Q: Recently a friend (no, really!) was telling me about some sort of fitted sock you put on the head of your penis to guard against chafing under clothes. I am assuming one would purchase such a product via the Internet, but my question is, why? Is there really a benefit to protecting your penis? Can wearing a sock prevent enough chafing that you would become more sensitive during sex? This is what my friend claims, even though he does not own one of these.

A: It was really difficult not to laugh when I set off Googling around the Internet and came across the very product you describe -- The ManHood: The World's First Foreskin Substitute. Then I realized I was home alone and I could laugh all I wanted, so I began clicking through the many images on the product's website and giggled away. (Some days I wonder if I am, in fact, mature enough for this job.)

Geared toward the man with a circumcised penis, the ManHood is indeed a little sock made from two layers of soft fabric, intended to protect the glans. The outer layer absorbs friction during daily activity, rubbing against the inner layer instead of the head of the penis. A Velcro strip keeps the product in place when tightened. According to the ManHood website, it can also be used by men who are uncircumcised but have "short" foreskins, as well as men who are restoring their foreskins through surgical and nonsurgical processes.

Not possessing the equipment required to test drive a ManHood, I can't say for sure if wearing a little sock under your clothes all day would increase sensitivity to sex at night. It makes sense, though. The male body is designed so that the foreskin protects the glans when the penis is not erect. Somewhere along the ancient timeline, people decided to start lopping off the foreskins of boys, the reasons for which we have no way of truly knowing. Take away that protective cover, and the sensitive glans is exposed all the time. Abrasion from clothing day after day and year after year is going to dull some of that sensitivity. Also, I would imagine that certain types of fabric and certain seated positions are just plain uncomfortable for the circumcised man.

The ManHood claims to restore most of the sensitivity that is lost over the years. Indeed, the website is filled with testimonials from men who can't live without their ManHood because sex is more enjoyable, or they are finally free of pain and discomfort associated with being circumcised. The product is inexpensive, so I say why not take it for your own test drive? I'd love a follow-up report. The website is www.manhood.mb.ca, and ManHoods cost $10-$14 each, depending on how many you order. If there are any gentlemen out there who currently wear a ManHood and wouldn't trade it for all the beer in the world, I'd love to hear from you.

Vita.mn is back with our third annual Summer Story Contest, with $1,000 in prizes. You could win $750 or a Kindle 3G, have your story published in our pages, and/or be invited to read your story at the Vita.mn Summer Story Contest event in July.

This year we've settled on a story subject that we're all thinking about all the time anyway: sex. Interpret that however you like, as long as "sex" is the theme of your story. No straight-up erotica and no graphic recounts of sexual encounters. Can you make us think, make us laugh, or creatively turn us on in 300 to 600 words? Nail that, and you've got a good shot at winning.

Story deadline is July 4. For complete contest details, including a list of disallowed words (for even more of a challenge), see www.vita.mn/about.