Very serious question: why do men have nipples?

Question

For some reason, this is really bugging me today! they have no purpose other than to make their chests look less empty as far as i'm concerned.. but in all seriousness, is there a reason for them????

Answer 1

There is a book written about the subject. Until you get a chance to read it, this cut&past might help:

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...It is possible that nipples and milk ducts, what we would ordinarily would think of as sex-determined traits are actually general traits, and that the actual lactation is sex-determined. However, this doesn’t completely answer the question “Why do men have nipples” in the first place.

Another partial explanation that all fetuses are asexual and begin to develop characteristics of males and females later on in the gestation period. Nipples are developed before males are distinguished from females. But this leads to a further question; if male nipples are meant to stop developing after the fetus shows other signs of being male, then why aren’t men born with fetus-sized nipples? The question “Why do men have nipples?” is an interesting one and leads to a fascinating discussion of the natural parenting roles of men and women.

Answer 2

Oh my! If you're up for a good read, pick up the book "Why do men have nipples?" by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg. It answers that very question plus soooo many more of those crazy things that bug us out regularly. :)

The short version is that we all start out as female with the female template - add in some testosterone and your sex organs grow into male ones. Testosterone does not, however, have a disappearing potion included so the nipples you're stuck with.

Answer 3

Men have nipples because an embryo grows as a female until 3rd or 4th month of pregnancy and only then develops male characteristicis.

Coincidently, why women have a clitoris? Developmentally it's equivalent to a penis, but functionally it's useless...

Answer 4

Because they are human. Searousally. Look at primates. We evolved from them, they have nipples. Look at dogs, deer, even whales. Cows, pigs, cats. I think just about every mammel does. Not sure on that one. Nope, no reason. Unless they wanted to become a female. then they only have to.........u get the picture.

Answer 5

men still have an X chromosome, X and Y

two X chromosomes makes a woman;
having a Y chromosome makes a man, but men still have one of the chromosomes as an X chromosome, so they still have nipples, but not functional or developed like a woman's nipples etc.

Answer 6

Males and females are exactly in the same in early stages of fetal development. Then sex homones kick in, and separate male and female traits develop later in the womb. Nipples begin development before that occurs.

Answer 7

Good question, though it's a repeated one. I think both animals and humans boy or girl have them, and I don't know why. Maybe when mom's away the dad's can play?? I don't know really! Oh and by the way, nice question~!

Answer 8

it's all part of genes and everybody started out the same when they were in their mother's womb, later as they develope their gender, the genes determines people's bodies. when women grow, their genes make their breasts grow while men dun't but men grow their penis. and also men's nipples can also be sensitive too. if a man plays with em a lot they can become pretty sensitive and can be part of pleasure.

Answer 9

All babies start developement as females. Later the dominate X or Y chromosome determine the sex of the baby.

Answer 10

Because men were made to be able to breastfeed, along with women. However, men do not have the special hormone that women do to produce milk.