Lower male genital self-image was associated with higher anxiety, depressive symptoms, social appearance anxiety, body dissatisfaction, and poorer sexual functioning, and social media, pornography, and masculinity norms appeared to reinforce unrealistic genital appearance ideals, although evidence on direct pornography effects remained inconsistent.
Twenty-seven studies met the eligibility criteria for this scoping review on digital masculinity, digital media exposure, male genital self-image, psychological well-being, and sexual health.
Five major themes emerged from the included literature.
Lower male genital self-image was associated with poorer psychological well-being.
Lower male genital self-image was associated with poorer sexual functioning.
Social media, pornography, and masculinity norms appeared to reinforce unrealistic genital appearance ideals.
The current evidence base is dominated by cross-sectional studies from high-income countries.
This review gathered and summarized 27 studies on how men feel about the appearance of their genitals, and how this relates to social media, pornography, ideas about masculinity, mental health, and sexual health. Because research on this topic is scattered across fields, the authors mapped it into five themes, including how genital self-image is measured, the role of digital media, mental health links, sexual health outcomes, and concerns about penile appearance and how they are treated. Across the studies, men with a more negative view of their genitals tended to report more anxiety, depressive symptoms, worry about appearance in social situations, and dissatisfaction with their bodies, as well as poorer sexual functioning. Social media, pornography, and masculinity norms seemed to promote unrealistic expectations of how male genitals should look. However, the evidence that pornography directly causes these effects was inconsistent. Most studies were cross-sectional, meaning they captured a single point in time and cannot show cause and effect, and most came from wealthy countries. This research suggests that genital self-image may matter for men's mental and sexual well-being, but longer-term, cross-cultural, and intervention studies are needed to understand causes and to guide clinical care.
Aysu Yıldız Karaahmet, F. Ş. Bilgiç. (2026). Digital Masculinity and Digital Media Exposure in Relation to Male Genital Self-Image, Mental Health, and Sexual Health: A Scoping Review.. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2026.2751549