I Can't Believe I'm Writing About Bad Bunny's [REDACTED]
On Latinidad, fetishization, and dicks.
A thirst trap from Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny has broken the internet — and the minds of the gays. In a recent photo shared to social media, the “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” hitmaker — poses for a selfie in the mirror, wearing nothing but white underwear. The snapshot leaves little to the imagination, but such gratuitous nudity has some folks divided.
While many fans (including this Latino bisexual writer) are thrilled about this selfie, some expressed disappointment over what they saw. Through the underwear, the tip of the rapper’s penis is slightly visible, suggesting that he is circumcised. As is par for the course when a celebrity shares a spicy pic, several fans took to X (formerly Twitter).
“bad bunny being cut ruined my whole day,” wrote one person.
“bad bunny is cut???? we failed as humans,” wrote another.
“bad bunny being cut.... how can he be the latino representative in the international if hes cut?!,” wrote another.
A good portion of the comments came from faceless profiles, so it’s hard to distinguish which replies came from fellow Latinos1 and which came from non-Latinos. Though, my guess is that about a third (give or take) of the posts are from white fans who were expecting Benito to have an uncircumcised penis, uncut Latinos who were disappointed that he may not be part of this sector of men, and circumcised Latinos celebrating that he is among that group.
The reality is, not all Latinos are uncircumcised. And attempting to get with a Latino in anticipation that they’re going to have a big, uncircumcised dick is a form of fetishization.
There are many reasons why a Latino might not have foreskin. Mexican Americans and Riqueños are often raised Catholic, and circumcision is common practice in the Catholic church. Or he may have needed to get circumcised for health reasons. More often than not, those who are circumcised often don’t get a choice in the matter. But regardless, a Latino being circumcised doesn’t make them any less Latino.
Having modeled nude for many an art class, worked out in large gym settings, and skinny-dipped with friends, I’ve seen my fair share of downstairs regions. And what I’ve learned from these experiences is that there’s no cookie-cutter appearance that applies to any certain group. And a man’s Latinidad doesn’t correlate to whether or not he’s circumcised. Also, Benito could very well be uncircumcised. If you know your way around a dick, you know that sometimes the foreskin pulls back, leaving the head visible. But that’s neither here nor there!!
Granted, Benito’s photo was posted on social media, and thus, open for the general public to behold, but the appearance of his private parts is not yours to dissect or to decide upon. And besides, it’s not like he’s checking for any random social media weirdos anyway.
As a Latino cis man, I can’t speak to the idea that circumcised vs. uncircumcised discourse is equivalent to the experience Black men face with “BBC” fetishization2, nor can I say that the magnitude of these discussions equates women-loving people standardizing the shape and size of one’s labia3 — but unless you’re the person’s doctor, or you’re sleeping with the person, the aesthetic of someone’s privates is none of your concern.
And as for Bad Bunny, él debe tirar más fotos.
While I often use gender-neutral pronouns when referring to the Latinx or Latine community, this newsletter is specifically addressing an issue within the Latino male community.
Supplemental reading: Call Me by My Name: The Harmful Impact of the term “BBC” on Black Men by E. Malik
Supplemental reading: Let my vulva be by Viola Karsten