It seems we humans have a weird obsession with all things phallic—which makes the Icelandic Phallological Museum a pretty brilliant idea. This institution, which locals simply call "the penis museum," houses dick-inspired art and actual specimens from every Icelandic mammal. Currently, it has a total of 283 animal manhoods. Until 2011, it was missing just one penis: a human kind.
Enter The Final Member, a documentary that follows the tale of two men hotly competing for the right to have their johnsons forever preserved in the museum. One fellow, Tom Mitchell, actually considers slicing and dicing it, while the more rational Pall Arason is happy to donate post-death. Watch a trailer for the film—which was released last April in theaters, and which will be coming out next week on DVD—below.
While Arason is allegedly a bit of a womanizer (womanizer, baby), Mitchell makes an interesting comment:
We each own our own bodies, and I think as long as we don’t harm one another, we ought to be able to do what we please. As far as the exhibitionist needs that I have, I think I can satisfy [them] in a socially acceptable way by donating to the museum.
Is this valid?
Exhibitionism Explained
Exhibitionism is actually a psychiatric disorder that's typically exhibited by men. Exhibitionists expose themselves (sometimes while masturbating) to their subjects. They don't intend to engage in sexual activity with their targets, but rather thrive off the shock or discomfort of their victims.
Unlike other psychiatric disorders—like anorexia—research suggests that there are no genetic components to exhibitionism. Some speculate that it's an impulse control issue.
If that's the case, Mitchell is actually doing the world a favor. I was once approached by an exhibitionist, maniacally jacking off in his crusty black car while pretending to be lost. Though I called the police and gave them a description and half his license plate, nothing was done. In fact, the same guy even targeted my friend months later. The incident left me feeling anger, disgust, fear and vulnerability.
Though I can't fully support Mitchell and his tattooed dick (yes it's inked—and also named, though it's too creepy to go into detail), I must admit some degree of respect for the man. As far as exhibitionism goes, one could do a lot worse than providing wonder to phallic-loving museum-goers in the heart of Iceland.
Image: ThinkStock
