Bonus: Six inches full transcript

ALLISON BEHRINGER: Hey everyone, it’s Allison. Today we bring you a Bodies bonus! It’s a little dose of Bodies while you wait for the next episode. And for this bonus, Producer Hannah Harris Green spent the afternoon with a person who creates prosthetics.

HANNAH HARRIS GREEN: This spring, right after I was fully vaccinated, I went to Long Beach to meet up with Cody. We had a deal: I would work a four hour shift helping him make his products, and then he would let me interview him about his company 

CODY WHITFIELD: Yeah. So my name is Cody Whitfield. I'm the owner and inventor of choice designs. I have a line of products for everybody. 

HANNAH: Cody had posted looking for workers on this app called Lex, which is kind of a queer trans dating app but also where folks post looking to sell weed or find a place to live or whatever they want really. 

CODY WHITFIELD: ​​I started having people do an unboxing video once they receive it.  and people forget — I have to remind them a million times because they want to get the package and they want to open it and then they want to shoot it later. It's like no, I want that genuine reaction of your first reaction 

UNBOXING MONTAGE FROM INSTAGRAM (VARIOUS VOICES): Alright, So full disclosure, I'm about to show penis obviously. Ok it's definitely big. OK wow, this this looks pretty fucking real. This is going to be different for me but in a good way helped me feel euphoric instead of dysphoric. Yes, it's so good. Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm so impressed. So it's made to basically look completely cis and that is the real tea sis. That is exactly what I'm here for. 

HANNAH:  Cody is trans. He started testosterone a couple years ago. And then he wanted to get a prosthetic penis. He searched around online, but his choices were limited. Many websites that sell prosthetics and packers only have three color option s— sometimes with weird fetishy names like “vanilla,” “caramel” and “chocolate.”  Cody finally ordered one. But the results were...not so great.

CODY: They sent me way too light of a color, which pissed me off. And I just wouldn't have it. And then I think I looked into how do I color this thing. And then, because it was way too light I was like, I want this but it's kind of match me and then like, I painted it brown with silicone. That's how it started.

HANNAH: Once Cody realized he could hack his prosthetic, it opened up new possibilities. He wanted something he could use for packing, sex and urinating. 

CODY: I cut of fuckin hole in it. I was like, you know, what I might ruin this is a really expensive thing, but it's worth the risk. And so yeah, like, I hacked my first prosthetic out of one that I bought. And then I started to kind of wear that, yup... And then and then then I started making them. 

HANNAH: Did you have an instinct right away? Like, oh, like enough people need this? This can be how I make my money or did it —

CODY: Yeah, I mean, well, maybe not right away. I just was going to make it for myself. But um, and then once I kind of poured something and took it out of the mold, and then kind of realized I can make my own thing then I remember having a lightbulb idea or a moment of like, oh my god, I can sell these online and then I texted my mom. Oh my god, I could sell these online. She goes you can and then ever since then, that's how I've been making my money.

HANNAH: Yeah, cool. I want to go back to kind of like when you were first, like thinking of this business and looking for prosthetic penises. 

CODY: Yeah

HANNAH: Am I talking too loud?

CODY: No, you're fine. It's fine. 

HANNAH: I don't think they're home.

CODY: I don't think so. But he might come home to let the dog out and then he might hear “you were looking for…” He's doesn't pay attention. But you just never know. I'm just always aware of it. 

HANNAH: Cody is stealth with his roommates. They don’t know he’s trans. Which might be why during our interview, he keeps using “it” and “thing” in place of...prosthetic penis. 

CODY: There’s such a wide spectrum of people in the trans community. So I mean, like, I prefer to just, you know, have my life be like, not about being trans usually. I mean, I have enough of it with my business.But if I didn’t have this business I’d probably be even mot]re stealth. But I’m pulled back in.  I just happened to be given this gift of making really realistic stuff that trans people need. SoI think this is just my calling. And I've just learned to accept it. So this is a quick demonstration video that I made. 

HANNAH: Cody is showing me a video of his most popular product — a prosthetic penis that users can attach to their body with an adhesive blending kit, so it melds seamlessly with their skin. So I haven’t seen that many prosthetic penises in my life. But I can say that these blew me away.

