For brothers Romaine* and Daniel*, insecurity over their penis size began long before either man had the courage to admit it. Growing up, the brothers repeatedly heard their mother complain about the size of the men in their family — comments that Romaine said left a lasting impression. “Likkle penis always run in a dis yah family,” 30-year-old Romaine told THE WEEKEND STAR. “There was a time when I was younger and she (his mother) seh she no know how me and my brother reach here, because all now she nuh feel nothing,” Romaine recalled, adding that his mother’s mouth “has no filter”. Yet, despite those comments, the brothers never compared notes. “We nuh sit down and chat bout them something there,” Romaine said. Jamaican men reportedly averaged 6.4 inches, according to a 2024 ranking published by World Population Review. But the brothers said they were nowhere near that mark. For Romaine, the issue affected his confidence and kept him from becoming sexually active until he was 22. Romaine estimated that his penis was close to three inches, although he stressed that he never formally measured it. “Probably it did smaller than that cause it was almost the size a mi index finger,” he said. He even turned to Jamaican folklore for help. “Mi granny seh beat it pan breadfruit tree, cause me try papaya tree and it nuh work. Nothing nuh work,” he said. Eventually, Romaine became sexually active and began enjoying intimacy, but the old insecurity never completely disappeared. Then came a conversation with a woman he considered a close friend. “One day we were just randomly having a conversation and honestly I enjoyed the sex despite my low confidence. I thought she was enjoying it just as much,” he recalled. “But by having that conversation I found out that she was pretending.” According to Romaine, the woman told him his size affected her ability to experience pleasure and compared him with previous sexual partners. “She was telling me something that I had already imagined in my head a million times, and this is coming from someone I like way more than just the sex,” he said.  Not long afterwards, Romaine encountered penile enlargement content on TikTok and learnt of procedures being offered in Turkey. Penile enlargement refers to a range of cosmetic procedures intended to increase the length or girth of the penis. These may include injectable fillers or fat transfer to increase circumference, while surgical techniques can be used to increase visible length. The procedures are generally sought for cosmetic reasons rather than medical necessity and, depending on the method used, results may be temporary or permanent and can carry risks including infection, scarring, unevenness and other complications. As a young business owner without major financial responsibilities at the time, Romaine decided he could afford to pursue the procedure. Three years later, however, Romaine’s experience had not been entirely positive. “I went and got it enlarged hoping that this may cure my issue, but for some strange reason now, sometimes I have a little erectile dysfunction,” he said. Meanwhile, Daniel, the elder brother, had no idea what Romaine had travelled to Turkey to do. “He told me he was going to Turkey and I didn’t make anything of it,” he said. The truth emerged after Romaine returned and the two went out for drinks. It was then that Romaine told his brother that he could now finally measure up to other men. “If I’m being honest, I felt conflicted at the time, because this man just go fix something I’m struggling with in my marriage,” Daniel said. The married father of two said his wife had never complained about his size and had repeatedly assured him that she was sexually satisfied. Still, he could not shake his own doubts.  “When my brother told me all this and his beliefs that it is a family curse, I agreed because I remembered being younger and hearing our mom complain over and over about the same thing,” he said. “And during those times mi used to look within myself and say, ‘No man, it look like is me get me father genes.’” Daniel eventually discussed undergoing penile enlargement with his wife. Though initially hesitant, he said she ultimately told him the decision was his. Daniel said he spent more than €5,000 (about J$925,300) on the entire experience and now estimated that his penis measured between five and six inches. For him, the result was dramatically different from his brother’s. “It really is a booster of confidence. My wife and I have been in an extremely good place since,” he said. “It was costly, but it was worth it. It’s one of the best investments I have made in myself.”

*Names changed to protect identity.