And we know that objectifying women’s bodies keeps power in the hands of men, but Sarah Iepson, chair of Community College of Philadelphia’s art and design department, takes it a step further, arguing that penises popping up on screen make men more vulnerable. That’s a change, as women’s private parts have been available for ogling since medieval times. “Whether they are curious or turned on or just wanting to laugh at them,“ she continues, “it’s the ability to look that makes a woman feel powerful.” The editor of a fictional 1970s-era nudie magazine played by Ophelia Lovibond says, “A magazine has got to make you feel something, and seeing a naked guy does that to a woman.” It’s summed up in the first episode of HBO Max’s phallus-filled comedy Minx, directed by Rachel Greenberg and now streaming. With greater diversity in filmmaking and at networks like HBO - where a lot of this exposure is taking place - cameras are shifting to the female gaze. Screenwriter Kim Morgan included a buff moment in Nightmare Alley for Philly’s Bradley Cooper.
Jane Campion directed Benedict Cumberbatch’s bare-the-jewels scene in the Academy Award-winning Power of the Dog. The reason for the uptick in penis sightings is simple: There are more women, gay men, and nonbinary folks in writers’ and directors’ seats.
