Love + Sex

Friday, December 11, 2009

What's all the flap about?

Getty Images

Getty Images


There's nothing like the subject of uncircumcised penises to brighten up a ladies' night out dinner conversation, eh? While discussions regarding the typical peen-snipped American man's nether regions are always guaranteed to get a rise (heh) out of the crowd, once uncut genitalia--and more specifically, the possibility that we will actually encounter one of these mythical creatures--rears its um, head, it can whip a table full of hot blooded American girls into a real tizz. What's the difference? Has anyone actually seen one? How does it feel? More importantly, what in god's name do you do with it?

Obviously, it's the fear of the unknown that initially sparks our curiosity. After all, the majority of North American guys have all had their foreskins removed. (Incidentally, there's a wrinkle-cream that boasts baby foreskin as a main ingredient, I freakin' kid you not). And while plenty of our Euro brothers remain "intact," the guys most of us grew up with always got the short end of the stick (cymbal crash). So yes, it's actually quite mysterious and even exotic when one encounters the odd uncircumcised man. And for all our silly, juvenile sex talks with one another, the uncircumcised penis is a double edged sword (har) in that most of your pals have probably never mounted one much less spotted one in the wild, and since your guy friends lost theirs during infancy, well, they aren't really that equipped (sorry can't stop) to tell you what the difference is either. Thank god for the internet.

Now, I'm not going to get into the history of circumcision or whether it's right or wrong. (I can tell you that there seems to be a backlash and some mothers are rethinking the whole ordeal and letting their sons make the decision for themselves, which seems pretty damn reasonable to me.) But if you've never seen one or even the other, I suggest you get yourself over to Wikipedia, where you can peruse a rather detailed entry on the subject at your leisure (like, after work). The neutrality of the information is reported as "disputed" but as one who has seen both versions, I can verify that the photos are right on. And that's just the thing: It doesn't make such a crazy huge difference.

When I was in my early 20s dating My First Foreigner who happened to hail from the UK, I was practically beside myself with performance anxiety. Well, okay, it wasn't that bad, but I did bombard my German roommate with questions about how to "handle" an uncircumcised dick. She just looked at me cooly, took a thoughtful drag from her Gaulois, and said, "There's really nothing to worry about," and went on to explain that a fully erect penis looks and feels exactly the same whether it has foreskin attached to it or not. And she was right. Case closed.

But obviously, we all still have questions. How to handle foreplay (ahem)? (Answer: He'll show you, and again, you'll be like, "Why was I sweatin' this in the first place?") Is it all gross and dirty up in there? (Answer: No, unless he has really terrible personal hygiene, in which case, why are you sleeping with him again?) Will it feel different? Better even? (Answer: While all penises have their pros and cons, no, not necessarily.)

Now I'd like to open up this clearly heated discussion. Have questions? We'll try to answer em. Have an opinion on the matter (besides, crap Erin, what's with the asinine post and all the immature penis jokes?)? Let her rip.
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From the Community…

Comments 1-10 of 182
  • 's Avatar
    Posted by Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:47pm PDT

    Been there done that and can't say it was anymore great or worse than the other. It's not (how do i put this) the sock or the lack of that makes the difference, It's the way it's used. Just a small note, DO NOT SCREAM if he requests oral and doesn't warn you 1st of the little sock. Totally ruins the mood. :-)

    Also all you have to do is pull his sock down and it is just like everyone else.

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  • newbergfoo's Avatar
    Posted by newbergfoo Sun Aug 10, 2008 2:01pm PDT

    yeah it's only weird when it's soft.. doesn't make much of a difference

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  • Rhyleigh Blue's Avatar
    Posted by Rhyleigh Blue Sun Aug 10, 2008 2:25pm PDT

    My first and only un-cut was also British. He was very opinionated about how much better it was to be un-cut (from his point of view) and was more than willing to demonstrate the points in his argument for my education. Basically, these points centered around his ability to engage in .... uh.... let's see now.... more organic... self love type activities.... if you catch my drift. He had some interesting uses for all of that extra skin, and it was easy to see why he was so enchanted with being un-cut.

    On the other hand, he was very strict about his personal hygiene, and this made our cooperative activities more pleasant. He was careful to explain to me why it was mandatory that I demand equal attention to hygiene from any un-cut lovers that I may have in the future. His discriptions of the smegma was a little too detail oriented for my tastes, however.

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  • bayou kat's Avatar
    Posted by bayou kat Sun Aug 10, 2008 3:21pm PDT

    In the black community it is not as rare. I had anencounter with one no oral. Sexually no difference.

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  • Sheretta D's Avatar
    Posted by Sheretta D Sun Aug 10, 2008 3:21pm PDT

    Well it is no different that a guy who is circumsized. Honestly don't see a difference expect the fact that its hiding under there instead of sticking out saying come and get me. Personally to some extent most guys not circumsized seem to be a whole lot cleaner than those who not. That just my personal opinion.

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  • joshsmom's Avatar
    Posted by joshsmom Sun Aug 10, 2008 3:27pm PDT

    As long as he keeps it clean there is no problem. I dated one guy who was a pig, I had to explain to him how nasty his hygeine (or lack there of) was. Needless to say that did not last long. He was eventually put into the strictly friends category.

    I have chosen not to circumcise any of my boys (3). If for any reason they want it they can do what they want. Friends have asked me if I was worried about what women would think, quite frankly I do not think about the pleasures my sons may or may not give.

    My current boyfriend is also uncircumcised. He is not any different than circumcised men.

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  • Db's Avatar
    Posted by Db Sun Aug 10, 2008 3:45pm PDT

    I'm interested in organic activities. Not sure what it's about.

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  • mabcosmic's Avatar
    Posted by mabcosmic Sun Aug 10, 2008 3:50pm PDT

    There's supposedly some health benefits from getting circumcised, although, I'm in the group that doesn't believe in circumcising boys (or girls, for that matter!). I've been with an uncircumcized man before I got married and it felt good. I remember asking myself why they do it to men at all, because it seemed to not only increase my pleasure, but his pleasure as well.

    Personal hygeine would be extremely important, but I think it's extremely important for both genders anyway regardless.

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  • 48reasons's Avatar
    Posted by 48reasons Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:02pm PDT

    None of my sons were circumcised. Why because my insurance viewed it as cosmetic and wouldn't pay for it unless there was a health risk.

    I am a 48 year old woman and I can honestly say I have seen my share of both. It seems a little strange at first glace but once the foreskin is out of the way it's basically all the same. I always kind of thought of it a wrapping on a special package!!

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  • Julie's Avatar
    Posted by Julie Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:15pm PDT

    other than it looking at little weird soft its not any different...i gotta say though that if they dont have extremely good hygene it can be a very bad experiance

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Comments 1-10 of 182

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