VOTD: Big Screen, Big Sticks: Phallic Symbolism In The Movies

Full frontal male nudity is hard to come by in most major motion pictures. But hat doesn't mean there isn't an abundance of phallic imagery in a lot of movies that you've seen, and we're not just talking about sex comedies.

The folks at Now You See It have put together a video that takes a look at a wide variety of manhood-shaped objects and implications that have made their way into the movies such as Spaceballs, and even family films like Shrek and Toy Story, but they also shine a special light on how phallic symbolism is used in more dramatic films like Birth of a Nation and North by Northwest. See more of phallic symbolism in movies after the jump!

Here's the enlightening video from Now You See It:

Some of these you may have never really thought about as phallic symbols before. For example, while the chest-bursting creature from Alien very much resembles a penis, you may not have seen it as an example of phallic symbolism showing superiority until now. Then there are more overt instances of phallic imagery, such as Bonnie admiring Clyde's gun in Bonnie and Clyde.

One of the more predominant forms of phallic symbolism is in how guns are presented on the big screen. The bigger the gun, the more masculine and tougher the hero is. This also seems to apply to women, who suddenly look much more tough when they pick up big guns, as opposed to tiny guys with big guns, which often imply weakness and inferiority.

Thanks to this video, you may never look at certain movies the same way again, and any movies you see from now on might have you noticing a variety of objects representing penises. And remember, the Motion Picture Association is completely fine with that, as long as it's not the real thing.