We Asked Men Who Ask Strangers to Rate Their Dicks: Why?

The dick pic has to be one of the more controversial, yet ubiquitous, products of the instant photo sharing and social media culture of our times. Ask any woman who’s hung out on the Internet, and they will tell you of the time they happened to check their “Other” folder, only to find a rather unpleasant surprise waiting for them. Or the time they gave their number to someone they thought was cute, only to be sent a close-up of their junk. 

In the past, it has been found that men flash people digitally for several reasons, including seeking some kind of thrill, as a gateway to a sexual conversation, or even just a transactional “I’ll show you mine so you’ll show me yours” when you’re already in the middle of something. 

However, as the understanding of how these unsolicited dick pics affect those that never asked for them grows, communities have sprung up online where men can consensually share these images, and even get an opinion on them. Rating dicks on the basis of several factors including length, girth, and even upkeep has also slowly turned into a moneymaking opportunity for some women who spend time and effort to look at dicks and describe them in detail. 

But buried deep in the Internet’s NSFW archives are some cash-free dick-rating communities such as r/dickrating and r/DickPics4Freedom on Reddit, with collectively over 55,000 members. Out here, thousands of penis owners share images of their dicks in all their glory, for anyone and everyone to look at and comment on. Most pictures are taken in the safety of what you would assume is their bedroom, with the penis at full mast, sometimes with them holding it, accompanied with captions that mention their age along with requests to “give honest opinion” and “go ahead make my day”. The full body shots seem reserved for those with conventionally fit bodies. While most of these pictures are faceless, sometimes people decide to reveal themselves fully too. These communities do tend to be fairly diverse, and yet, it’s white guys who are more commonly found chilling out there. But the one thing that’s clear from the countless dick pics is that they all take time, some more creatively directed than others, and aren’t just a bust-out-your-junk-and-snap-a-blurry-pic affair.

This exercise can be thrilling, but also daunting, considering how the penis has come to signify and affect men’s perception of their own masculinity. So, we asked some people who posted dick pics on these forums: Why? While some instantly directed us to their OnlyFans where you can find more than just pictures of their dick, others seemed to be just hanging out and having a good time. We’ve withheld names on request.

I never really bothered with Reddit much but one night last week, I was bored and looked to see if such a community (for getting dick ratings) exists. I got on and saw people fitter and more well-endowed than I am, but also some that look like me. I was bored and uploaded an old picture I had hidden away just to test the waters. 

I immediately got positive feedback and even helpful suggestions on how to take a better dick pic. I started to have fun with it, and taking the pictures boosted my self-image. I know I’m overweight with an average member that isn’t anything special but I felt like I looked good. So I began posting almost nightly. 

I like to post on these subreddits for ratings because it is consensual. I'm very much against sending unsolicited nudes to anyone and this allowed me to try this in a space where people are literally seeking out these types of images. I’ve gotten a mix of good and bad reviews so far. The good ones obviously encourage me to keep trying to take better photos and upload them. The bad ones, I just brush off because this isn’t my life but just a way to unwind when it’s not safe to go out. 

I’ve had trolls but the moderators keep an eye out for that kind of thing, and delete them. I still get the random email from some guy with Hitler as his avatar telling me I’m disgusting, but you just don’t let that bother you. I think body positivity is very important and a platform like this gives people an opportunity to feel appreciated and admired, without any added pressure. I try to spread body positivity on other subreddits as well, especially if the poster says they’re self-conscious. I make sure to point out that they are beautiful and should know it. 

I have paid for dick ratings in the past, with cam models that offered it. Sex work is real work, but they’re always nice because you just supported them. Here on Reddit, you can count on some very honest opinions, but also some support.

I chanced upon one of these communities randomly when I was on Reddit. In the past, I’ve only ever showed my dick without being asked on [video chat site] Omegle, where a lot of people do that, but it’s often ignored or people just disconnect. But I thought it was a fun idea to share it on the dick rating subreddit, and I was also curious what people would have to say about my penis. I’ve only posted here twice, but I think I will do it again, just to have people react to my pictures and feel appreciated, I guess. 

