Another Study Claims to Reveal the “Ideal” Penis Size

Eight inches? For the ideal penis size? Groundbreaking.

ideal penis size
That's right, another dick size study, another picture of a banana with a tape measure. We're really still doing this.
Getty Images/iStockphoto

As we’ve discussed, conversations about penis size are dated, tacky and genuinely harmful. And yet, here we are, fresh off yet another new study that, once again, claims to have identified the ideal dick size. Surprise, it’s eight inches.

According to the study, released last week by dating site Big One — the well-endowed counterpart to small dick dating site Dinky One — 44 percent of women surveyed reported orgasming from penetrative sex with an eight-inch penis, the highest percentage for any penis length reported.

Big One reportedly surveyed 4,761 female users, asking them how big their most recent sex partner was, in inches, and whether or not they were able to orgasm from penetration alone. And while the study found that eight inches seemed to be the magic number for the largest amount of female respondents, findings also suggest bigger isn’t always better. According to the results, women were as likely to orgasm from penetrative sex with a four-inch penis as they were with a mythical-sounding 11-inch member.

That said, there are some clear flaws with this study, even beyond the obvious disclaimer that there’s no such thing as an “ideal” penis size and studies claiming to have identified one reinforce unrealistic body standards often linked to harmful notions of masculinity.

For one thing, this study was conducted by asking women to report the length of the last penis they had sex with. I am, admittedly, a person with almost no spatial reasoning capabilities, but I could not even begin to guess how many inches the last man I slept with was packing. This is to say that it’s reasonable to assume that many of the women surveyed misreported their partner’s size.


Related: “Boyfriend Dick” Is the Latest Iteration of a Very Reductive, Very Tired Debate


But what if they knew for a fact because their partner told them? It’s not like penis size is something any man would feel inclined to exaggerate because of the toxic societal expectations this very study reinforces, right? Right. Moreover, it’s not just guys and/or penis-havers who feel compelled to lie about these things! If toxic societal standards encourage men to equate penis size with masculinity or attractiveness or some other measure of inherent goodness, women internalize that same message, meaning that many women who have sex with people with penises tend to equate their partner’s penis size with their own self-worth or desirability.

Thus, you have the myth of the eight-inch penis. I’m not saying that no penises are eight inches in length. I’m sure many of them are — just not quite as many as people claim to possess and/or to have had sex with. As various memes will attest, eight inches is the default penile lie. Why? Because it sounds big, but believable (this despite the fact that most studies put the average penis length at around just five inches erect). Eight inches is to penis size what 120 pounds is to women and ranking oneself a seven out of ten is to everyone. It falls safely within society’s demands without seeming too good to be true.

https://twitter.com/bikinimermaid/status/1279208460387618816

As a society, we are stuck on eight inches. The phrase “eight inches” is to penis size as “nine months” is to pregnancy — you can’t hear it, regardless of context, without making the connection. So, if we’ve all internalized this idea that an eight-inch penis is the default “good” penis size, women are of course going to be more likely to say and/or believe that their partner’s penis is, in fact, eight inches. Moreover, if we’ve all been taught that eight inches is ideal, of course women are going to be more likely to assume that the penis that made them orgasm must have been eight inches long.

I’m not here to gaslight these women about their internal dick measuring methods. If they say the dick was eight inches, then fine. I’m just saying it’s possible some misreporting, whether intentional or otherwise, could have taken place.

Another reason this study, much like almost all dick size conversations, is BS, is that it focuses almost entirely on length. As anyone who has sex with penises will tell you, girth is as important if not more so than length. As one UK-based respondent put it, “Six inches in length is more than enough for me as long as his c**k is thick.”

Last but not least, very few women can orgasm from penetration alone anyway, regardless of the length or girth of the dick that’s penetrating them. Stats vary, but study after study has shown that the vast majority of women require clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm, and no amount of extra length or girth will change that.

In conclusion, your dick is fine. It’s probably not eight inches, though.

Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.

Win the Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix Experience

Want the F1 experience of a lifetime? Here’s your chance to win tickets to see Turn 18 Grandstand, one of Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix’s most premier grandstands!