Manhood: The Bare Reality

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Object of fear and arousal. Symbol of dominance. Source of anxiety. A potent combination of power and pleasure. Once upon a time, penises occupied their place on the pedestal with pride, from the holy worship of the phallus in ancient Rome to the Shiva Linga, but they have also long been associated with base level male banter, ridicule and fear. Today, in the wake of #MeToo and #TimesUp has the penis become even more taboo? And how does a young generation of men feel about masculinity being labelled “toxic”? I don't think one person can have the final say on what masculinity is, so instead there are 100 men's stories and voices. I don't think a clear definition of masculinity is required but I hope it gives readers more compassion and kindness for men in their lives and really raises some questions." I feel that when men come together and talk we can integrate our emotions and then be true in our actions.” As this is a driving force and predominant theme behind the mission of ABSOT, these lines aren’t new information. Nor are these notions just the musings of random men. The MENtion It survey from the Cleveland Clinic has consistently shown over the past three years that men just choose not to open up about their health. A wonderful, enlightening and humanising book about men." - Dr Anand Patel, specialist in sexual medicine

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." 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. The same themes run through everything I do: my work is an exploration of people, our lives and our place in the world. I’m drawn to telling the untold story with integrity. 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” From smooth Barbie dolls to internet porn, girls and women grow up with a very narrow view of what they should look like, even though in reality there is an enormous range. Womanhood departs from the ‘ideal vagina’ and presents the gentle un-airbrushed truth, allowing us to understand and celebrate our diversity.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. 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. More than simply banal body parts, breasts represent sexuality, motherhood and femininity. Acutely relevant to our lives as women, our breasts can shape how we see the world. And as our most obvious sexual currency, breasts can shape how the world sees us.

My recent focus on fear follows a trajectory of interest in the taboo and what makes us who we are. You might say I went from pillow talk to nightmares. You see, it all started with the Bare Realityseries… During the course of creating Bare Reality, I felt very connected to my sense of womanhood,” Dodsworth tells me. We can celebrate the differences without placing one sex above the other. Respecting differences and promoting equality for all gender identifications is important, especially in today’s world. It’s truly the only way we can progress as a human society. It’s ok for men to have feelings and share them, and it is ok for women to stand up for what they believe in when something isn’t right. At the end of the day, as the above quoted man said, we’re all human; we shouldn’t assign certain ‘tasks’ to certain genders. 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.

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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.