Explicit art in public - allowed or not?

[Twosugars]

Does it provoke a rethink of taboos or simply provoke disgust? All the examples below caused a stir and were removed or relocated. The Paris sculptures fared the best, both stayed on display in prominent places (Pompidou Centre and Place Vendome) for some time.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/13/five-storey-blue-penis-causes-uproar-among-stockholm-residents

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3566

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/27/new-york-art-penis-mural-carolina-falkholt

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3567

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/02/enjoy-menstruation-subway-stockholm-art-row-liv-stromquist

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3570

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/18/too-rude-for-paris-copulating-sculpture-causes-stir-in-french-capital

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3569

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3568

[Brillopad]

Does it provoke a rethink of taboos or simply provoke disgust? All the examples below caused a stir and were removed or relocated. The Paris sculptures fared the best, both stayed on display in prominent places (Pompidou Centre and Place Vendome) for some time.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/13/five-storey-blue-penis-causes-uproar-among-stockholm-residents

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3566

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/27/new-york-art-penis-mural-carolina-falkholt

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3567

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/02/enjoy-menstruation-subway-stockholm-art-row-liv-stromquist

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3570

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/18/too-rude-for-paris-copulating-sculpture-causes-stir-in-french-capital

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3569

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3568

I would say it has as much to do with simply not being very artistic. Neither of those demonstrate any talent in my opinion just some jerk courting controversy.

[Smithy]

It’s all natural (aside from the butt plug, I don’t see the point in that one) why are people getting pissy about what nature gave them?

[Oliver_W]

Like most Modern Art, it's just crap.

[Twosugars]

Edit to the original post:
Actually, the drawing of the menstruating skater was a part of a series of images, one entitled “It’s Alright (I’m Only Bleeding)”. They were not removed and stayed on display in the Stockholm metro for the duration despite protests.

[Twosugars]

But regardless of artistic merit, does it serve a useful purpose or not? Does it provoke a reevaluation of taboos or simply provokes without any positive contribution?

[bots]

Everyone's opinion of what constitutes art is different. I personally don't see a need for it, but it doesn't shock me. People should be allowed freedom of expression if its not hurting anyone :shrug:

[Twosugars]

I would say it has as much to do with simply not being very artistic. Neither of those demonstrate any talent in my opinion just some jerk courting controversy.

Re. talent, it's all subjective these days, but I thought the cock was reasonably well painted.

[Beso]

Did they need permission for this?

Hi sorry but im an artist interested in sticking a 50ft cock on the side of your building.....oui oui..go ahead its what we have as our national animal.

[Maru]

I think the idea of these murals are unoriginal, but that's my problem with most contemporary art. Most are copy cats or just an cheap easy way to grab eyeballs. Sad but true, but innovation and the "core message" is usually lost for the sake of being attention seeking.

The "out of the box" quality is simply the use/replication of those images in "forbidden" areas... except in this case, it's not even out of the box. Urban areas are more likely than other places to be associated with "obscene" and "dirty", something the phallus would be associated with, so actually it's fitting in with the "theme" so to speak.

I'd be maybe more impressed if they managed to integrate these in an some inguity and not just the most offensive way. That's too easy. Like can you imagine if the artist arranged with some Tibetan monks to let you draw some crazy images inside their temple, some totally unexpected artwork that really makes people see&think... basically, something that would be less silly and a whole lot less trite.

[jaxie]

I don't find it particularly offensive personally, nor particularly artistic, but it is a very public place and I can see that exposing small children to visual displays of an erect adult penis it not very appropriate.

[chuff me dizzy]

I don't want to explain to my children what the pervy art is ,no theres a time and place for everything

[Brillopad]

I think many men over-estimate the interest in their bits. Who cares?

[Kazanne]

How can that be called art,I mean really what artistic merit does it have,hell even a kid can draw a willy:shrug: It's just needless.

[Brillopad]

How can that be called art,I mean really what artistic merit does it have,hell even a kid can draw a willy:shrug: It's just needless.

