Manhood: The Bare Reality

Product Information

The classic social pressures mean that it can feel very shameful for a boy to… be perceived as weak.” Each interview took between 30 and 60 minutes and no two were quite alike. “Some people come into an interview and they don’t need questions, they will just talk and some people really need the questions to help them open up.” Laura Dodsworth's latest project 'Manhood' involved photographing the penises of 100 men. But it wasn't her her first time taking pictures of intimate body parts. After the success of Bare Reality, Manhood – a photography book of men's genitals – was the inevitable progression, as Laura felt compelled to explore men's stories too. I don’t think feminism should rewind, but there needs to be a way for men to say it’s hard for us, that we hurt. [But] that should take place away from feminism”

She says what surprised her most about the whole process is the shame and anxiety many men feel about the size of their manhood. A lot more men feel a sense of shame or anxiety about their size, or an aspect of their performance, than I would have thought. What really moved me is how much that shame and inadequacy had bled into different parts of their life.” Sensitive and compassionate, Manhood will surprise you and reassure you. It may even make you reconsider what you think you know about men, their bodies and masculinity. All one hundred of these interviews are intimate and exploratory and give us candid, honest and sometimes difficult insights in what it means to be a man in the 21st Century. Manhood shows us the spectrum of ‘normal’, revealing men’s penises and bodies in all their diversity and glory, helping in dispelling body image anxiety and myths. I think as a boy growing up, to be a man was to be strong, to be hard, to not cry. And then I was told that wasn’t OK, that I should be softer.”The second quote in this section bemoans that that guy didn’t know how to make it different. In my opinion, he’s halfway there. Recognizing that a disparity exists is the first step, and it must be followed by concrete action steps to fix this. Be that guy to take the first step and ask about personal things with your buddies. Eventually, it will feel less awkward. Transitioning from “traditional manhood” to “transformational manhood” My boy is very in touch with how he feels and I encourage that. I think it’s important that as fathers we step up. At the moment, in the collective… there’s more discussion about self-development.” Size matters (to men) this book says over and over again, along with the incongruities of nudity and the strengths and vulnerabilities that this brings forth.

I’d heard so many women speak so deeply about what being a woman means, I realised that there was this vacuum – I wanted to know what men’s stories were, to understand manhood more.” This is a book of interviews of 100 penis-owning people, who are invited to talk about their penis, sexuality, relationships, and pretty much anything they feel is important to communicate about themselves and their lives. There is a photo in each case of their penis. I had no idea how many men believed they're too small. It's very common. And the men who thought they were too small looked really normal size to me. There are men that said who would've moved differently in the world of men if they were bigger." Feminism has helped women to re-interpret womanhood and break down feminine stereotypes. I don’t feel this has happened enough for men.” — Laura Dodsworth in Manhood: The Bare Reality Dodsworth has previously explored bodies with her book, Bare Reality, about people's relationships with their breasts. She says her projects are born from her relationship with her own body, and exploring what that might mean for men.

The chill factor

Vagina, vulva, lady garden, pussy, beaver, cunt, fanny...whatever you call it most women have no idea what’s ‘down there’. Culturally and personally, no body part inspires love and hate, fear and lust, worship and desecration in the same way. After Bare Reality came out, I found myself drawn, perhaps compelled, to create an inner psychological and creative balance, and explore men’s stories. Manhood: The Bare Reality is a collection of 100 intimate photographs and interviews with men, and explores themes of masculinity, gender and sexuality, offering a unique insight into what it means to be a man in the 21st century. What do a veteran and a vicar, a porn addict and a prostate cancer survivor, a would-be father and an ex-con have in common? They have all bared their soul – and the contents of their trousers – to photographer Laura Dodsworth, the author of a new book Manhood: The Bare Reality. It consists of 100 photographs of naked men, from the navel down, accompanied by interviews of each, typically starting off by describing how they feel about their penis. What do they look like?

Men really opened up and discussed anxieties, OCD and full-blown depression and suicidal thoughts. There are a lot of mental health stories in the book. They all really opened up emotionally and it felt like a very rare glimpse into men's inner world. There are men in the book who say they have never talked about this to anybody." A wonderful, enlightening and humanising book about men." - Dr Anand Patel, specialist in sexual medicine In writing a men’s health blog, I always try to be careful to not act like men have been systematically oppressed. Every ABSOT post runs through a review process by my Editor-in-Chief, Katie, and we’ve had numerous conversations about making sure that I’m keeping my eye on the ball with regards to the overall scope of society in regards to men and privilege. While I do get very passionate about men’s health, the truth is that men have done much of this damage to themselves by perpetuating harmful stereotypes and narratives. Starting Manhood was different compared to Bare Reality. I'm used to seeing women in the changing room but I've generally only seen adult penises in sexual settings so it was a little bit embarrassing and awkward to start with. I just tried to make sure none of that came across and kept the environment safe and professional." 3. Most men think they're too smallThis is the heart and soul of the book. While there were a few quotes that reinforces “traditional manhood” concepts, they were shared by men who had their penises photographed a few minutes earlier and were sharing some of their deepest and darkest moments in their lives. (As I was typing this, I really had to wonder – were the interviews taped while they were still naked or did they get dressed first?) I’m not going to weigh in too much on these quotes since they do an excellent job of speaking for themselves. While my commentary is absent, I made it a point to include them here to show that many many are aware of the dichotomy of being raised in the “traditional manhood” eras as we enter into the “transformational manhood” time. The concept of “transformational manhood” We know “traditional manhood” is broken. “Transformational manhood” is in a step in the right direction, but we should continue moving closer to just “humanhood.” In closing, I feel this final quote really drove home the overall message of where we need to go from here: Dodsworth says the photos took only about 10 seconds to shoot, but that she would interview the men for a much longer period of time to document it in the book. She says that "once somebody bares their body, they are much more likely to bare their soul." Dodsworth took different approaches depending on who she was talking to. “The way I’d handle an interview with a vicar would be completely different to how I’d handle and interview with a BDSM practitioner. One thing I asked absolutely everybody was how they felt about their penis, and every interview started like that, unless they went off in their own direction.” The chill factor

My books Bare Reality: 100 women, their breasts, their stories, Manhood: The Bare Realityand Womanhood: The Bare Reality attracted worldwide media coverage and critical acclaim. I gave a TEDxtalk about the series. A Channel 4 documentary based on Womanhoodcalled 100 Vaginashas now been aired around the world. That led to being commissioned by The Guardian to direct another documentary, SCARS.These days we are all less bound by gender and traditional roles, but is there more confusion about what being a man means? From veteran to vicar, from porn addict to prostate cancer survivor, men from all walks of life share honest reflections about their bodies, sexuality, relationships, fatherhood, work and health. Hearing these men’s stories was an absolute privilege and honour and I am very grateful for the experience. I’m excited this book share with you. I don’t think people will have heard men talk so honestly about so many fascinating subjects. Masculinity is associated with being ‘strong and silent’, yet here is a book of 100 men talking frankly and intimately about their manhood in both senses.