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Manhood: The Bare Reality
100 men bare all in a collection of photographs and interviews about manhood and 'manhood'. 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 in this pioneering and unique book. Just as Bare 100 women, their breasts, their stories presented the un-airbrushed truth about breasts for women, The Bare Reality shows us the spectrum of 'normal', revealing men's penises and bodies in all their diversity and glory, dispelling body image anxiety and myths. 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.
407 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2017
83 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Laura Dodsworth
7 books61 followersLaura Dodsworth is an author, journalist, photographer and filmmaker and has been described as a ‘latter-day punchy Cassandra’ and a ‘Slayer of Taboos’. Her books Bare Reality: 100 women, their breasts, their stories, Manhood: The Bare Reality and Womanhood: The Bare Reality have attracted worldwide media coverage and excellent reviews.
Laura and the creation of Womanhood were the subject of a documentary for Channel 4, 100 Vaginas, which received 5 star reviews and has been broadcast around the world.
Her latest book is A State of Fear: how the UK government weaponised fear during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Laura and the creation of Womanhood were the subject of a documentary for Channel 4, 100 Vaginas, which received 5 star reviews and has been broadcast around the world.
Her latest book is A State of Fear: how the UK government weaponised fear during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 4, 2017
I suppose I picked this up initially for the 100 photographic examples of the penises of ordinary cisgender men, wanting to have some sense, as a transgender man, of what I lack. But the book is much more than a collection of photos of willies (and includes two trans men, as well--one with a surgically constructed penis, the other wearing a prosthetic). Certainly I learned that the penis is endlessly variable, as are the bodies which penises are attached to--unlike porn or TV or popular cinema, in which men's bodies skew toward "perfect" or at least "extremely attractive in a culturally conventional way." Here are (British) men from all walks of life, all ages, photographed from mid-ribcage to mid-thigh, full-frontal, unaroused. Everyone is normal, whatever his size, shape, or proportion. That did feel helpful to me.
But the two- to three-page mini-biography interviews accompanying the photos are what's really special about the book. The men talk about what "manhood" means to them, how they have experienced masculinity and/or male privilege, what parts their penises do or don't play in their ideas of themselves as men. I was raised as a girl and socialized as a woman, and because I did not transition to male until middle-age, I did not pick up the fullness of cultural maleness naturally. This may be to my benefit as well as to my detriment, as these interviews reveal. Many of them share their frustrations with the emotional limits men so often grow up learning to impose on themselves; several share their arduous journeys of making peace with difficult pasts rooted in toxic masculinity. I found myself feeling really appreciative of their willingness to be vulnerable and open, physically but especially emotionally.
In sum, a unique contribution to documenting men's experience. Really well done.
But the two- to three-page mini-biography interviews accompanying the photos are what's really special about the book. The men talk about what "manhood" means to them, how they have experienced masculinity and/or male privilege, what parts their penises do or don't play in their ideas of themselves as men. I was raised as a girl and socialized as a woman, and because I did not transition to male until middle-age, I did not pick up the fullness of cultural maleness naturally. This may be to my benefit as well as to my detriment, as these interviews reveal. Many of them share their frustrations with the emotional limits men so often grow up learning to impose on themselves; several share their arduous journeys of making peace with difficult pasts rooted in toxic masculinity. I found myself feeling really appreciative of their willingness to be vulnerable and open, physically but especially emotionally.
In sum, a unique contribution to documenting men's experience. Really well done.
September 1, 2019
Não estava à espera de gostar tanto deste livro. É um projecto fotográfico diferente. As fotografias tornam-se secundárias e os relatos/histórias tornam-se, claramente, a personagem principal. São 100 homens, 100 histórias diferentes, umas mais interessantes que outras, mas todas muito pessoais e honestas. Uma leitura enriquecedora sobre a forma como a masculinidade é vista aos olhos destes 100 homens. Recomendo!
May 1, 2020
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very personal and covered a whole lot about the inner world of men I would have otherwise not had access to.
The stories do not read like an interview in which the questions were just removed. They read like a string of thoughts one might have, unstructured yet credible, uncoerced.
In the beginning, I found myself disregarding the men that proclaimed themselves as feminists. It felt like I wasn't given the opportunity to question them further to test if they truly are what they say. But then I realized this art project and the resulting book was not a space for my own insecurities about feminism and feminism and men, but an account of true stories and feelings men have about their body, about culture, society, and their role in it. So I took a step back and just enjoyed the complexities of life they decided to share.
I really enjoyed this peek into how men understand and navigate manhood.
The stories do not read like an interview in which the questions were just removed. They read like a string of thoughts one might have, unstructured yet credible, uncoerced.
