Topic: What is the actual origin of the scrotum flap?

scrotum_flap seems to be a recent trend in NSFW artists where the artist will add a horizontal flap of skin between a character's balls - varying in shape and size, but overall having the same "vibe". And it's pretty obvious how recent it is, considering how the tag did not exist until 2024 and has ballooned considerably since then- and artists who have never drawn this feature before have gone into drawing it full-time. The wiki claims that it is associated with generative AI depicting the shape of the scrotum incorrectly, because it is not a real anatomical feature on humans, but I have a hard time believing this is the origin considering that scrotum flaps as a concept have existed as far back as 2018/19, at least as far as this site's tagging is concerned:
post #1969195 post #2358456
Around 2022 is when generative AI actually managed to be decent enough to be comprehensible.
What I'm asking for, for wiki purposes, is this: Who or what actually started the trend? How long ago was it started? Does it actually have anything to do with generative AI?
It's not a scrotal_raphe either, as a scrotal raphe is a vertical seam on the testicles and is often depicted separately from the scrotum_flap, and lemon_testicles are their own thing as well.

Art telephone. Someone drew a raphe that was a little baggy. Other people copied and exaggerated it. I don't know if it started with ai, but this is something that happens a lot- another example is hyper-exaggerated whisker_spots/muzzle_scabs.

Is there really anything that qualifies drawing scrotum flaps as a "trend"? Did someone post something like "hey guys, let's all start drawing ballsacks with flaps of skin at the bottom"?? To me an artist trend would be something like Gris swimsuit or hollow hip backless chain dress where artists posted pictures of the source material explicitly inviting other artists to draw characters wearing those outfits.

Is there anything that proves it was inspired by generative AI either? I'm tempted to remove both of those lines from the wiki page unless they can be backed up.

eightoflakes said:
Is there really anything that qualifies drawing scrotum flaps as a "trend"? Did someone post something like "hey guys, let's all start drawing ballsacks with flaps of skin at the bottom"?? To me an artist trend would be something like Gris swimsuit or hollow hip backless chain dress where artists posted pictures of the source material explicitly inviting other artists to draw characters wearing those outfits.

Is there anything that proves it was inspired by generative AI either? I'm tempted to remove both of those lines from the wiki page unless they can be backed up.

Trends don't have to be intentional or deliberate by the trend starter. A trend can be someone doing something novel, and then other artists - consciously or unconsciously - following suit, similar to when someone nails a topic on the social media algorithm and thousands of posts and videos are made copying it. Scrotum flap popularity is recent, not anatomically correct for human genitalia, and has taken over the nsfw artist world by storm, so it is "trendy". Sure, it as a concept existed before 2023, but I'd say around 2023-2024 is when they exploded in popularity. That, in of itself, warrants the "trend" category. It's not a meme [an intentional spread of a base idea, typically humorous], it's a trend[a general change in the way people are behaving, aka how they draw a scrotum].

As for the AI relation, that's why I made this forum thread asking about its origin. Demesejha wrote the original wiki, so they might have an explanation if they ever are asked about it.
Fliphook seems to have theorized that this may be a corruption of the cremasteric reflex, depicted as - instead of a flex of the testicles - testicles in a perpetually "tense" state and therefore producing large amounts of saggy skin, that spontaneously got turned into this and caught on in the artist space.

Tbh, I'm surprised it didn't catch on sooner, considering how often I've seen it irl.
Tends to show in guys whose scrotums are fairly relaxed, or warm, but then they pull their balls up inside themselves/flex the muscle that controls ball movement, which pulls the balls upward, leaving the relaxed scrotum empty, and giving it a "flap" look.

As for it being a trend... Maybe artists are just trying to be more detailed, or follow some kind of appeal for/towards some novel, but realistic, anatomy?
Who can say.

Edit: And that first pic, the one in black and white, straight up looks like the balls and ball sacks of some guys I know. (Hope that's not TMI... lol)