Penis, Masculinity and Disability
This blog post is also inspired from my History of the Body course. But this week, I’d like to talk about the penis ( not in a sexual way, of course!)
As we were exploring various ideologies and theories about the penis throughout history, I was also doing my own research about sex and disabilities for one of my journalism classes. Throughout my research – which included interviewing experts and consulting secondary sources – I realized how this really complemented our area of study. Therefore, I’d like to use this blog post to draw on some of the similarities and reflect how society understands the penis today, in terms of ableism and disability.
The media is constantly looking to expose the latest nudes of celebrities. Just a few months ago, a photo (although a blurry one haha) of Justin Bieber’s penis was leaked, which caused a huge uproar and praise among the social media community about his allegedly “huge” penis. Many people were shocked that a celeb like Bieber could “own” a penis that big and some even argued that he takes supplements to enhance his size. I find it interesting that people are so concerned about his penis because it’s as if the size suddenly makes him a better singer or a better person for that matter.
Considering our society’s exposure to all things related to sex, I would argue the 21st century western society is experiencing a hyper (ableist*) sexualized surge in culture. Think about it, we have sex stores, steamy sex scenes in movies and TV shows, sex therapists, sex workshops, and the list goes on and on. To summarize in two words – sex sells. All of these ideas are relatively new and did not really exist – or rather, were highly secretive and private in the last three or four decades.
What’s interesting to note is that within these mediums we’re almost exclusively exposed to images and products catered to able-bodied, slim, young, white, and generally filled with males. This creates a myth where to be sexually active, individuals are required to look a certain way and possess various qualities. The reason why I’m bringing this up is because the one of the criteria of masculinity today, is heavily tied to being able to sexually preform. It’s important to note though, the definition of what is masculine and masculinity changes over time, place and person. Furthermore, this definition is heavily influenced by things like politics, economics, family ties etc.
Now, the question is what does masculinity mean to people with disabilities? Is masculinity the same across all spectrums of people? I would argue that there is a double standard imposed on masculinity for abled-bodied people and masculinity for those with disabilities.
There is definitely a stigma surrounding individuals with disabilities, where they are often categorized as asexual and are incapable of having intimate relationships because of the unrealistic and ableist representations of sexual interactions portrayed in the media and in the porn industry.
One of the concepts I learned and would like to share with you, is that in penis-centric empires such as the Romans and the Greeks, there was a lot of emphasis placed on one’s penis as people related the penis to fertility and masculinity. It was thought that a “proper man” was able to have an erection and be able to ejaculate. In such penis centric cultures, if someone could not have an erection, or was castrated, or had a scar of some sort, this was considered a huge disability.
To a certain extent, I would argue this notion still holds true today. The penis is still linked to fertility – in fact, it’s a huge aspect of it. There are all sorts of medications such as Viagra and fertility pills to ensure the man can keep preforming in bed to the best of his ability. It is often shameful for men to be seen buying Viagra or taking hormone pills because they are no longer able to do the deed naturally. One could argue that this means they are no longer as masculine as they used to be during their youth and supports the notion that as one ages, one becomes less masculine.
Moreover, due to a lack in education people have misconceived ideas and stereotypes about the body and its functions. The previous sex-education curriculum in Ontario used to only teach able-bodied sexual interactions and would often ignore the idea of disabilities within the course. In addition, although the new Liberal government has promised to implement a national disabilities strategy, many advocates expect it will address housing, assisted living and accessibility issues before providing sex-related resources. This lack of education and resources are creating barriers and stereotypes regarding what it means to be a man or woman with a disability, which often redefines what it means to be masculine for an individual with disability.
Let’s compare the two types of what comprises masculinity for an abled-bodied person and one with disability. Generally speaking, masculinity for abled-bodied people includes aspects like muscular physique, a breadwinner, and ability to preform in the bedroom (typically with a woman). But for an individual with disability masculinity is the opposite. They often cannot act as the breadwinner because of unfair wages within the work force, building a muscular physique is often unachievable for quadriplegics and paraplegics, because of this their sexuality is often called into question.
Among the physical disability community it’s often automatically assumed that there is something wrong with one’s penis and they cannot preform simply because they are in a wheelchair. One of my interviewees, Brett Babcock, a former professional gymnast, said, “people often think that because I lost feeling in my legs, it means my penis doesn’t work anymore, or that I grew a third one.” In 2012, Babcock suffered a spinal-cord injury while training for a competition in Edmonton and became a paraplegic.
Babcock added, “because of the expectations people can have about sex, as a person with disabilities, you’re constantly worried that you won’t be able to preform as well as someone with an abled body. So your internal ableist becomes your worst enemy.”
This mindsets is one of the many reasons there is a double standard of masculinity in society and thus making those with disabilities feel inferior.