CODY: This is the s 1000, which is the prosthetic penis, the most advanced one. And this is the one I'm showing. This is the new extra realism that I'm offering for an add on. So more skin wrinkles and just veins and stuff. So the stouter skin moves, the balls move, and it can all be felt by the person wearing it as well. So in the back, although there's a tab, it's really soft, and squeezable, so like those little pockets, that's where the pre op trans guys, quote, unquote, lips would sit or outer labia. So that like cures in there, you apply the mixture in there to the top tab and it cures to the pelvis and down there. And then so your anatomy is like in the perfect position to like, work with this. And that cup in the back is what allows the person to urinate through it while it's on. And like so you kind of see how that's semi erect. So that's totally bendable. It's got a soft outer layer. It doesn't bother the person wearing at all but it's still realistically erect enough for like, like, penetration.

HANNAH: Since it's semi erect, does it make kind of a big bulge?

CODY: No, ‘cause it just bends so well. I mean, it's just like having an open larger penis, but not really, it's not that big a deal when you have like boxer briefs and you hike it up on the side and stuff but yeah. Tames the bulge quite well.

HANNAH: You kind of feel like jiggling around all day.

CODY: In a good way. Yeah. 

HANNAH: Do you make each of them custom?

CODY: Sometimes people get them customized, but there's like, definitely a default size. But yeah, they're all custom colored. So that, I offer for free. I just asked them to send me a photo of their forearm. And then I use that to kind of gauge what, what the biological penis color would be and go from there.

HANNAH: Cool. I guess. Like yeah, like penis is like a slightly different color than the rest of you.  

CODY: Oh, sure. Yeah, totally. Yeah, it depends. Like most people, it's darker. But if you're really light skinned, white guy with red hair, it might be red. Right? Kind of a reddish hue. So  I make them of all kinds. 

HANNAH: What is the standard size?

CODY: Six inches is what I started to say that's a great size. You can't really complain about that one. You know, people always want to go bigger a lot of times, but it's like, then they get in. They're like, Oh, I didn't realize this big. It's like, yeah, that's eight inches, you know, that's why I suggest six.

And I just continue to tweak the design to make it more comfortable for the wearer-- more sensations, you know, more realism.

HANNAH: Cody uses his own life to design his prosthetics… and it can keep him humble. Crafting the perfect prosthetic makes the everyday struggles of many trans people-- that is, striving for a body that feels like you,- really literal for Cody. And he knows what it's like to be not quite there yet—to set aside discomfort and live with the body he has. 

CODY: There’s been so many times where I was like, getting ready to go on a trip or something. And like, I was like, putting it on or something getting ready to like that, or I'm gonna have it on for a couple days. Or like, it's just, it's gonna be on and it's gonna be working, it's gonna be great, you know? And then like, you know, I'd be getting ready to go to a flight or something and something would mess up. and I would run out of time and I'd be really and I would my mood would totally drop I'd be all excited and then I'd have to just get ready and take my stuff and it's not like on like I want it to be and then you just have to suck it up and be like, That's not where your worth is. You know, you just have to be you and still be funny and happy. And then just look forward to the day where you do have it figured out

HANNAH: And that's why Cody feels such a drive to constantly improve his designs. It's his way of knowing that one day, he can just be in his body. and he can give that same comfort to others.

CODY: there's definitely been those moments where I'm like, damn, this looks fucking real when I was done with it. Like yeah, I got it, I’m a genius. I’ve definitely had those. But, you know, I'm definitely what we like, always trying to be grateful and have that energy of like, you never can get too cocky. 

ALLISON: You’ve been listening to a Bodies bonus, an interview with Cody Whitfield. You can find Cody’s company on instagram @choicedesignspro. This episode was reported and produced by Hannah Harris Green. Story editing by me, Allison Behringer and Cassius Adair. Music by Dara Hirsch.

An additional update note: After this episode was posted, we learned about customers who had unsatisfactory experiences with Cody’s business, Choice Designs Pro.

We then reached out to some previous customers: some who were unhappy—including because they did not receive their products or get a refund— and also some who were happy. 

We also spoke with Cody about these claims. He acknowledges that when he first started his business, he couldn’t always keep up with the orders. But he says that he’s since improved his business operations, like making sure he doesn’t take orders without products in stock and sending out the product the same day that he receives the payment.

Finally, he says that if anybody has not received an order, to reach out and he’ll make sure they get it.



Thanks for listening. We’ll be back next week with the next episode of Bodies!