{{Short description|Technique for hiding one's genital bulge}} {{about||the step in woollen clothmaking|Fulling|the German television presenter|Stefanie Tücking}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Crossdressing}} '''Tucking''' is a technique whereby an individual hides the crotch bulge of their penis and scrotum so that they are not conspicuous through clothing.
The practice is most commonly employed by men, transgender women, and men who do drag, or otherwise desire a more androgynous appearance. There are fertility-related side-effects to tucking, such as a reduced sperm count.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Trussler |first1=James T. |last2=Carrasquillo |first2=Robert J. |title=Cryptozoospermia Associated With Genital Tucking Behavior in a Transwoman |journal=Reviews in Urology |date=2020 |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=170–173 |pmid=33927575 |pmc=8058914 }}</ref> Some types of clothing, such as gaffs and boxers are purposefully designed to conceal the crotch bulge.
== Methods == One method of tucking involves pulling the penis backwards in between the legs while simultaneously pushing the testicles up into the inguinal canal.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pyne |first1=Jake |title=UNSUITABLE BODIES: Trans People and Cisnormativity in Shelter Services |journal=Canadian Social Work Review |date=2011 |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=129–137 |jstor=41658838 }}</ref> In order to secure this position in place, some practitioners may use especially tight undergarments and a leotard that has a strap.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Filippo |first1=Maria San |title=Female Trouble: Representing Transwomen in The Danish Girl and The New Girlfriend |journal=Journal of Bisexuality |date=2 July 2016 |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=403–407 |doi=10.1080/15299716.2016.1199843 }}</ref> Another practice is the flattening or binding by using tape to fasten the genitalia along the perineum and if possible in between the buttocks. There are also improvised or home-made contrivances whereby an elastic waistband is cut off from an existing garment and then a pouch placed along the middle to then be pulled up.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Conard |first1=L.E. |title=Supporting and caring for transgender and gender nonconforming youth in the urology practice |journal=Journal of Pediatric Urology |date=June 2017 |volume=13 |issue=3 |pages=300–304 |doi=10.1016/j.jpurol.2017.02.019 |pmid=28645619 }}</ref>
Some people use purpose-made panty-like garments, often called ''gaffs'', that serve to hide the genitalia and provide a feminine flat and smooth crotch area.<ref>"[http://library.transgenderzone.com/?page_id=114 Penis - methods of concealment and obtaining a 'flat-look' for pre-op male-to-female transgender people] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108121130/http://library.transgenderzone.com/?page_id=114 |date=8 January 2018 }}", Samantha Johnson, Transgender Zone</ref>
== Other == The practice of tucking is also observed for reasons other than appearing female, done in different manners.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Willson |first1=Jacki |last2=McCartney |first2=Nicola |title=A look at 'fishy drag' and androgynous fashion: Exploring the border spaces beyond gender-normative deviance for the straight, biological women |journal=Critical Studies in Fashion & Beauty |date=June 2017 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=99–122 |doi=10.1386/csfb.8.1.99_1 |url=https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/10985/1/CSFB%208.1_art_McCartney_UPLOAD.pdf }}</ref> Some people do it because they have dysmorphophobia with regards to their genital bulge.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} For other people, it is due to feeling embarrassment, while others do it to hide an erection,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Phillips |first=Harry |title=New erection-hiding underwear unveiled |url=https://www.news24.com/health24/Medical/Erectile-dysfunction/News/New-erection-hiding-underwear-unveiled-20141112 |access-date= |website=Health24 |language=en-US |archive-date=19 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719155413/https://www.news24.com/health24/Medical/Erectile-dysfunction/News/New-erection-hiding-underwear-unveiled-20141112 |url-status=live }}</ref> to "not scare women" out of a sense of prudishness or phallophobia<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shawver |first1=Lois |chapter=Sexual Modesty, the Etiquette of Disregard, and the Question of Gays and Lesbians in the Military |pages=226–44 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d5vK0H8PhB4C&pg=PA226 |editor1-last=Herek |editor1-first=Gregory M. |editor2-last=Jobe |editor2-first=Jared B. |editor3-last=Carney |editor3-first=Ralph M. |title=Out in Force: Sexual Orientation and the Military |date=1996 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-40048-8 }}</ref> or because the bulge is prominent at an inappropriate