Michelangelo's David, a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, is famous for many reasons. It embodies the city of Florence and symbolizes its strength and independence. However, many also noticed the size of the sculpture's penis, which was reportedly small.
Men's Penis Size Has Increased
Researchers from Selcuk University and Biruni University in Turkey studied the size of penises in artwork from the Renaissance Period compared to the present day. They believed that had Michelangelo sculpted his David masterpiece today, he would have used a bit more marble for his manhood, Daily Mail reported.
The researchers observed that in nude paintings, the size of the penis has gradually increased in the past seven centuries after the 20th century.
The study analyzed 160 artworks of nude men from 99 artists from 21 countries from the Renaissance Period. They decided to settle on the artworks during the Renaissance because it was when painting and images focused on people to reflect the ideal beauty of the human form.
The team said the church's influence on art had reduced then, and nude pictures were depicted in artworks.
The first known example of phallic images in art dates back to the Stone Age, approximately 30,000 years ago. There were primitive human figures with a head, trunk, limbs, and a penis on cave walls in Ancient Asia Minor.
According to the research paper, throughout history, illustrations of the penis have had various meanings. But they noticed an increase in the size in more recent history. It is noticeable in male nude paintings.
The researchers said the evolution of the artistic representation of the penis toward a larger size could contribute to men's feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction. However, more studies are needed to know the motivation and consequence of penis perception today.
The study was published in the urology journal BJUI.
Are Men Satisfy With Their Penis Size?
Another study from King's College London questioned 173 men about their deepest insecurities, and 30% revealed that they were not happy with the size of their penis. However, 35% said they were content and wouldn't change it, Australian Men's Health reported.
The same study also suggests that male believe size doesn't matter, as bigger doesn't necessarily mean it's better. The researchers noted that there were men with larger than average penis which were ashamed about it and men with smaller than average sizes who did not find their member's size an issue.
A study by Dr. Kevan Wylie from the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield found that excessive concern about penis size is more common among men with average-sized penises than those with small packages.
The research bought together 50 studies conducted since 1942, which had measured 11 531 penises. The study defines a small penis as 7 cm or 2.7 inches in size.
Wylie's study detailed the symptoms of small penis syndrome, which involved obsessive checking rituals. The research published by BJU International, the British Association of Urological Surgeons journal, revealed that men and women have different perspectives on penis sizes.
About 85% of women were satisfied with their partner's size. However, only 55% of men felt their member was big enough, according to The Guardian.
A 2006 study published in Psychology of Men & Masculinity also showed a similar result. The research involved over 50,000 individuals and found that only 55% of men were satisfied with their member size.
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