Don’t some men think having a willy makes them God-like! :hee:

[chuff me dizzy]

Don’t some men think having a willy makes them God-like! :hee:

They sure do :joker:

[Brillopad]

They sure do :joker:

More fool them! :hehe:

[Kazanne]

Don’t some men think having a willy makes them God-like! :hee:

Shame a lot of them have no idea how to use it:hehe::laugh:

[Beso]

Shame a lot of them have no idea how to use it:hehe::laugh:

:inamood:

[Twosugars]

Did they need permission for this?

Hi sorry but im an artist interested in sticking a 50ft cock on the side of your building.....oui oui..go ahead its what we have as our national animal.

Sure, all works had necessary permissions. The cock was in New York first (pink one) and then in Stockholm (blue one), not in France

[Twosugars]

Don’t some men think having a willy makes them God-like! :hee:

Actually, the cock is the work by a female Swedish artist.
It is snappily titled "F u c k the World"

[Crimson Dynamo]

Just idiots trying to show off behind the guise of "art"

same old

same old

[Kazanne]

:inamood:

:laugh:Of course I don't mean the GENTS on Tibb.:smug:

[Brillopad]

Shame a lot of them have no idea how to use it:hehe::laugh:

I’ve often said the bigger the ego, the smaller the willy! It’s called over-compensating! :hehe:

[Twosugars]

I think the idea of these murals are unoriginal, but that's my problem with most contemporary art. Most are copy cats or just an cheap easy way to grab eyeballs. Sad but true, but innovation and the "core message" is usually lost for the sake of being attention seeking.

The "out of the box" quality is simply the use/replication of those images in "forbidden" areas... except in this case, it's not even out of the box. Urban areas are more likely than other places to be associated with "obscene" and "dirty", something the phallus would be associated with, so actually it's fitting in with the "theme" so to speak.

I'd be maybe more impressed if they managed to integrate these in an some inguity and not just the most offensive way. That's too easy. Like can you imagine if the artist arranged with some Tibetan monks to let you draw some crazy images inside their temple, some totally unexpected artwork that really makes people see&think... basically, something that would be less silly and a whole lot less trite.

While I'm not defending those pieces (don't have a view really) only the cock in NYC was in what you call it dirty area.
Butt plug was in Place Vendome, one of the most prestigious squares in Paris. The copulating duo was meant to be in the courtyard of the Louvre, but the director chickened out at the last moment so it ended up in front of the Pompidou Centre.
The disconcerting detail about the copulators is that it is unclear whether it is man and woman or man and animal.
Re. your idea of placing provocative art in religious spaces, they tend to be very conservative and quite often only public spaces managed by secular authorities like some buildings or squares are willing to take a risk.

[Maru]

While I'm not defending those pieces (don't have a view really) only the cock in NYC was in what you call it dirty area.
Butt plug was in Place Vendome, one of the most prestigious squares in Paris. The copulating duo was meant to be in the courtyard of the Louvre, but the director chickened out at the last moment so it ended up in front of the Pompidou Centre.
The disconcerting detail about the copulators is that it is unclear whether it is man and woman or man and animal.
Re. your idea of placing provocative art in religious spaces, they tend to be very conservative and quite often only public spaces managed by secular authorities like some buildings or squares are willing to take a risk.

Thank you for that. I figured they were street art, but not knowing the areas that well I can't really comment.

I've just never understood shock art in an urban setting where there would normally be graffiti, other murals etc anyway... not exactly "provocative" :laugh:...

I don't think all conservative areas would necessarily be closed-minded to displaying sexual symbols though. Judeo-Christian/Western values attempts to cleanse itself of these "vulgarities", whereas Asian cultures are more willing to see the human body outside of its "pornographic" view... art history is full of fertility symbols, etc, that could be re-construed in a more contemporary manner in historical settings. Nudity doesn't particularly bother me though, but I can understand someone asking for warning if they bring their children to an exhibit, etc...

[Kizzy]

I don't see any giant vaginas... Come on isn't there enough patriarchy and inequality without giant penises everywhere? :/

[Jamie89]

Does it provoke a rethink of taboos or simply provoke disgust?

