Body and penis

Is my body normal? Why is my penis curved? Should it feel a certain way? What should I call my genitals? Many of us feel insecure and have questions about our bodies. As you get older and enter puberty, your body will change – which can feel weird. Perhaps you get a sudden growth spurt, or maybe it feels like you’re not getting taller at all, hair starts showing up in unexpected places and your voice can change. Anything you’re wondering about? Chat with us about your body! It can be a relief to share your thoughts with someone. We get a lot of questions about bodies and penises. You can talk to us anonymously, we’re here to support you.

Your penis

All penises are different. They can be small or big, have all kinds of colours and smells, and their hardness can vary when you have an erection. Some of the most common questions we get in our chat are about dicks, their looks, and whether they should be called dick, cock or penis. That’s entirely up to you, of course. Many of us worry that our dick is a bit curved or that our balls hang at different heights. But almost all dicks are curved and all balls are different. If you’re worried something might be wrong, you can visit a youth guidance centre – almost every city in Sweden has one. Or you can chat with us anonymously, we’ll always listen and take your concerns seriously.

Common questions

Here are some of the questions we often get about bodies and penises.

It’s very common to go through periods when it’s difficult to get hard. There can be several reasons, physical and/or psychological. Getting an erection can be difficult when you feel like you’re not good enough, for example, or when you feel performance anxiety during sex. Some guys notice they can only get hard by watching porn. That can be because you’ve watched a lot of porn and have become used to only getting horny from certain things, or because you’re not used to fantasising and getting hard without porn. If this applies to you, it can be a relief to talk to someone and ask yourself whether you’d like to watch less porn. It can be good to know that our body is regulated by our thoughts. If you’re nervous, stressed or worried, your body sometimes does the exact opposite of what you want it to do. It helps to talk to someone about those thoughts.

Disliking the way you look

We’re bombarded by made-up rules about how our own body and other bodies ‘should’ look and what is or isn’t pretty or ugly. Many of us compare ourselves to others of the same age. Why is my body so hairy? Why don’t I have any hair on my body? Why am I so skinny while others are not? Feeling like you don’t fit it or don’t look a certain way can make you feel ashamed and sad, or make you dislike yourself and your body.

Puberty

You become hairier and more muscular and your genitals grow and change. Many of us feel all kinds of feelings and explore new thoughts in puberty. Your mood can be a rollercoaster. Maybe you get annoyed really quickly, or feel sad. Your body changes. You might become more interested in sex and feel horny. All of this and more can happen to you when you enter puberty. Which can be hard. And it can be difficult to know what does or doesn’t depend on puberty.

Worrying about your body

Hairy or not hairy at all, short or long, fat or skinny? What should human bodies even look like? As a guy, you might worry about what your body looks like and what others will think about it. That’s not weird at all. Many of us go around thinking about our bodies. Your friend probably spends more time worrying about their own body than they do thinking about yours! Guys tend to all look the same in ads, social media and porn: they’re often really muscular, have a specific height, a specific skin colour and a specific amount of hair on their body. But in reality, we all look different. No one looks exactly like you. Chat with us anonymously if you want to talk about your body. We’ll always listen to you, no matter what you’re worried about.