In the beginning, I found myself disregarding the men that proclaimed themselves as feminists. It felt like I wasn't given the opportunity to question them further to test if they truly are what they say. But then I realized this art project and the resulting book was not a space for my own insecurities about feminism and feminism and men, but an account of true stories and feelings men have about their body, about culture, society, and their role in it. So I took a step back and just enjoyed the complexities of life they decided to share.
I really enjoyed this peek into how men understand and navigate manhood.
October 3, 2020
It comfirmed some of the things I believed about men, but also showed a more vulnerable side to them.
It also showed me a great divide between me and men in general.
I was surprised to find a good number criticizing pornography and its effects both on themselves and young people learning about sexuality.
It also showed me a great divide between me and men in general.
I was surprised to find a good number criticizing pornography and its effects both on themselves and young people learning about sexuality.
February 3, 2019
To be honest, I barely remember the photos in this book. A healthy assortment of English peens. Hooray. The stories about these men's lives were the real draw here. I found it a fascinating and heartfelt collection of contemporary real-life experiences.
July 16, 2021
This book is incredible for me! Especially in Gender Studies in Thai mainstream education rarely found the study about masculinity and body politics which could lead to misunderstanding about 'penis'. (even 'male' also have some stereotype and misleading about it)
The author (Laura) had taken 100 penises from cis male, transmen, gay from teenage to above 90 years old but covered their identities and faces. She also interviewed them about their feeling and attitude about their relationship with their own penis. We could see the fragility and fear about their penis.
The author (Laura) had taken 100 penises from cis male, transmen, gay from teenage to above 90 years old but covered their identities and faces. She also interviewed them about their feeling and attitude about their relationship with their own penis. We could see the fragility and fear about their penis.
August 29, 2024
i don't think that a person like me (a 19 years old cis girl) is a target audience for this book. but in all honesty who is and who isn't a target audience for it? i feel that books such a this or womanhood which I have read previously are important for all kinds of people to read, doesn't matter what bits you have. I'm glad they exist and I wish they were more popular.
March 4, 2019
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 don't know what I expected, but it wasn't really what I was expecting. The interviewees talked relatively little about their penises per se. They talked about their childhoods and relationships with their parents or families, and walked you through the things that were most tender and vulnerable, and often still unresolved, for them.
I found myself less and less looking at the images of penises, and more just listening to their stories and more thinking about how far we have to go to be tender and connected with ourselves and each other. Perhaps male-identifying people have particular battles to fight in that regard. This was the opinion of many people in this book, certainly. I felt glad to hear their uncensored thoughts on these topics. It wasn't always comfortable to read - the views expressed in here were occasionally distressing to me - but I was glad to have it laid out anyway, and feel perhaps better able to have discussions with penis-owning people about these things now.
I was struck by how many of the interviewees talked, often at some length, about the impact of medical conditions on their sex lives and their relationships. I thought this was really important. It's probably much more common then many of us realise, to have to negotiate medical conditions when it comes to sex.
And finally, I found it really delightful to read perspectives from people across the lifespan, all the way up. The book opens with an interview with a 92-year-old. I found that the interviews from older folks to be the ones that most often caused me laughter and delight. Wonderful. And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have a way of hearing those stories other than through a book like this (or not until I'm 92 myself), so, thanks Laura.
This book has been followed by a similar one of 100 vulva-owning people, and I'm very much looking forward to reading that.
I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't really what I was expecting. The interviewees talked relatively little about their penises per se. They talked about their childhoods and relationships with their parents or families, and walked you through the things that were most tender and vulnerable, and often still unresolved, for them.
I found myself less and less looking at the images of penises, and more just listening to their stories and more thinking about how far we have to go to be tender and connected with ourselves and each other. Perhaps male-identifying people have particular battles to fight in that regard. This was the opinion of many people in this book, certainly. I felt glad to hear their uncensored thoughts on these topics. It wasn't always comfortable to read - the views expressed in here were occasionally distressing to me - but I was glad to have it laid out anyway, and feel perhaps better able to have discussions with penis-owning people about these things now.
I was struck by how many of the interviewees talked, often at some length, about the impact of medical conditions on their sex lives and their relationships. I thought this was really important. It's probably much more common then many of us realise, to have to negotiate medical conditions when it comes to sex.
And finally, I found it really delightful to read perspectives from people across the lifespan, all the way up. The book opens with an interview with a 92-year-old. I found that the interviews from older folks to be the ones that most often caused me laughter and delight. Wonderful. And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have a way of hearing those stories other than through a book like this (or not until I'm 92 myself), so, thanks Laura.
This book has been followed by a similar one of 100 vulva-owning people, and I'm very much looking forward to reading that.
February 10, 2019
This is such an interesting book I would recommend it for both women and men.
It is a compilation of 2 to 3 pages of interviews with a variety of men. Be aware that each interview has a picture of the interviewee's penis.