Probably both. I don't have a problem with it though

[Maru]

The irony would be if it provoked erections

[Twosugars]

I don't see any giant vaginas... Come on isn't there enough patriarchy and inequality without giant penises everywhere? :/

Well, since you mention vaginas, there was this sculpture in France, likened to a vagina, but personally I didn't find it "explicit" so didn't add it to the thread.

http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3573

In 2015, the artist Anish Kapoor’s Dirty Installation, a vast steel funnel amid broken stone on the lawns of the Château de Versailles – described as “the vagina of the queen” taking power – sparked rightwing complaints and was twice vandalised with antisemitic graffiti.

To me it just looks like a giant trumpet. Unless it's meant to be a vaginal canal, but then any tubular object could be likened to that.

[Jamie89]

The irony would be if it provoked erections

Life imitating art :flutter:

[Twosugars]

Thank you for that. I figured they were street art, but not knowing the areas that well I can't really comment.

I've just never understood shock art in an urban setting where there would normally be graffiti, other murals etc anyway... not exactly "provocative" :laugh:...

I don't think all conservative areas would necessarily be closed-minded to displaying sexual symbols though. Judeo-Christian/Western values attempts to cleanse itself of these "vulgarities", whereas Asian cultures are more willing to see the human body outside of its "pornographic" view... art history is full of fertility symbols, etc, that could be re-construed in a more contemporary manner in historical settings. Nudity doesn't particularly bother me though, but I can understand someone asking for warning if they bring their children to an exhibit, etc...
Come to think of it, Place Vendome is full of designer boutiques, jewellers and Hotel Ritz. Maybe the giant butt plug is some sort of "up yours" to capitalist consummerism? I'm grasping at straws here, lol.

Re. urban space not being provocative, I see where you're coming from, but maybe it is our western liberal bias that makes us "ok" or immune with profanity in public arena? But people with strict religious views or sexual taboos pound the same streets as we do. I'd imagine that menstruation, sexual imagery in public must be quite a shock and a challenge to Orthodox Muslim, Jew or Christian.

Re. eastern religions, I defer to your knowledge. Although I understand that Hinduism has taken quite a step backwards and their very erotic ancient sculptures are not looked on kindly nowadays.

[user104658]

I don't see any giant vaginas... Come on isn't there enough patriarchy and inequality without giant penises everywhere? :/:joker:

[Twosugars]

More "vaginas". There's this in Rzeszow, Poland. It's a communist era 2 world war memorial. The locals call it affectionately Big C*unt.
It's not meant to be erotic, the labia shaped concrete is just unfortunate background to the memorial sculpture in the middle of it.
http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3574

[user104658]

I like the one in Belgium of the little guy pissing in a fountain or something. I mean, why not.

[Maru]

Come to think of it, Place Vendome is full of designer boutiques, jewellers and Hotel Ritz. Maybe the giant butt plug is some sort of "up yours" to capitalist consummerism? I'm grasping at straws here, lol.

:laugh::laugh:

Re. urban space not being provocative, I see where you're coming from, but maybe it is our western liberal bias that makes us "ok" or immune with profanity in public arena? But people with strict religious views or sexual taboos pound the same streets as we do. I'd imagine that menstruation, sexual imagery in public must be quite a shock and a challenge to Orthodox Muslim, Jew or Christian.

My thought is, if these etchings are meant to stretch open our minds beyond the pornographic/dirty interpretations of these images... I don't think the urban setting facilitates that message all that conveniently. A lot of graffiti in the US are penises, vaginas, etc (I love graffiti)... though in places like downtown here or in Baltimore, you see people put up airbrush of "cool" or "metro art", cute little monsters, etc. It's a way to transform the city to something less depressing. Here they make "eco art" with manmade materials, like scrap metal, old stone, unique landscaping, random rock gardens/koi ponds etc.. that kind of changes the common narrative of urban settings being a dirty/sterile/static place to a setting that feels more organic, full of life, more keen to project a more naturalized philosophy of urban life...

Propping up a penis in the middle of a city on it's own wouldn't do much to change the narrative around sexual symbols in those settings. On the other hand (pun unintended), if it included other references to natural science and brought in a bit more "warmth", then I could see some interesting reinterpretations of that...

