Her Kickstarter campaign to finance 'Bare Reality:100 women, their breasts, their stories' achieved its funding target within one day and the video accompanying the project was viewed 1. I have certainly seen 100 penises before but I have never known men to talk about themselves like this except to trusted sexual partners. But then I realized this art project and the resulting book was not a space for my own insecurities about feminism and feminism and men, but an account of true stories and feelings men have about their body, about culture, society, and their role in it. While my commentary is absent, I made it a point to include them here to show that many many are aware of the dichotomy of being raised in the “traditional manhood” eras as we enter into the “transformational manhood” time.

I found myself less and less looking at the images of penises, and more just listening to their stories and more thinking about how far we have to go to be tender and connected with ourselves and each other. Laura Dodsworth is an author, journalist, photographer and filmmaker and has been described as a ‘latter-day punchy Cassandra’ and a ‘Slayer of Taboos’. My books Bare Reality: 100 women, their breasts, their stories, Manhood: The Bare Realityand Womanhood: The Bare Reality attracted worldwide media coverage and critical acclaim. And men say they would have been completely different if they'd had a good father or a good male role model in their life.But outside of the context of our sexual partners or porn, we don’t actually get to have a proper look at them, in all their glorious variety. women bravely share un-airbrushed photographs of their breasts alongside honest, courageous, powerful and humorous stories about their breasts and their lives. She says her projects are born from her relationship with her own body, and exploring what that might mean for men. Once upon a time, penises occupied their place on the pedestal with pride, from the holy worship of the phallus in ancient Rome to the Shiva Linga, but they have also long been associated with base level male banter, ridicule and fear. It felt like I wasn't given the opportunity to question them further to test if they truly are what they say.

The same themes run through everything I do: my work is an exploration of people, our lives and our place in the world. From veteran to vicar, from porn addict to prostate cancer survivor, 100 men participated in the ultimate photographic categorisation of their manhood.

I realised that when I had been batting this project away, I had been batting away taking a really intimate look at myself. This practical, empathetic book aims to dispel some of the uncertainties that many teachers have and empower them to lead inclusive, age-appropriate lessons in primary and secondary schools. The men talk about what "manhood" means to them, how they have experienced masculinity and/or male privilege, what parts their penises do or don't play in their ideas of themselves as men. However, what is most revealing about these quotes delves into why men might keep things close to their chest. Masculinity is associated with being ‘strong and silent’, yet here is a book of 100 men talking frankly and intimately about their manhood in both senses.

From veteran to vicar, from porn addict to prostate cancer survivor, men from all walks of life share honest reflections about their bodies, sexuality, relationships, fatherhood, work and health. He may even be able to answer my final question as I closed out the book… Should we even be asking what a man is? Recognizing that a disparity exists is the first step, and it must be followed by concrete action steps to fix this. A big thank you to the author and publisher of this book for sending me a copy of this book to review.I found it very illuminating in hearing each man's story about his relationship with his penis, his views on life in regards to it and how porn, abuse, size and cancer's have shaped each persons outlook on their views towards their penises and life in general. It was things like traumatic birth, bad sexual experiences or even something innocent like starting your period for the first time. And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have a way of hearing those stories other than through a book like this (or not until I'm 92 myself), so, thanks Laura.