Men spend a fortune on pills and devices to increase their penile sizes. Njoki Chege explores the male creature’s morbid fascination with ‘size’

Unlike his peers, the story goes, the no nonsense man always bathed in the stream with his legs clamped shut to hide his member.

One day, when a log upon which he was standing slipped, he lost balance. In the confusion, and as he struggled to regain balance and not tumble into the water, his pried open to reveal a wee little instrument.

That he had three wives and many children would suggest that size doesn’t matter. But that he spent his adult life hiding his lack of endowment was reason enough to suggest that ‘small’ embarrassed, deflated his ego, and lowered his self esteem, reason, perhaps, he was thought to have a wild temper.

In a gender that is preoccupied with sex, small boys begin by competing about who among them can pee highest against the wall, but as they grow older, the mantra becomes ‘biggest is best’ and ‘I’m bigger so I’m better’. And it is not just about biceps.

Obsessed

A casual chat with a local trader who deals in ‘special’ pills and devices for penile enlargement confirms the extent to which men are obsessed with size. Even in these harsh economic times, these devices — some ridiculously expensive — continue to fly off the shelves.

 For instance, the Pro-Extender, an elongating device worn daily that goes for at least Sh15,000 is a hotcake in the local market.

“It is a small and easy-to-conceal device, which, when worn for three hours daily for 12 weeks, provides astonishing results. In fact, I’m sure some of the men you interact with daily could be wearing it,” jokes the trader.

This begs the question…does size really matter? Most women interviewed by Crazy Monday were unanimous that size could indeed make or break a relationship.

“Nobody wants a little plaything,” says Pauline Masha without batting an eyelid.

Pauline explains that while many men will not admit to having small penises, a well-endowed man will definitely brag about his penile size “because he knows the value of what nature gave him”.

She further declares that women with partners who are not well endowed suffer in silence until they eventually get tired of the ‘little thing’ and cheat on their partners.

“The size of a man’s penis can break or make a relationship. Small doesn’t satisfy — irrespective of the ‘you are stronger than all the Kenya Defense Force soldiers combined’ lies that women tell men to massage their egos. She will eventually stray, no matter how much she loves you,” Pauline adds.

Esther couldn’t agree more: “The bigger the better, that’s where a baby’s comes out of from, you know and much as men are cheated that size doesn’t matter, a good fit is paramount. I once encountered a man who was very small. Never again! Aaa aaaa!”

Skill

But there is a crop of men who think that size is nothing, but that what really matters is skill. Patrick Kiprop, for instance, believes that men and women who are so focused on size are missing the point, because what matters is skill and experience.

“In any case, a woman’s most erogenous zones are not near the cervix, but a centimetre or so deep.  So even if a man is not well-endowed, he can still pleasure his partner by using the little that he has,” he says.

Sheila Mutuku is, however, among countable women who don’t place a premium on size — and for very interesting reasons.

“You can have a man with the best equipment, but who turns out to be reckless, violent and irresponsible. If I had a man, though not well endowed, who is responsible and caring, I would stick by his side. In any case, I also expect him to accept me with my flaws,” she says.

While this argument makes perfect sense, why then are penile enlargement pills and devices such a rage, raking in billions of dollars in profits worldwide?

According to Denis, women are defined by beauty, and men by virility. Virility is what fires male ego. And it is all about size.

“Trust me, the size of a man’s equipment is as important to him as his bank balance,” says Dennis.

Berserk

As Dennis points out, it does break a man’s heart (and ego) when he realises that he cannot sexually satisfy his partner.

“Why do you think men go berserk when they learn that their wives or girlfriends are cheating on them? It is the horror, the imagination that the other man could be better endowed and, therefore, more adept at the game.

“Men will, therefore, do anything to ensure their equipment is geared up for action because they believe only that can satisfy their partners. It also makes them feel good about themselves.

“That is why men who are well endowed spend hours admiring themselves in the bathroom mirror, unlike the less endowed who avoid bathroom mirrors like the plague,” says Denis. 

Dr Gidraph Wairire, a sociology lecturer at the University of Nairobi, attributes this craze to the societal stereotype that bigger is definitely better.

“It is not so much about the size, but the society’s perception. We live in a society that has sexualised everything. People tend to feel that the bigger the organ, the better the individual, thereby creating this stereotype,” he says.

This stereotype, according to the sociologist, creates a lot of expectations when it comes to a man’s sexuality because sexual prowess is normally associated with the size of his organ. It is for this reason that men who have smaller organs generally have an inferiority complex because society believes if it is not big enough, then you are not worth it.

Anatomy

Stereotypes aside, can women with men who have a considerably small package optimally enjoy sex?

“Absolutely yes!” says the lecturer. “The anatomical make-up of women is such that sex enjoyment depends on their emotional connection with the man. It is, therefore, possible to conquer this stereotype and the couple can enjoy sex,”

For men with whose lives are darkened by small sexual organs, Dr Wairire advises them to boost self-esteem to get over this stereotype.

“If a person for instance is one-legged, they do not just sit and remain hopeless. Many overcome the handicap and live fulfilling lives. In the same way, men with smaller organs must understand themselves, boost their self esteem and move on with life,” says Dr Wairire.

Phyllis, who is newly married, doesn’t agree with the university lecturer, though, saying it takes more than boosting self-esteem.

“If science and technology can be used to predict weather, improve crop production and generally make our lives easier and more rewarding, I see nothing wrong with men making their male organs larger.

“A lot of domestic strife and violence is related to lousy sex and if a pro-extender can improve a couple’s sex life and save a marriage, Sh15,000 is a small price to pay. If size didn’t really matter, why hasn’t any man come out publicly to declare that he has a small penis?” poses Phyllis.

What is not in doubt, however, that while men make for horrible business clients (they hardly spend money on shoes and clothing — ‘make em’ bigger’ is an enterprise that would attract them all — from the poor to the mighty and the good and wicked alike.