The best example I can think of off the top of my head is the art car parade here during the Gay Pride parade. I've seen some crazy reconstructive nudes riding in the back of those... :laugh:

We also have a local festival called Mardis Gras, which is family friendly in the beginning, but after the parade, women and men start flashing and start giving away the beads... you can buy plastic penises/vagina necklaces during that, even during the family friendly portion but lots of families still take their children... which I guess would be a shock to some there?

Re. eastern religions, I defer to your knowledge. Although I understand that Hinduism has taken quite a step backwards and their very erotic ancient sculptures are not looked on kindly nowadays.

Just as a quick example of those crazy Asians...

Japan’s Kanamara Matsuri: The Penis Festival
https://notesofnomads.com/kanamara-penis-festival-japan/

https://i.imgur.com/ADtcXMz.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CHoBnbu.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/MFkPNSg.jpg

[user104658]

So like... A giant cock with a magnificent eagle perched on top, wings spread proudly, announcing "I am here! I am natural! Accept me!"

And flowers around the testicles, showing that a cock need not be aggressive, but may also be gentle, fluttering in a cool breeze...

[Maru]

So like... A giant cock with a magnificent eagle perched on top, wings spread proudly, announcing "I am here! I am natural! Accept me!"

And flowers around the testicles, showing that a cock need not be aggressive, but may also be gentle, fluttering in a cool breeze...

It's a penis, not the American flag :laugh:

[Maru]

Besides "spread eagle" comes to mind with that interpretation... which yes, would indicate acceptance. :hehe:

[Tom4784]

It's not something I'm bothered about. If it depicted explicit violence or other disturbing things then there'd be a problem but I don't have an issue with body or sexual imagery.

[user104658]

It's a penis, not the American flag [emoji23]Potayto potahto... :laugh2:

[waterhog]

art has to push barriers and provoke a reaction to keep it interesting. this examples are not to my taste but I still feel the artist has the right to do them as he or she may have a reason to why they are doing this.

[Kizzy]

More "vaginas". There's this in Rzeszow, Poland. It's a communist era 2 world war memorial. The locals call it affectionately Big C*unt.
It's not meant to be erotic, the labia shaped concrete is just unfortunate background to the memorial sculpture in the middle of it.
http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=491&pictureid=3574

We have a national monument who is a massive **** too, except his actual title is 'Foreign Secretary' :hee:

[Kizzy]

Wasn't there a suggestion that great works like the 'Venus De Milo' and 'David' were too lewd?

[Brillopad]

Oh how men love to talk about their bits! :bored: It never ceases to amaze me how the mere mention of a willy adds a bundle of non-sensical and pointless posts to a thread.

[Twosugars]

Wasn't there a suggestion that great works like the 'Venus De Milo' and 'David' were too lewd?

True. Here is some examples I found re. David

When the 5.17 meter tall David (called Il Gigante) of Michelangelo was installed in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence in 1504, authorities immediately placed a garland called a ghirlanda made of twenty-eight copper leaves around his waist in order to cover his nakedness.
In 1857, when British queen Victoria first saw the six-meter-tall replica of Michelangelo's statue David in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, she was shocked by the sight of his genitals. A detachable fig leaf was immediately commissioned and kept handy for future royal visits.
most worringly this controversy in Russia happened in 2016!
Residents in St. Petersburg, Russia, will vote on whether or not to censor a 16-foot-tall plastic copy of Michelangelo‘s David, which has become the source of controversy in the city in recent days.
It now stands in front of St. Ann’s Lutheran church as part of the exhibition, “Michelangelo: The Creation of the World,” which also includes animated recreations of the Renaissance master’s Sistine Chapel frescoes, as well as works by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael to Giotto, Sandro Botticelli, and Titian, according to the exhibition press release.
“How could you put this bloke without any trousers on in the center of St Petersburg, next to a school and a church?” wrote a local women in a letter about the 16-foot statue, quoted by Lenta and translated the by the BBC. “This giant spoils the city’s historic appearance and warps children’s souls.”
“Children are around, looking at this giant nude man. Is that normal?” she added. Although local school director Maksim Pratusevich reportedly insisted his students were “sufficiently cultured and educated” to deal with a little artistic nudity, the matter will still be put to a vote.

