Smash Her Calabash! The Metaphoric Construction of Phallic Masculinity in the Marketing of Herbal Aphrodisiacs in Nigeria

Abstract

Recently, there has been upsurge in the advertisement of various types of herbal aphrodisiacs targeted at Nigerian men in the market environment in Calabar metropolis, southeastern Nigeria. This article explores the metaphoric construction of male genitalia in the marketing of these products from the perspective of Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980, 2003) conceptual metaphor theory (CMT). Drawing on qualitative data sourced through semi-structured interviews with 30 participants who were purposively sampled, the study provides a nuanced cultural understanding of men’s genitalia as depicted in herbal aphrodisiac ad contents and reveals that the penis is metaphorically (re)constructed as hard, strong, aggressive and destructive which are stereotyped instincts of phallic masculinity. We conclude that the marketing of herbal aphrodisiacs, apart from its claim of providing herbal remedies to men (and women’s) sexual dysfunctions, is a social site for reinforcing underlying stance and ideological structure that inform the expression of male sexual power.