If you’ve ever been on a dating app as anyone other than a straight, cis dude, there’s a ridiculously high chance that you’ve copped an unsolicited dick pic. Hell, I don’t know, maybe even straight, cis dudes get sent them occasionally, cause boy howdy do guys seem to love sending them. I have a question for everyone who has ever thought it’s a good idea. Just… why?
The first proper study into why people do this came back with some results that are simultaneously shocking and totally expected. The study was done via an online survey of 1,087 men, most of whom had decided at some point that an internet stranger wanted to see their genitals.
Speaking of getting the entire world involved in your genitals, listen to the GOAT team chat about what Gwyneth Paltrow has been up to…
You know all those jokes along the lines of “do they really think that we’ll be turned on by a blurry, poorly lit picture of a dick that we didn’t ask for?” Well, the answer is yes, they actually do. The most commonly hoped for reaction to a dick pic was “sexual excitement” for the receiver.
The most common motivation for sending an unsolicited dick pic in the first place was the hope that they’d get a nude sent back in return. I’d love to know if that has ever worked for anyone ever, cause my guess is probably no.
As for the senders themselves? The survey tested for signs of narcissism, hostile sexism, and ambivalent sexism. Hostile sexism is straight up thinking that women are inferior and should stay in their place, while ambivalent sexism is more along the lines of ‘women must be protected by men.’
The people sending unsolicited dick pics tested higher for all three compared to people who aren’t sending them. Colour me shocked.
So there you have it. Now you can be informed and horrified next time a dick pic lands in your inbox, because even though we know why they’re sent now, we still don’t know how to make them stop.
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