moment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/88760-10-weird-things-about-having-an-erection-according-to-guys-because-you-can-wiggle-it|title=10 Weird Things About Having an Erection, According to Guys, Because You Can Wiggle It|date=9 June 2015|access-date=8 January 2018|archive-date=8 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108120431/https://www.bustle.com/articles/88760-10-weird-things-about-having-an-erection-according-to-guys-because-you-can-wiggle-it|url-status=live}}</ref> Methods of tucking include placing the penis behind the waistband sometimes colloquially referred to as ''uptuck''<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://uproxx.com/webculture/waistband-boner-trick-uptuck/|title = The World's Most Dependable Boner-Hiding Technique Failed This Man in Spectacular Fashion|date = 21 November 2014|access-date = 8 January 2018|archive-date = 8 January 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180108120442/http://uproxx.com/webculture/waistband-boner-trick-uptuck/|url-status = live}}</ref> while some men may wear purposefully designed compressing underwear.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/sex/news/a36443/boner-blocking-boxers/|title = These New Boxers Will Hide Your Untimely Erection|date = 15 July 2015|access-date = 8 January 2018|archive-date = 25 February 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210225030926/https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/sex/news/a36443/boner-blocking-boxers/|url-status = live}}</ref> Variations of tucking may be used by macrophallic men when they perceive their crotch bulge to have an obscene appearance.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lever |first1=Janet |last2=Frederick |first2=David A. |last3=Peplau |first3=Letitia Anne |title=Does size matter? Men's and women's views on penis size across the lifespan. |journal=Psychology of Men & Masculinity |date=July 2006 |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=129–143 |doi=10.1037/1524-9220.7.3.129 }}</ref> There are some types of boxer shorts and boxer briefs that are designed to conceal the male crotch bulge, such as bloxers.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Blanco F. |first1=José |title=Revealing myself: A phenomenological approach to my underwear choices through the years |journal=Critical Studies in Men's Fashion |date=March 2014 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=117–131 |doi=10.1386/csmf.1.2.117_1 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=14 July 2015 |title=Bloxers Claim To Be The New Boxers That Will Conceal Your Boners |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bloxer-boxers-boners_n_55a51189e4b0a47ac15d5548 |access-date= |website=HuffPost UK |language=en |archive-date=18 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718014112/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bloxer-boxers-boners_n_55a51189e4b0a47ac15d5548 |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Health effects == Placing testicles closer to the body increases their regulating temperature. This causes heat stress on the sperm inside the testicles, often leading to premature death of the sperm and lower the sperm count.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=dickey |first1=lore m. |last2=Ducheny |first2=Kelly M. |last3=Ehrbar |first3=Randall D. |title=Family creation options for transgender and gender nonconforming people. |journal=Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity |date=June 2016 |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=173–179 |doi=10.1037/sgd0000178 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=de Nie |first1=Iris |last2=Asseler |first2=Joyce |last3=Meißner |first3=Andreas |last4=Voorn-de Warem |first4=Ilona A. C. |last5=Kostelijk |first5=E. Hanna |last6=den Heijer |first6=Martin |last7=Huirne |first7=Judith |last8=van Mello |first8=Norah M. |date=March 2022 |title=A cohort study on factors impairing semen quality in transgender women |journal=American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology |volume=226 |issue=3 |pages=390.e1–390.e10 |doi=10.1016/j.ajog.2021.10.020 |pmid=34688596 |s2cid=239532503 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Tucking may also lead to testicular torsion.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Debarbo |first=Clarence Joy M. |date=November 2020 |title=Rare cause of testicular torsion in a transwoman: A case report |journal=Urology Case Reports |volume=33 |article-number=101422 |doi=10.1016/j.eucr.2020.101422 |pmid=33102119 |pmc=7574273 }}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://fenwayhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/Tucking-Guide-2025.pdf Tucking: A resource guide on how to tuck safely, where to find affirming products, and answers to frequently asked questions] from Fenway Health * [https://queer-lexikon.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BR-Tucking-V01.1-Englisch-WEB.pdf Tucking and Gaffs: A booklet for trans feminine and non-binary people] at Queer-Lexikon.net
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