Tucking

For the step in woollen clothmaking, see Fulling. For the German television presenter, see Stefanie Tücking.

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Tucking is a technique whereby an individual hides the crotch bulge of their penis and scrotum so that they are not conspicuous through clothing.

The practice is most commonly employed by men, transgender women, as well as non-binary people who are assigned male and men who do drag, or otherwise desire a more androgynous appearance. There are fertility-related side-effects to tucking, such as a reduced sperm count.[1] Some types of clothing, such as gaffs and boxers are purposefully designed to conceal the crotch bulge.

Methods

One method of tucking involves pulling the penis backwards in between the legs while simultaneously pushing the testicles up into the inguinal canal.[2] In order to secure this position in place, some practitioners may use especially tight undergarments and a leotard that has a strap.[3] Another practice is the flattening or binding by using tape to fasten the genitalia along the perineum and if possible in between the buttocks. There are also improvised or home-made contrivances whereby an elastic waistband is cut off from an existing garment and then a pouch placed along the middle to then be pulled up.[4]

Some people use purpose-made panty-like garments, often called gaffs, that serve to hide the genitalia and provide a feminine flat and smooth crotch area.[5]

Other

The practice of tucking is also observed among men for reasons other than appearing female, done in different manners.[6] Some cisgender men do it because they have dysmorphophobia with regards to their genital bulge.[citation needed] For other men, it is due to feeling embarrassment, while others do it to hide an erection,[7] to "not scare women" out of a sense of prudishness or phallophobia[8] or because the bulge is prominent at an inappropriate moment.[9] Methods of tucking include placing the penis behind the waistband sometimes colloquially referred to as uptuck[10] while some men may wear purposefully designed compressing underwear.[11] Variations of tucking may be used by macrophallic men when they perceive their crotch bulge to have an obscene appearance.[12] There are some types of boxer shorts and boxer briefs that are designed to conceal the male crotch bulge, such as bloxers.[13][14]

Health effects

Placing testicles closer to the body increases their regulating temperature. This causes heat stress on the sperm inside the testicles, often leading to premature death of the sperm, and overall lower sperm count.[15][16]

In rare cases, tucking has led to testicular torsion.[17]

References

  1. ^ Trussler, James T.; Carrasquillo, Robert J. (2020). "Cryptozoospermia Associated With Genital Tucking Behavior in a Transwoman". Reviews in Urology. 22 (4): 170–173. PMC 8058914. PMID 33927575.
  2. ^ Pyne, Jake (2011). "UNSUITABLE BODIES: Trans People and Cisnormativity in Shelter Services". Canadian Social Work Review. 28 (1): 129–137. JSTOR 41658838.
  3. ^ Filippo, Maria San (2 July 2016). "Female Trouble: Representing Transwomen in The Danish Girl and The New Girlfriend". Journal of Bisexuality. 16 (3): 403–407. doi:10.1080/15299716.2016.1199843.
  4. ^ Conard, L.E. (June 2017). "Supporting and caring for transgender and gender nonconforming youth in the urology practice". Journal of Pediatric Urology. 13 (3): 300–304. doi:10.1016/j.jpurol.2017.02.019. PMID 28645619.
  5. ^ "Penis - methods of concealment and obtaining a 'flat-look' for pre-op male-to-female transgender people Archived 8 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine", Samantha Johnson, Transgender Zone
  6. ^ Willson, Jacki; McCartney, Nicola (June 2017). "A look at 'fishy drag' and androgynous fashion: Exploring the border spaces beyond gender-normative deviance for the straight, cisgendered woman" (PDF). Critical Studies in Fashion & Beauty. 8 (1): 99–122. doi:10.1386/csfb.8.1.99_1.
  7. ^ Phillips, Harry. "New erection-hiding underwear unveiled". Health24. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022.
  8. ^ Shawver, Lois (1996). "Sexual Modesty, the Etiquette of Disregard, and the Question of Gays and Lesbians in the Military". In Herek, Gregory M.; Jobe, Jared B.; Carney, Ralph M. (eds.). Out in Force: Sexual Orientation and the Military. University of Chicago Press. pp. 226–44. ISBN 978-0-226-40048-8.
  9. ^ "10 Weird Things About Having an Erection, According to Guys, Because You Can Wiggle It". 9 June 2015. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  10. ^ "The World's Most Dependable Boner-Hiding Technique Failed This Man in Spectacular Fashion". 21 November 2014. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  11. ^ "These New Boxers Will Hide Your Untimely Erection". 15 July 2015. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  12. ^ Lever, Janet; Frederick, David A.; Peplau, Letitia Anne (July 2006). "Does size matter? Men's and women's views on penis size across the lifespan". Psychology of Men & Masculinity. 7 (3): 129–143. doi:10.1037/1524-9220.7.3.129.
  13. ^ Blanco F., José (March 2014). "Revealing myself: A phenomenological approach to my underwear choices through the years". Critical Studies in Men's Fashion. 1 (2): 117–131. doi:10.1386/csmf.1.2.117_1.
  14. ^ "Bloxers Claim To Be The New Boxers That Will Conceal Your Boners". HuffPost UK. 14 July 2015. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022.
  15. ^ dickey, lore m.; Ducheny, Kelly M.; Ehrbar, Randall D. (June 2016). "Family creation options for transgender and gender nonconforming people". Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. 3 (2): 173–179. doi:10.1037/sgd0000178.
  16. ^ de Nie, Iris; Asseler, Joyce; Meißner, Andreas; Voorn-de Warem, Ilona A. C.; Kostelijk, E. Hanna; den Heijer, Martin; Huirne, Judith; van Mello, Norah M. (March 2022). "A cohort study on factors impairing semen quality in transgender women". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 226 (3): 390.e1–390.e10. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2021.10.020. PMID 34688596. S2CID 239532503.
  17. ^ Debarbo, Clarence Joy M. (November 2020). "Rare cause of testicular torsion in a transwoman: A case report". Urology Case Reports. 33: 101422. doi:10.1016/j.eucr.2020.101422. PMC 7574273. PMID 33102119.