Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?Sexy/Awkward Boner Bulges

Boner bulges can definitely be sexy (as well as awkward and embarrassing) but they aren’t generally considered to be pornographic or shocking.

Boner bulges can definitely be sexy (as well as awkward and embarrassing) but they aren’t generally considered to be pornographic or shocking. When boner bulges rear their ugly heads at inopportune times, there will ocasionally be those who will gasp and pshaw. But most people instinctively avert their eyes and simply laugh it off. It’s beyond a man’s control, so you can’t really fault him for it. As people often say, “You can condemn the boner, but not the boner owner.”

That said, there’s something both erotic and comical about boner bulges – a juxtaposition that can actually be quite charming. Public boners have a way of stripping away a man’s social armor, allowing hidden desires to momentarily break through to the surface. For some men, the boner is a hateful burden. But just as some women have learned to use the hypnotic properties of cleavage to their advantage, there are men who have learned to harness the raw power of the boner.

Stirring up arousal in others without showing any actual skin has become a bit of a lost art. Many porn titles today are now almost clinical in their approach, with lingering HD close-ups on penetration and bodily fluids. It’s more like documentary footage than art. But evoking desire and arousal via non-explicit imagery? That’s definitely art. A really good porn director can turn you on before any of his models have undressed, by engaging you emotionally and creating sexual tension.

Recently some talented porn directors like Nica Noelle at IconMale.com, mr. Pam at NakedSword.com, and Jake Jaxson at CockyBoys.com have been making an effort to bring some of the sexual tension, fantasy, and romance back into gay porn. When done well, a bit of costuming and character development combined with some sexual tension can actually make a porn scene a lot more erotic and memorable.

The same kind of subtle eroticism be seen in male photography, too.  Recently, Vice Mag featured a photo shoot called Groin Grazing that was created by Montreal-based photographer Claire Milbrath and fashion stylist Mila Franovic. The subject of the shoot was fully clothed boner bulges, which Milbrath had been photographing for five months. For the Vice Mag shoot, Claire and Mila used apparel and settings to evoke various male archetypes such as “boyfriend”, “student”, “boy next door”, etc. Though more or less G-rated, the photos are still provocative and engaging – and they’ve received a great deal of attention. Amanda Duberman at Huffington Post felt that the photos were turning the tables on the “male gaze” which objectifies women’s breasts. Bilerico and many other websites rang in with their opinions, too.

The Groin Grazing photo shoot is playful, ironic, and a bit iconoclastic. When all is said and done, male boner bulges have an odd allure – and neither Claire nor Mila was afraid to stop and contemplate it. If nothing else, boner bulges are at least honest and genuine. As we mentioned earlier, they can be a bit of a social faux pas – but an endearing and sometimes even a contagious one. When you look at the rest of Milbrath’s photography you quickly get a feel for her unique style and sensibilities. The Groin Grazing shoot was certainly a surprise, but somehow it fits in perfectly with the rest of her photo work, which is definitely worth exploring.

Milbrath isn’t the first person to become fascinated with male boner bulges, though. There are actually tons of Tumblr sites dedicated to the topic such as publicboners.tumblr.com, guys-with-bulges.tumblr.com, clothedboners3.tumblr.com, bulgeromania.tumblr.com, and thepackageinspector.tumblr.com. SMOSH even did a retrospective on awkward boners and a couple of years ago Paper Mag did a story called The Top 15 Celebrity Bulges of 2012. If you’re fascinated by male boner bulges, you can at least take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone.