Revealing Inconsistencies in Male and Female Desire for Dick Pics over Face Pics - Rosalyn Hsia, David Hattie, Pearl Meredith, Amanda R. Champion, & Cory L. Pedersen

 

Evidence indicates that many of the motives for sending dick pics overlap with those for sending selfies, yet the sending of dick pics over selfies results in a stark contrast of social consequence. This begs the question of which of these two forms of media is more effective in achieving their intended interpersonal purposes; that is, which of these sent electronic image or video are more likely to evoke a positive response from those receiving them. To explore the question of whether a selfie or a genital image is more likely to induce a desired connection, we collaborated with Manscaped to investigate male participants’ motivations, hoped-for reactions, and frequency of sending unsolicited dick pics. Further, we investigated reactions and emotions felt in men and women who had received an unsolicited dick pic and compared attitudes regarding selfie sending and receiving to examine how selfie receipt compares to that of unsolicited dick pics. We recruited 1000 men and women (n = 500) through the online software Attest. Among the demographic questions, men were asked whether they had ever sent an unsolicited picture of their penis. Those who responded in the affirmative were further directed to a broad list of possible reasons for sending a penis picture and desired reactions from recipients. All participants were asked whether they had ever received an unsolicited dick pic and, if so, were directed to complete measures regarding possible reactions and responses to receipt. Finally, all participants were asked about their enjoyment in both sending and receiving pictures, in addition to indicating what features of a pic would be most likely to elicit a positive response from 11 possible options (e.g., face, eyes, genitals).  

 

Findings suggested that men endorse several distinct reasons for sending unsolicited genital pictures consistent with previous research (see Oswald et al. 2019). Of note, we found increased proportional incidents of negative reasons for sending unsolicited dick pics compared to previous research. Further, there was considerable contrast between the reactions that dick pic senders hope to elicit in their recipients relative to the reactions typically received, further suggesting that dick pic sending has unintended negative consequences. Finally, with regard to selfies, participants reported enjoyment in both sending and receiving, with a 9X stronger preference for receiving selfies of the face related to that of genitals.

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Poster presentation delivered at the Canadian Sex Research Forum, Vancouver, 2025.