I found it very illuminating in hearing each man's story about his relationship with his penis, his views on life in regards to it and how porn, abuse, size and cancer's have shaped each persons outlook on their views towards their penises and life in general. It was also interesting to see how older men had matured over the years in their views towards women, men, sex and/or being gay or transgendered. There is sadness as well that many men have experienced in their lives and sexuality and how they are working through that.
This book is quite informative and it is really cool that these men were able to expose themselves and to hear their honesty about their feelings and their lives. It is neat to see the changing of old patriarchic thought patterns to something that is more supportive towards themselves and women.
Men just want to be men and not be a person with a penis and they don't want to worry about size and all the issues that society has put on them because of the fact they have a penis. Penises have caused a lot of men a lot of grief.
I hope you come away from this book feeling a little more informed and thoughtful of men.
It is a compilation of 2 to 3 pages of interviews with a variety of men. Be aware that each interview has a picture of the interviewee's penis.
I found it very illuminating in hearing each man's story about his relationship with his penis, his views on life in regards to it and how porn, abuse, size and cancer's have shaped each persons outlook on their views towards their penises and life in general. It was also interesting to see how older men had matured over the years in their views towards women, men, sex and/or being gay or transgendered. There is sadness as well that many men have experienced in their lives and sexuality and how they are working through that.
This book is quite informative and it is really cool that these men were able to expose themselves and to hear their honesty about their feelings and their lives. It is neat to see the changing of old patriarchic thought patterns to something that is more supportive towards themselves and women.
Men just want to be men and not be a person with a penis and they don't want to worry about size and all the issues that society has put on them because of the fact they have a penis. Penises have caused a lot of men a lot of grief.
I hope you come away from this book feeling a little more informed and thoughtful of men.
February 9, 2022
Masculinity unbared
This book is an excellent meditation on masculinity as it applies to ordinary men. 100 volunteered to have their penises photographed in a respectful and non intrusive manner. These are supplemented by reflections on what having a penis means to them. To some it is something of a burden as is a typically masculine role. For some it is a means of connection through sex to other. Often they reflect on partners male and female, being a male child, or being a male parent. It is refreshing to see mostly average sized men instead of the exaggerated organs of male porn stars. Interesting reflections!
This book is an excellent meditation on masculinity as it applies to ordinary men. 100 volunteered to have their penises photographed in a respectful and non intrusive manner. These are supplemented by reflections on what having a penis means to them. To some it is something of a burden as is a typically masculine role. For some it is a means of connection through sex to other. Often they reflect on partners male and female, being a male child, or being a male parent. It is refreshing to see mostly average sized men instead of the exaggerated organs of male porn stars. Interesting reflections!
January 18, 2021
This was interesting but so man-centric and I honestly got a bit bored of reading about men and their penises. I like the thought but it was better in theory than in practice or maybe just more as like a coffee table book? I don’t know. Reading short essay after short essay about men and their penises just kinda got tedious. I think reading it like a coffee table book where you just open it up when you feel like it and flipping to a page would be more interesting than reading this all in one go. Maybe that’s how the author intended it? I’m not sure.
June 19, 2017
The thoughts of the subjects are more revealing than the photos.
December 5, 2017
Worth reading - and not for the 100 pics of penis! Each story was fascinating in its own way, I’m grateful for the insight into how men feel about their bodies :)
January 25, 2019
Highly recommend reading
August 12, 2021
Fun proyect
I went reading this book with an open mind and was surprised of. All the things we men think about our privates
I went reading this book with an open mind and was surprised of. All the things we men think about our privates
December 19, 2025
Come for the pictures, stay for the life stories. By the time you finish reading one, you forget that there was even a photo involved in the first place.
What really gets me about this one is the humanity of it. You'd think it's pretty obvious that a book consisting of 100 regular dudes sitting down to tell you about their experiences and feelings feels real, and yet it's hard for me to express how hard that realness hits. It reminds me of my own conversations with some of the men in my life, as most are too guarded for this level of vunerability. It just- it gets to you, man, it really does. Please just read it. I don't care if you're worried "what people are going to say" because it has pictures of penises inside, just do it. If for nothing else, then just to find out that male victims of abuse are more common than you may think.
What really gets me about this one is the humanity of it. You'd think it's pretty obvious that a book consisting of 100 regular dudes sitting down to tell you about their experiences and feelings feels real, and yet it's hard for me to express how hard that realness hits. It reminds me of my own conversations with some of the men in my life, as most are too guarded for this level of vunerability. It just- it gets to you, man, it really does. Please just read it. I don't care if you're worried "what people are going to say" because it has pictures of penises inside, just do it. If for nothing else, then just to find out that male victims of abuse are more common than you may think.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews