The Prosthetic Penis and the Trans Penis: Changing Representations of and Cultural Discourses About the Penis

Two cultural discourses about the penis strongly tied to medicine, representation, and sexual practice became prominent within the last decade: the prosthetic penis and the trans penis. Both relate to past research I have published on the penis focusing on the centrality of size and shape to discourses in medicine and sexology; evolutionary theory; Hollywood film and television; pornography; the art world; and humor and jokes. My response places Chris Straayer’s brilliant work within those contexts. Within the last decade the use of prosthetic penises in nearly all Hollywood scenes of frontal male nudity is the ultimate form of regulating the representation of the penis, with filmmakers determining the shape, size, and range of what we see. Although these discourses all create and strengthen patriarchal norms and the overvaluation of the penis, my emphasis has always been on men and women whose sexual pleasure has thus been marginalized or excluded. Straayer, on the other hand, convincingly and profoundly demonstrates that properly understanding and appreciating the importance of the trans penis and the use of trans penis prosthetics are entirely different. They challenge patriarchal discourse with transgender inclusion. Straayer profoundly defines, imagines, and recognizes how transmen value their penis and what they are “packing.”