Do Uncircumcised Guys Smell Bad?

Question: I heard that a friend of a friend hooked up with an uncircumcised guy and his penis was nasty. Are all foreskins gross?

Answer: No, foreskins are not gross. However, some men do have poor hygiene, just as some women have poor hygiene. Let’s discuss.

The urban legends usually start in high school or college. One girl hears a horror story about some random stranger who had a mortifying experience with an intact guy. The rumor spreads, usually without any proof that this mystery encounter was real. This causes women (and men) to grow up with an ingrained disgust for the foreskin.

Sadly, I’ve heard people say they would refuse a partner if they found out he wasn’t circumcised. Then I ask if they’ve ever seen an intact penis up-close and they say, “No.”

We have people making strong, misinformed judgements about a perfectly normal and natural part of the male anatomy, and it’s all because of some story they heard.

Is the foreskin difficult to keep clean?

Circumcision is not a reasonable substitute for bathing. When your armpits smell badly, you wash them, right? And you wouldn’t cut off your feet if they were sweaty and stinky, would you? Of course not. That would seem ridiculous.

We live in the 21st century and we have access to indoor plumbing. The old argument about, “Aren’t foreskins difficult to keep clean?” is a tired and overused justification for removing a vital part of the male anatomy.

To answer the question: No, foreskins are not difficult to keep clean. Uncircumcised men wash their penis in the shower, along with the rest of their body. It is no more difficult to maintain than any other part of your body. And hey, I’m willing to bet everyone’s butt stinks by the end of the day. We don’t cut that off just to make it easier to clean, do we? No, we take a shower.

So does the foreskin smell?

When a man is fresh out of the shower, his foreskin is mostly odorless. It might have a very subtle scent, just as the vagina does. I want to emphasis scent, not odor.

All people have their own unique scent, and their genitals usually smell a bit stronger. This is a natural part of biology, as the sex organs produce pheromones to attract mates.

With this in mind—yes, the foreskin has a scent, just as the testicles have a scent, the vagina has a scent, the butt has a scent, etc. But when men practice good hygiene, their foreskin will not smell foul.

Let’s remember that poor hygiene results in multiple problems, such as body odor and bad breath. If a man has good hygiene habits, it will reflect in his overall appearance and scent, not just his foreskin.

To be fair, women are also capable of poor hygiene, body odor, bad breath, etc. It’s not necessary to turn this into a battle of the sexes. The bottom line is that all humans are capable of smelling badly, and a foul-smelling foreskin is merely a symptom of poor hygiene, not a hard-set rule that plagues all uncircumcised men.

So with this in mind, please accept uncircumcised men without prejudice or preconceived stereotypes. The average male is just as self-conscious about his hygiene as women are, and he is certainly going to practice good grooming habits.

And for the expectant parents out there, please do not circumcise your new baby boy because of some myth that you heard about hygiene problems. It’s your job as parents to teach him how to bathe himself. Leave him intact so he can enjoy the healthy and natural benefits of his foreskin. He’ll be thankful when he’s older!

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