Men have been trying to enlarge their penises since time immemorial.
“Cavemen had snakes bite their penises to temporarily inflate them,” claims Daniel Lombroso, director of a new documentary about penises and the lengths men go to for bigger penises.
“Manhood,” which premieres at SXSW on March 14, follows an OnlyFans model and father of five as he undergoes cosmetic surgery below his waist, and also features a Dallas entrepreneur who wants to make penis enlargement as common as lip fillers. “Now, for the first time, I can do it,” Lombroso says of his lifelong dream of getting a bigger penis. (This documentary focuses on “girth expansion.” There is currently no safe way to add inches to your length.)
Lombroso previously covered the rise of right-wing extremist groups for The Atlantic and their incorporation into neo-Nazis in his debut documentary, “White Noise.” He approached Manhood with the same sense of urgency as political curiosity. “This felt like a way to talk about what’s going on in our country and a lot of the pain that men are feeling.”
“Manhood” by PhaloFILL co-founder Bill Moore
Provided by: “Manhood”
To begin the project, Lombroso booked a one-way ticket to Texas and talked to patients about their concerns in the waiting room of the Fallophile Clinic in Dallas. “I met so many different types of men,” he says. “I met a pastor from a megachurch who is penis enlargement. I met a Border Patrol agent who may have been an ICE agent.”
The film captures a man at his most vulnerable, naked in a hospital bed while a medical spa practitioner injects filler into his penis. Lombroso said the key to making his subjects comfortable was patience. Additionally, his all-female production team gave the process a “gentle touch.”
“Some of the men said, “I only want to take pictures from the nose down.” Others said, “I want it to be blurred.” And we completely respected that,” he says. Lombroso agreed to transform the face of David Smith, a pseudonymous porn actor dealing with a botched penis enlargement surgery. However, by the end of filming, Smith agreed to show his true face.
Doctors say the average PhalloFILL patient books four to six sessions, each costing between $2,500 and $4,000. Bill Moore, the clinic’s co-founder, said it’s common for patients to “give up $15,000, $20,000 on the spot because they’re so dissatisfied with their masculinity.”
Research shows that about half of men wish their penis was bigger, while almost 90% of women are satisfied with their partner’s size. This contradiction is exemplified by Ruben Ramirez, one of the subjects of “Manhood.” He has racked up thousands of dollars in debt for his penis enlargement, and has moved his children and partner to live with his ex-husband and mother. There were some awkward moments at the kitchen table, but Ramirez’s partner said, “I insisted he shouldn’t have[the surgery]. I was totally happy with the way his members were.”
A man undergoes surgery to increase his waist circumference in “Manhood”
Provided by: “Manhood”
One of the impressive things about “Manhood” is that, aside from one memorable micropenis, the equipment on display isn’t all that small. “All the other players are already very talented,” Lombroso said. “Most of them don’t need it.”
So where does that pressure come from? The obvious culprit is porn, with Smith admitting that he felt like his penis wasn’t big enough after comparing himself to his OnlyFans co-stars.
Lombroso argues that the growth of the “manosphere” has pushed brands of extreme masculinity into the mainstream. Content about male self-optimization was once relegated to muscle magazines. Joe Rogan is currently the most-watched podcast in the world, and Ramirez can be seen listening to it on repeat on Manhood. Ramirez told Lombroso that he heard about Moore’s girth enhancement surgery when he was a guest on Tom Segura’s podcast. Ramirez said she never had a problem with her size until she had children and gained weight. He hoped the new appendage would spice up his sex life.
If there’s one lesson to take away from “Manhood,” it’s that a bigger penis might make you more confident, but it doesn’t solve all your problems. “I can put fillers in your penis, but I can’t fill the hole in your heart,” says the doctor who fixes the botched surgery.
For men who spend tens of thousands of dollars to add a few inches to their genital circumference, there are always serious insecurities that aren’t directly addressed. For example, Smith cannot find peace until he accepts his sexuality and confronts his relationship with his mother.
“It’s always connected to something bigger,” Lombroso says. “It’s not a joke.”