So far, I’ve received mainly nice responses. I think some other guy even said, “nice dick bro”, which made me feel quite good, especially coming from a man. All men are self-conscious about their dicks, as am I, but it has been quite encouraging to see that absolutely anyone and everyone, regardless of size or appearance or colour, is posting their pictures on here. It makes me feel seen, and normalises what an average penis looks like. I also would never pay to have my dick rated, so this works well.

I searched for a community like this because I was bored, and I like showing off. I’ve posted pictures here quite a few times. 

It’s thrilling not to know who could be looking at my dick. I would prefer it to be a girl because it usually leads to sexting, but sometimes it’s fun to have a femboy with a cute butt hit me up. To be honest, I mostly get lots of good reviews about my dick. This is also why I’m not paying for someone to just simply look at my dick and rate it. If money is involved, I better get more than just a rating. 

I’m proud of my dick and when I do get feedback, I just think it’s fun, regardless of whether it’s good or bad. I don’t get offended if someone says something bad, because everyone’s taste is different, and I know my dick is good anyway. I don’t compare myself with others either, because I don’t post there to see others. I post because I want to show mine off, and the few that I happen to have seen accidentally are not important to me. 

It’s not like I’m looking for sex here. I don’t even send dick pics without asking elsewhere. I always ask the other person if they want to see a dick pic, so if they say no, it’s their loss. Here, on the other hand, people have been really nice. Someone said they wanted to suck my dick all day, that felt awesome. I’m actually hoping that my pictures catch someone’s attention, so that I can get into the porn industry.

I looked for these communities because well, I get horny sometimes. I just wanted to see if there was a way to share my dick online without anyone knowing who I was. I don't post there often. When I do post, it’s because if girls like how it looks, then I know it's a good size. I haven’t had much luck as I haven't gotten any ratings yet, but I also haven’t received any hate or trolls. I did meet a girl I could sext with, though, which I’m happy about, since I’m quite curious about sex. 

I’m often worried about these images getting out in the public, mainly for fear of my family knowing. I really wouldn’t want them to know. 

I actually discovered the dick rating subreddits by looking at the profiles of users who post to r/normalnudes (which is an excellent body positivity subreddit), and r/averagepenis (which shows normal male genitalia as opposed to porn stars’), which I also frequently post on. One of my posts is actually one of the top all-time upvoted on r/averagepenis, which has made me feel very good about my body image. 

Initially, I was very very conscious about my body image and my penis. Growing up, in middle school and high school locker rooms, I was embarrassed to change in front of the other guys. I still feel awkward exposing that much of myself to people at gyms or pools. Having a platform that gave me positive feedback regarding my body, without having to be physically present, has been fantastic for my confidence. I don't really care if the feedback is from men, women, gay people or straight. It's still good to hear, and there's no chance I'd hookup with someone from the site anyway, so their sexual preferences are irrelevant to me. I have grown to enjoy sharing images of myself, and of course, when being seen nude, consent is extremely important to me, so I only post on subreddits where people seek out the content I create. I do this for fun, I'm a pretty average guy—not a professional model. Honestly, most people are kind and post positive comments. My penis is right in the middle of the average range, around 5.5 inches long, but for the longest time I've felt it was small. Having people tell you you're attractive and desirable is wonderful. Trolls are few and far between, and their comments usually get downvoted or reported. 

We're all stuck with the bodies we've been given and being comfortable in your own body and feeling wanted are important for our mental health. I've seen a LOT of penises while posting on Reddit, and I've got to say, there is a huge variety. And I think that's a good thing.

Sometimes I’m a little scared that someone will find out my real identity, but I don't have my name or any identifying elements attached to my account, so there's the plausible deniability—I doubt anyone would send them to my employer or acquaintances anyway. 

I happened to chance upon this community randomly one day. I just wanted to know if someone out there would like my dick, so I post on these subreddits sometimes. I’ve been lucky to have mostly positive reactions, they make me feel really good and happy. But it always stops at a rating and never goes further than that. I’m not really interested otherwise I think, I don’t use dating apps or any other ways to meet people online or in real life. I never send unsolicited dick pics to anyone either. I think I just want to feel validated about my dick in a forum where it’s okay for people to do so.

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