Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin from the penis which dates back to ancient Egypt. Circumcision was very common (but not universal) among the Jewish people, but cultural changes during the ruling of Alexander the Great lead to circumcision becoming more and more rare.
In the United States during the last 30 years, circumcision has dropped from about 65 percent to only about 58 percent according to the Centers for Disease Control. In Scandinavia, circumcision is so rare that less of 1 percent of men are circumcised.
There seems to be different attitudes between the US and Europe about the pros and cons of circumcision. In Europe, it is seen as “abnormal” to have a male circumcised.
And to complicate matters more, there is not one medical organization that recommends either circumcision or non-circumcision for all males. The position on circumcisions range from having no medical benefits and being a painful procedure for boys, to having a medium benefit and seeing the procedure as slightly painful.
In America, we seem to be stuck in our own ideas of what is “normal” when it comes to penises.
Here, uncircumcised penises to be weird or unclean, when in fact, they are the most natural and when washed daily are just as sanitary as circumcised penises. Also, there is evidence that uncircumcised penises have more feelings during sexual experiences than that of uncircumcised ones.
I’m not one to judge a penis’s power (or the lack thereof), whether it’s circumcised or not. I’ve had the experience of both, and it’s really about personal preference on which type of penis you enjoy the most. Since circumcised penises are more common in the US (especially in porn) we kind of don’t know what to do when we come into contact with one.
I was definitely one of those people. I just stared. I had no idea how to perform oral or what would feel better for my partner. So I just gave it the old college try and figured it out the best of my ability. When it comes to actual intercourse, an uncircumcised penis is actually gentler on the vagina and ass.
Since the foreskin around the penis stays almost still while the head of the penis goes in and out, lube is usually not needed during vaginal sex and pain for the woman is usually less than having sex with someone who is circumcised. Whether or not the penis is circumcised or not make sure to always use protection.
If you’d like to ask any questions about this column or any other, you can submit your questions anonymously at ask.fm/rachelkingsley.