[montblanc]

allowed

[Twosugars]

My thought is, if these etchings are meant to stretch open our minds beyond the pornographic/dirty interpretations of these images... I don't think the urban setting facilitates that message all that conveniently. A lot of graffiti in the US are penises, vaginas, etc (I love graffiti)... though in places like downtown here or in Baltimore, you see people put up airbrush of "cool" or "metro art", cute little monsters, etc. It's a way to transform the city to something less depressing. Here they make "eco art" with manmade materials, like scrap metal, old stone, unique landscaping, random rock gardens/koi ponds etc.. that kind of changes the common narrative of urban settings being a dirty/sterile/static place to a setting that feels more organic, full of life, more keen to project a more naturalized philosophy of urban life...

Propping up a penis in the middle of a city on it's own wouldn't do much to change the narrative around sexual symbols in those settings. On the other hand (pun unintended), if it included other references to natural science and brought in a bit more "warmth", then I could see some interesting reinterpretations of that...

The best example I can think of off the top of my head is the art car parade here during the Gay Pride parade. I've seen some crazy reconstructive nudes riding in the back of those... :laugh:

We also have a local festival called Mardis Gras, which is family friendly in the beginning, but after the parade, women and men start flashing and start giving away the beads... you can buy plastic penises/vagina necklaces during that, even during the family friendly portion but lots of families still take their children... which I guess would be a shock to some there?



Just as a quick example of those crazy Asians...

Japan’s Kanamara Matsuri: The Penis Festival
https://notesofnomads.com/kanamara-penis-festival-japan/

https://i.imgur.com/ADtcXMz.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CHoBnbu.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/MFkPNSg.jpg
:laugh:
Thank you for that, Maru.
I see your point about putting some of these things in bigger context and making them about something more than just profanity.

[Twosugars]

Oh how men love to talk about their bits! :bored: It never ceases to amaze me how the mere mention of a willy adds a bundle of non-sensical and pointless posts to a thread.
Aw, sorry the thread is not to your taste, Brillo.
But, I hope you agree, since it is displayed in such prominent locations in some major cities, it deserves to be discussed. We are not giggling here over some graffito genitals in the dark corner of a seedy street.
And you are too hard on the contributions to this discussion. All the post so far made sense and had a point.
Do you see any merit in explicit art in public spaces or such art existing at all?

[Marsh.]

I don't want to explain to my children what the pervy art is ,no theres a time and place for everything

Aren't your children grown adults?

I'm sure they know what a penis looks like.

[Smithy]

Aren't your children grown adults?

I'm sure they know what a penis looks like.

:joker::joker::joker:

[Brillopad]

Aw, sorry the thread is not to your taste, Brillo.
But, I hope you agree, since it is displayed in such prominent locations in some major cities, it deserves to be discussed. We are not giggling here over some graffito genitals in the dark corner of a seedy street.
And you are too hard on the contributions to this discussion. All the post so far made sense and had a point.
Do you see any merit in explicit art in public spaces or such art existing at all?

Sorry I wasn’t really talking about this thread but the nonsense that was going on in another thread - that has now disappeared, although I stand by my comments on how obsessed many men seem to me with their bits. :hehe:

[Twosugars]

It seems to me that there's nothing vulgar or filthy about our external reproductive organs, after all, thanks to them our species survive. They should be depicted and even celebrated as symbols of good things like fertility etc.
I'd blame our Judeo-Christian religions, or even wider, Abrahamic religions (judaism, christianity, islam). Starting with Adam and Eve story when they were happily frolicking naked in the garden of Eden until their sinned (snake and apple stuff) and god cursed them with feeling shame among other things. So they started covering up.
Since then religion has made us view genitals and sex as something unclean.
As Maru illustrated, the Far East has different view of things. Also, African tribes etc had no problem with nudity until missionaries arrived.

