giant penis grafitti
© carolinafalkholt / Instagram
Self proclaimed feminist and graffiti artist Carolina Falkholt shocked the public when she painted a 40ft penis on the side of a residential NYC building on Christmas eve.

The "work of art" was commissioned by a street art collective called The New Allen which was created by Baby Brasa, a Peruvian restaurant. Fortunately, this was later removed by contractors hired by the landlord.

While some members of the public weren't particularly bothered by the mural and agreed that it was a form of " artistic expression", others blasted Falkholt for her lack of creativity and inconsideration for minors who would inevitably lay eyes on the giant phallus.

These viewers' reactions on Instagram summed up the general consensus:
The only closed mentality I see here is the artists! If that's all her creative mind could muster up was an erect penis to bring about the discussion on genitalia then she really lacks any creative insight whatsoever.
"A true artist has vision outside the scope of the average person. This penis is basic shock appeal, its not artistic creativity. It's something a 12 boy should be drawing on the wall of his school bathroom. The tenants of this building & the neighbourhood should demand it be removed."
Falkholt told the Guardian her work was often about "not feeling ashamed of your body and who you are as a sexual being" and hoped that her mural would spark discussions that would create a "healthy, nonviolent community/ world". She went on to crudely say that: "If a d*** can go into a woman, it can go up on a wall". This woman should clearly be considered for a nobel prize.

A member from the collective told The Independent that the piece is all about "sexual freedom and really understanding human genitalia as a basic thing." And also to raise awareness about sexuality and sexual abuse "because the penis is something used sometimes as a weapon". The idea that a person could achieve a reasonable understanding of human genitalia by simply inspecting their own was apparently lost on this 'artist'.

Instead, what this "work of art" does is reduce human beings to nothing more than their sexual organs. Ironically this is no different from the porn that many feminists say that they are opposed to. What the artist fails to realize is that the problem is not that the public lacks exposure to genitalia, but that they are exposed to too much.

More sexual imagery that is devoid of emotion and the qualities that make up healthy sexuality such as; trust, honesty, communication, intimacy, love, affection and vulnerability, only objectifies and dehumanises both women and men further and ultimately perpetuates the problem.
quote einstein
With so many people on our planet crippled by sexual dysfunction, fear of intimacy and unhealthy relationships, surely there are more productive ways to spark these conversations. Then again, in this case we're dealing with a woman who prides herself on defacing properties with drawings of vaginas for a living, so perhaps it's unreasonable to expect anything more.

Instead of contemplating this empty and meaningless display of modern art, maybe we could take a moment to consider how pornography has ponerized sexuality and why grassroots movements like Fight the New Drug, which raises awareness on the harmful effects of porn using scientific research, are vital if we want to truly create a "healthy, nonviolent community/ world".

From the article "Sex Before Kissing: How 15-Year-Old Girls Are Dealing With Porn-Addicted Boys":
"Porn is full of ideals and beliefs that are completely the opposite of what real relationships, real sex, and real love are like. Healthy relationships are built on equality, honesty, respect, and love. But in porn, it's the reverse; interactions are based on domination, disrespect, abuse, violence, and detachment. Our generation is the first to deal with the issue of pornography on this intensity and scale. And, as we've seen with today's society, if we don't take a stand, the problem is only going to get worse and worse. By being informed and understanding porn's harmful effects, we can make a much needed change to our perceptions about love, sex, and relationships."