Okay, there really wasn’t a title I could come up with for this post that would be both factual and *not* a double-entendre.
Respected safer-sex advocates and cornerstone condom retailer Condomania just released penis size data they’ve collected from their sales database. Size and general location of over 27,000 men have been collated and presented in findings that rank penis sizes across the United States, by state and city. Perhaps it’s crass to size up and compare, but you have to admit that this data is fascinating; not to mention that it’s the first time data on (erect) penis size among American men has been collected since Kinsey — in 1948. And it’s way more than Kinsey collected (2,500).
How do they know for sure? That’s an important question because in frontline sex education a common issue we see is that men tend to buy condoms larger than — erm — reality. So much that last night over cocktails The Sexademic joked to me that she considers it analogous to women with B-cups insisting on buying D-cup bras. So you get the picture when it comes to self-reporting, accuracy, and size of a man’s erect penis.
Not so much with Condomania. In 2004 Condomania launched TheyFit Condoms, which are pretty brilliant. Frontline sex ed has taught me that men dislike condoms not simply because they’d rather go bare (though this is often true) but because condoms just don’t fit right, and for reasons condom makers aren’t considering. To buy TheyFit condoms, men print out a measuring kit and Condomania has 76 sizes of condoms (!) that guys can choose from to get a comfy (and safe) fit. Very cool — and this means that men are self-reporting their sizes for real-life use. So, basically, Condomania has a database of accurate penis measurements beyond what any academic study can, or will, attain.
Who is slingin’ pipe? Who dat! It’s New Orleans. Highlights from Condomania’s data include:
* Top Ranking State by Average Penis Size: New Hampshire
* Lowest Ranking State by Average Penis Size: Wyoming [VB note: Remember which Dick is from Wyoming. Also, Utah is #2 lowest.]
* Top Ranking U.S. City by Average Penis Size: New Orleans
* Second Highest Ranking City (just behind N.O.): Washington, D.C.
* Lowest Ranking City by Average Penis Size: Dallas/Ft. Worth
* Blue States vs Red States: Blue States’ Average Penis Size is Bigger.
* Penises Come in a Wide Range of Sizes: The Smallest Penises are Less Than 3″ in Length and the Largest Penises are Longer Than 10″ in Length
* Penis Sizes Chart Almost a Perfect Bell Curve: 25% of the Male Population is Under 5″ in Length, 50% are Between 5″ and 6″ in Length and 25% are Longer than 6″ in Length
Some thoughts on Dr. H’s comments:
If you’re looking at average penis size in America in general, then the place of origin wouldn’t matter as long as it was in America. The evidence in the aricle seems to point to an average penis length of 5.5 inches which is a similar average to what is found in un-self-reported studies in Canada, Australia, U.S.A., and Europe. (Self-reported studies report averages of 1/2 inch longer). Worldwide penis lengths are more varied but genetics and diet are believed to play a part in penis growth.
Age and Penis Length: Wylie and Eardley (2007) found no relation between age and penis length. Some older men (as well as some younger men) may have more trouble getting it up or keeping it up (erectile dysfunction) but age isn’t related to erect length.
The Use It or Lose It Factor: If someone is buying condoms, it seems to me that they are using it.
There are some very large- err gross- well,, methodological problems.
There are no data on age for example. And age does matter. There are no data on place of origin, or ethnicity making secondary factors invisible (if not tiny). There is no data on sexual activity. And “use it or lose it” does also seem to be a factor.
So, while I can take some undeserved* gratification** for living in a well ranked region, I cannot take the results as meaningful.
* If there is any genetic, or regional promoters for penis size, I cannot claim credit for picking my parents.
** Wouldn’t it be more outstanding to be larger than average rather than largely average?
Did anyone else at first think the numbers represented inches? Yikes.
Condomania has 76 sizes of condoms, but that doesn’t do much good for those people who have (or their partners have) latex allergies. For those people, there are only two sizes: Avanti Bare, and Lifestyles Skyn. Sometimes when you live in a small town neither of those are available, and basically your choices are: bareback, a really nasty case of crotch hives, or don’t have sex.
I also think “fit” is rather subjective: I adored the Pleasure Plus condoms, which had a relatively snug lower half, but a comfortably roomy portion around the glans that did a good job of transmitting some real friction, and not just the illusion of friction,to the penis. That was the same reason I liked the original Avantis, and was an enthusiastic product tester (yes, I was, for Planned Parenthood) of the Reality Female Condom.
Wow, well I know where I need to go.
Based on their description, it sounds like they have an average of 5.5″, which is pretty close to previous numbers that I’ve seen.