Soraya Doolbaz is the founder of the Dicture Gallery, a collection that offers the internet a variation on the infamous dick pic
A lot of people think Donald Trump is a dick, right? Well, in this case he really is one. Soraya Doolbaz is the founder of theDicture Gallery: a collection of dick pics where the shaft is styled like a notable personality. As much as the images are pretty funny (I mean, how is a dick wearing a baseball cap not funny?) Doolbaz says she is denouncing the ‘dickified’ status quo of nudity on the Internet. As she says in the gallery’s intro, male gaze has essentially owned sexual imagery online and as a result it’s full of ‘tits and ass’ because, essentially, straight guys don’t want to see ‘dick’. We sat down with Doolbaz to talk about dick art, penis aesthetics and the difficulty of dressing a cock up as ‘Dongye West’.
Hi Soraya. How did you come up with the idea for the Dicture Gallery?
Soraya Doolbaz: Ever since smartphones hit critical mass, men have been using them to send dick pics. When I was single I would get them quite frequently – whether it was before the first date or after a few or the most appropriate time, after we’ve slept together, and after talking to friends about this, I realized everyone is getting them. I thought the concept of dick pics was really funny and I wanted to take it up a notch.
How do you find your dick models?
Soraya Doolbaz: After the first couple of shoots (who were my friends’ husbands and boyfriends) I got all kinds of request from women wanting to honour their partners dick with a photo shoot. I loved this idea and that's how I choose models. It's usually arranged through their partner because that's key. All models must bring their own fluffier: Someone you've known for a while who is comfortable and familiar with your dick. Erection maintenance is big part of the shoot. A limp dick can't hold up a jacket. The fluffer is the real hero in all this.
So it’s pretty hard to photograph dicks?
Soraya Doolbaz: It’s not as easy as it looks, that’s for sure. There are many variables. Aside from the technical aspects of costumes, camera and lighting, there is the model and his partner to consider. Their comfort level with each other and in front of me and my production assistant. It's a very sensitive situation.
Are some dicks more photogenic than others?
Soraya Doolbaz: I would say so. Just like people, some dicks look better on camera than others.
A lot of the dicks are dressed up as autocratic leaders. Why is this?
Soraya Doolbaz: My second series is called Dick-tators of history, get it? It was a lot of work but in the end, it was worth it. The models had a blast with this and I’ve gotten so many requests from guys wanting to have their dick dressed up as some famous leader.
Was there a particular dick that you were sent that you thought, “Wow, that looks like Donald Trump?”
Soraya Doolbaz: Haha, no. I found the wig online and got inspired. I don’t dress the dicks myself. The model’s partner does that. It takes anywhere from a few seconds to a minute. We don't have much time, as we don't want to lose the boner. But some dicks definitely lend themselves to certain celebrities. I have yet to shoot a celebrity’s dick but I'm open to it.
“It takes anywhere from a few seconds to a minute. We don't have much time, as we don't want to lose the boner. But some dicks definitely lend themselves to certain celebrities. I have yet to shoot a celebrity’s dick but I'm open to it” – Soraya Doolbaz
You’ve said that humour creates ‘comfort and confidence around sexuality for men and women’. Do you think it allows us to enjoy a dick’s size or characteristics without weighing them up against social norms regarding sexual satisfaction? I mean, genitalia are pretty funny, right? It doesn’t always have to be about fucking.
Soraya Doolbaz: That’s exactly it. Why does nudity and sex have to be one in the same? Sex and humour are a great combo. Humour is available when people are comfortable and confident (my dick volunteers are confident men with a great sense of humour) and that's always attractive when it comes to sex. By dressing up penises, I have found a way to desexualize the boner. I also try to shoot many different types of penises. I want people to change their ideas of what is normal. What you see in porn is not normal. There will always be size queens but most people enjoy an average penis.
I’ve read that you said the male gaze has essentially owned sexual imagery online so it’s full of ‘tits and ass’ because straight guys don’t want to see ‘dick’. Do you think we’re seeing a shift in this?
Soraya Doolbaz: Slowly but surely. Most films and shows are still produced by men, straight men [but] I think as women become more comfortable with sexuality and with all the dick art out there we’ve created more demand for full frontal male nudity.
On the intro to your site you write: “Gender and sexuality aren’t in separate corners anymore. The reality is, penises were on the map way back in Roman times. The Statue of David and all Greek Gods had their cock and balls out there like it was for sale. Then religion (Catholicism) came into play and they covered David’s dick with plaster fig leaf. As religion is dissipating, the penis is re-emerging through dick pics.” Can you expand on this?
Soraya Doolbaz: Sex and religion don’t really go together. Most religions have some kind of shame associated with sex. ‘Don’t have it before marriage. Don’t talk about it or show too much skin’. It’s all very hush hush. Hence the fig leaf on all those naked statues. Most of them have the dicks broken off and they are all sitting in the basement of the Vatican. As we become more secular as a society, we have more acceptance for sexuality. The dick can be represented in many different ways, it is a very powerful image and symbol, it represents masculinity as well as fertility and it also happens to bring all of us pleasure.