In a revealing documentary, a looksmaxxing-influenced world where ‘your social capital is tied to your appearance’ has led to more men wanting more

Man’s obsession with his member is a tale as old as time, writ large in sky-scraping edifices, in allusions that flatter (big dick energy) or offend (prick), in the countless artifacts across the ages that venerate male potency – a porn star’s description of Donald Trump’s “toadstool” penis. But it’s the booming intimate wellness industry – AKA the rash (ahem) of fillers, therapies and cosmetic procedures that have come into vogue since the little blue pill rocked the market – that most intrigued Daniel Lombroso, the esteemed documentarian who made his name at the Atlantic and the New Yorker dissecting male fragility.

“A lot of the stories I worked on at those places were kind of fringy subculture and oftentimes adjacent to white nationalism,” says Lombroso, who became aware of the rising demand for penile enhancement procedures while reporting on plastic surgery trends at the New Yorker. “I started calling all these practitioners. But to make an embedded film the way I do, you need someone who’s very open.”

In this week’s newsletter: Sandra Hüller and Anne Hathaway might have been in more films this year – but Pattinson’s remarkable run confirms him as one of the best performers of his generation

For prolific actors, 2026 has been a banner year. The roles have kept piling up for a small cohort of stars, the roles have kept piling up, to the point where you wonder how they found the time to do vital things like sleep, shower or scarf down nuclear-fallout-covered chicken wings on YouTube interview shows.

Just look at Sandra Hüller, who by the time December ends will have racked up six projects in 2026, ranging from austere cold war road-trip movies to migraine-inducing Marvel blockbusters. Anne Hathaway, meanwhile, has since January appeared as – deep breath – a psychologically tormented fading pop star, a catatonic popular novelist, a suburbanite fending off hungry dinosaurs, an Ithacan queen fending off hungry suitors and reluctant fashion journo Andy in the belated Devil Wears Prada sequel. (Hathaway did also have time to go on the nuclear chicken wings show, but was unable to partake, due to being heavily pregnant.)

The most fractious family in organised crime return while the US rapper embarks upon a series of benefit shows with some A-list guests. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews

Actor pleaded not guilty to allegedly kicking a nurse and a police officer after an incident on flight from Los Angeles to New York

Selma Blair has spoken for the first time since being charged with assault after a mid-air assault incident, saying she is “so sorry” to anyone “that I hurt, I frightened, that I alarmed”.

Blair pleaded not guilty to state assault charges over allegations she kicked a nurse and a police officer after an incident involving crew members on a flight from Los Angeles to New York earlier this month.