Interest in penis enlargement has grown sharply, and a new documentary says the trend is tied to pressures on men over appearance and self-esteem. Manhood, directed by Daniel Lombroso, examines what he calls the booming intimate wellness industry, which includes fillers, therapies and cosmetic procedures that have spread since the arrival of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.
Lombroso, who previously reported on male fragility for The Atlantic and The New Yorker, said he became aware of the demand while reporting on plastic surgery trends at The New Yorker. A 2024 study of US Google searches found that interest in penile-enhancement injections rose between 2013 and 2022.
A Texas practice at the centre of the film
The film follows Bill Moore, who offers outpatient penile enhancement procedures from an office in a Dallas strip mall. According to the film, he charges $15,000 to $20,000 per procedure. Moore is not a doctor, and the article refers to those he treats as customers rather than patients.
Moore's company, PhalloFill, which specialises in 'girth enhancement', has expanded to 32 locations across the country. He has said he hopes the procedure will become as common as Botox.
Patients and their stories
The documentary features several customers, though their faces are largely hidden. One man, Ruben, is a father of five who moves his family in with an ex-partner to raise money for a procedure. His wife, Lana, is shown opposing the decision, and the film shows the strain it places on their family. Lombroso said that with few exceptions, the partners featured in the film did not want their loved ones to go ahead with the procedures.
The film also follows David, a young man who seeks Moore's help to repair damage from a procedure performed by another practitioner, Victor Loria. Lombroso said the film's central persuasion effort was convincing David to take part. He said David later shared the film with his family and is now touring with it.
Themes of loneliness and identity
Lombroso said he did not judge his subjects. He said the film explores links between appearance and social standing. 'Does your penis size matter? Probably not,' he said. 'But there are all these stats about the huge percentage of American men who obsess over it.' He added that the issue connects to wider concerns, such as how many older American men struggle to make close friends.
The article argues that the industry's real issue is not the care it offers, but how little attention is paid to what that care represents. It describes the treatment as a form of gender-affirming care, a view the reviewer presents as the film's most striking undercurrent.
Manhood is now playing in select US cinemas. Dates for the UK and Australia have yet to be announced.