[Twosugars]

Sorry I wasn’t really talking about this thread but the nonsense that was going on in another thread - that has now disappeared, although I stand by my comments on how obsessed many men seem to me with their bits. :hehe:

:hee: Ok. Yeah, the other thread disappeared when I was reading it so never got to know how it all ended.

Re. men and their bits, yes, we are. It's at the centre of our gender identity. What about women? How do you see the importance of your bits?
I know that women can go through tough time when losing breasts to mastectomy, feel they may be seen as less of a woman. But how important your bits are on day to day basis?

[Brillopad]

:hee: Ok. Yeah, the other thread disappeared when I was reading it so never got to know how it all ended.

Re. men and their bits, yes, we are. It's at the centre of our gender identity. What about women? How do you see the importance of your bits?
I know that women can go through tough time when losing breasts to mastectomy, feel they may be seen as less of a woman. But how important your bits are on day to day basis?

I guess as important as you want them to be. Too many obsess on their bits, often based on insecurity in my opinion - for example too many young attractive women risk their health for bigger boobs when most look great as they are and men do nothing but talk about the size of their bits. I find the reasons behind why so many obsess more about one part of their body more interesting.

[Kizzy]

I blame Freud!

[Maru]

In my experience, women do tend to talk a lot more about their own body (especially health and hygeine) more-so than the men, with fewer boundaries... but that may be a cultural thing here in the US.

I wouldn't say that is necessarily compensation when a woman does it. I think it's pretty natural to be fascinated with our own human form and other bodily functions. Children are the same way, and I think that's a lot of how they work out their early insecurities about their body (from puberty, etc) and graduate to a more self-confident view of their own bodies ...

So essentially we start from a very infantile perspective towards the physical early on and it takes a number of years (and perhaps some extroversion) to chip away any insecurities that come up from the major physical/emotional/mental changes during early adult years/development... so when an adult can talk about their body, can joke about it... that's possibly a good sign they've developed a positive relationship with their own body.

I'm quite happy with my own body. I don't really care what people think of me with regard to my attitude towards it, I'm never intentionally 'vulgar'. I'm conservative in many ways (including in dress), but my comfort with my own body and being able to talk about it, all but. I think that when friends have been self-conscious of these topics during conversations in the past, they hear me and realize I wouldn't pick a bone over their wording or insecurity, so it's helped them to be more open about other more sensitive topics (like sexual health) that otherwise would never come up at all...

We also go through a bit of re-conditioning in Studio Art with reference to nudity. I've met some interesting folk in there, people who are quite professional and take that past-time quite seriously. I don't think of them as dirty for coming into an art studio and allowing other folk to view them or draw them. They have burlesque/costume workshops as well where we can draw nudes/live figures if people want experience with dressing the human form in drawings/paintings... some people are quite proud of that craft. I don't think that is childish at all. I think the artistic approach is quite mature and encourages self-composure actually.

Anyway all random thoughts.

[Marsh.]

I guess as important as you want them to be. Too many obsess on their bits, often based on insecurity in my opinion - for example too many young attractive women risk their health for bigger boobs when most look great as they are and men do nothing but talk about the size of their bits. I find the reasons behind why so many obsess more about one part of their body more interesting.You mustn't know very interesting men then.

[Twosugars]

I think that although we like to think of ourselves as rational beings, a lot of our behaviour is driven by primal instincts, e.g. our reproductive behaviour. Each sex tries to impress however they can. In humans, female of the species is more decorative and wears "colourfull plumage". But men are not immune from that either. It's getting more equal on that front lately (men are more body conscious & strive for perfection in their looks - que quest for six pack, steroid use, insecurity, etc).
Sorry to be ellitist, but it seems to me, people with less education or intelligence, tend to follow the crudest ideals of beauty e.g. some women trying to look like blowup dolls or porn actresses through plastic surgery. I guess in men the equivalent would be also plastic surgery and steroid pumped muscles.
Re. cock size, like it or not, studies and anecdotal evidence shows that, given a choice, women prefer a bigger one.
I'm generalizing for the sake of argument of course. Majority of people avoid these superficial extremes and prefer other, more sophisticated means of wooing a partner or not giving a sh*t (or say they do).