Women Don’t Want Dick Pics — They Want Nut Videos

The dick pic is boring. One need only see one or two dick pics from an individual before they’ve gathered all there is to know about it. The visual still of the penis is ultimately insignificant to the act of sex: Maybe it’s nice to know what it looks like, to admire it and what it represents, but what does a dick picture even tell us about the experience we’re anticipating? Nearly nothing. That’s why women are asking for “nut videos,” or videos in which a guy records himself orgasming. And don’t even bother sending it if you’re going to turn the sound off.

“Nut video with the sound on” has become a meme unto itself, with dozens of viral tweets and TikToks about it. But meme or not, it reflects an honest desire among hypothetical recipients. “When I saw the first meme of ‘send a nut vid with sound on’ I fucking died because I have sent that text so many times,” says Sara, 26, in Miami. “I love a nut video. It’s a fun challenge because it’s really difficult to get a good video of yourself nutting! So it’s like a surprising thing to see how they pull it off.”

It makes sense that it would have become a trend now, in a time where both digital interactions and horniness seem to have reached their peak. The death knells have been ringing for a year: In constant confrontation with our mortality, reveling in our sex drives is a form of control and comfort. But a picture of a dick alone simply isn’t going to cut it.

As Sara mentions, though, creating a nut video with the sound on is indeed a bit of a challenge. “You really only get one shot at it, so to speak,” says Marcus, 27, in Chicago. “I’m a photographer by trade so maybe I care more about lighting and angles than the average Joe, but making sure all of that lines up, and then making sure the video is attractive looking isn’t the easiest thing to pull off.”

Unlike a dick picture, videos further require that the creator think about sound. “My partner and I were sexting and she mentioned how hot she thought it was when I moaned in her ear, and when my breathing got heavy as I got close to orgasm,” Marcus continues. “I mentioned how I see stuff on Twitter about women wanting nut videos with the sound on and it must be for that reason. She immediately told me she wanted one, and since we were already sexting and since I was already jerking off, I figured, ‘Why not?’”

“I was honestly really happy with the result,” he says. “It took a little bit of time to set up my lighting and figure out what angle I wanted to shoot from, where and how I was going to cum, should I take my pants all the way off, should I have them around my ankles, silly little detail stuff like that but I think the video is pretty hot.”

The challenge and the details are themselves why the concept of a nut video with the sound on is so appealing. Because it requires more effort and contains more variables, the recipient feels not only special having received the video, but further enjoys the anticipation of what the video might contain.

This also allows for customization — as many of the memes specify, people want the person recording the video to say their name. “If it’s made for a specific recipient, using the person’s name is a great tip,” says Amy, 35, in Philadelphia. “Organic moans are good, but it’s obvious if they’re forced. Basically, I want to know the person is really enjoying themselves thinking about me.”

Beyond that, the other details are of less consequence for many. “I think as long as nothing distracting is happening with the attire or the background, it’s fine,” says Amy.  “Like, if they want to be fully naked, cool. Or if they just want to pull their dick through their boxers or whatever, also cool. Then, with where to cum — if they’re unsure, just ask the receiver. That’s hot in its own way, giving the other person what they want. I’m a ‘the messier the better’ kind of gal, but I know that’s not for everyone.”

While there’s little doubt that people authentically do want to receive nut videos with the sound on, there’s almost certainly still a performative aspect to the tweets and TikToks about it. By engaging with the topic as a meme, one can safely express desire without seeming desperate. In turn, they open themselves to potentially becoming the subject of another’s desire, as well. It basically becomes a means of signaling one’s sexual interests without the risk of presenting them directly to an individual.

Please note, however, that the vast majority of people participating in the meme aren’t stating that they want a nut video from just anyone (please, do not just send one of these videos to a woman without asking). Rather, they’re hoping that a partner or sex interest will see these posts as a reason to offer to film one.

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In some ways, the prevalence of the “nut video with sound on” meme is indicative of an increasingly brazen honesty toward women’s own sexualities. Particularly after years of receiving unsolicited ones, dick pics have become passé. A solicited, consensual video featuring a man cumming while saying the recipient’s name can feel like an empowered alternative. It’s not just some shoddy photo of a penis without curation or context, but a customized work made solely for you. And so, it shouldn’t be a mystery why so much content about nut videos exists. Are these memes not simply women, rather bluntly, stating exactly what they want?

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Magdalene Taylor

Magdalene Taylor is a staff writer at MEL. She covers internet culture, sex and the online adult industry. She lives in Brooklyn but is from God's Country, Western Massachusetts.