Did you feel any sense of pride or even euphoria after your circumcision?

Looking back at the time you were circumcised and assuming it was a positive experience, did you feel any sense of pride or even euphoria?

I used to be fairly shy and not really that confident particularly around talking about personal matters. So I don’t understand why but I had a very strong and bizarre urge to tell family, friends and colleagues I’d just been circumcised. Happily I realised it was probably a temporary thing and that people wouldn’t be impressed so I managed to suppress it and keep quiet. I’m now glad I did.

I’ve read about people having tattoos and piercings that have had a similar buzz, some describe it as a sort of liberation. I imagine psychologically maybe it’s the same. It might help explain the number of tattoos and mods some people have.

Did you experience anything like this, or maybe if cut in infancy, when you discovered it?

My operation was in childhood at almost 7. Like any child, no matter how much they explained it to me, I didn't really understand what they were going to do to me, to the point of thinking it was temporary, I think.

The first week everything went normally as I remember, especially because they gave me a lot of attention, After I was healed and began to realize how different I was, the stage of doubt and questioning began.

Then came the stage of fear and uncertainty because I was no longer the same as my cousins, uncles, dad and brothers.

Then came the stage of adaptation and acceptance, because it was very difficult for me to feel and accept that the change was permanent.

In a child's mind it's practically a roller coaster and it's up to the parents how they accept it, overcome it and adapt.

I can understand that @EusebiJ. I understood what circumcision was at that age and knew a few boys that had been circumcised. However, not knowing and having to go through it must’ve been scary.

I had a couple of teenage best friends who were circumcised and they seemed sort of embarrassed about it. For example they’d always use a cubicle instead of urinal for extra privacy, after sports they’d shower with their swimming trunks on etc. Indeed this is how I knew. Later on when we all started having sexual relationships their confidence visibly grew though so all was well eventually.

@Dwayne In childhood, I think that because one has more innocence, one trusts one's father or mother. But it's scary from the moment they tell you that you're going to have surgery.

I also have friends who went through that, They are afraid of being different and, above all, of being criticized. The country has a lot to do with it. If it's one with a majority of circumcised people, you won't notice the difference.If it is one where there is no majority like Spain, you will feel strange and you will want to hide it.

In my case, it helps that nudity is normal among children at that time, and being the only one with the help of my parents, I can adapt and ignore indiscreet comments.

When you start a relationship, it's a different story, other fears because you don't know who to ask. You feel alone in this matter.

You’re absolutely right again @EusebiJ. I went through this myself when, aged 11, I underwent an orchidopexy operation. I had no idea what was involved beforehand and it was probably a good job. I ended up with a long scar on my abdomen which was painful during healing and has caused me to feel self-conscious throughout my life since.

@Dwayne The older you are when you have surgery, the more aware you are and the more participation you take. In the US, this is a clear example, since most babies are circumcised, they grow up and take a while to realize that they were operated on, and some do not realize it.This happens with my children's friends. They are not aware that they had surgery as babies.

Initially, I mostly felt relief that the operation and the waiting was finally over. I was too focused on the healing process to feel anything else. The first year of healing was a bit of a roller coaster, but when things finally settled, boy did I feel euphoria and a kind of pride-of-ownership! I was anxious to show off, and there was probably an extra spring in my step, especially going from the locker to the showers and back in the gym, but I was humbled when I found that no girl I was with really cared all that much. The ones I encountered that had strong opinion on the subject and were bold enough to share it in mixed company where not really appealing to me - I preferred the demure types. In fact the most anyone said about it to me in person was a nurse who was prepping me for a vasectomy a few years ago, and even then it was mostly a segue to a story about her son catching his foreskin in his zipper.

Euphoria after heeling, happy to pee without problems and painless. Proud to have been operated.

Unfortunately I am not circumcised, but I guess if I chose to do it now I would be damn proud as I believe it would aesthetically improve my penis. But I also underwent orchiopexy as a six-year old and afterwards I was damn proud to show of the scar near my crotch to a degree that my parents had to tell me to stop showing off my scar and sometimes even my scrotum to other kids.

Back in school, a friend of mine got circumcised because of phimosis. He was very proud and told several people about it.

I recall my surprise at the result. Was I proud of it? I don't know.

Not euphoric but probably proud to be circumcised when I was young.

But I didn’t mention it spontaneously, only in a medical context or if someone asked me.

@Woyzeck Why proud?

@Woyzeck Why proud?

@Jacana It is difficult to explain it 60 years later, I was probably proud to be different as other boys, but if I search for causes, they are too influenced by what I think now. A circumcision could be an initiation and I was perhaps also proud to be initiated.

My medical fetish is probably related to my circumcision in some way and it's not possible to ignore it. Furthermore, because of my homosexuality, I have a different vision of male genitalia that was certainly already unconsciously present during my childhood.