliness, whether or not women are excited to see it, and sending a dick pic is actually all about him.
1. Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel
In today’s world there are so many contacts in our phones and email address books, and so many new people to meet on social media and online sites, that by sending an image to enough women, men assume eventually one is going to bite (hopefully not literally). Men tend to think what they have to offer is so great, how could anyone not want to see and desire it? Further, by casting a large net, mathematical probabilities would suggest men are actually correct to believe that at least one of the targets will render success.
2. It’s Like Catcalling
Women who live in urban areas know this scenario all too well. A man passes you in a car and either honks the horn or yells something out the window like “Hey, baby.” When asked, men say they are “complimenting” the women. But, in fact, an annoying horn sound or a “Hey!” are not compliments about a woman’s appearance, intelligence, wit, or anything else. They are acts that get a man noticed.
In the history of the world, I’m certain the number of women who have heard a car honk and subsequently gotten in a stranger’s car are slim to none. Yet men have continued to perform this behavior for decades. Why? Because they believe their outward acts of aggression are compliments, as are showing us their penises.
3. There’s No Accountability
With rapid technological advances and sex flooding the Internet, men (and women, for that matter) can send pictures of themselves with ease. In many cases one can either choose to be anonymous or know the content will disappear immediately. This new world of technology allows for less accountability per individual, and greater usage of multiple forums to share what men think they have to offer.
