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Key features of Hellenistic culture were athletic exercises in gymnasia and athletic performances in public arenas, where men appeared in the nude. While the penis sheathed in an intact foreskin was normal and acceptable, ancient Greeks and their Hellenistic successors considered the circumcised penis to be offensive, as it was perceived as a vulgar imitation of erection, unfit for public display. The ancient Greeks and their Hellenistic successors considered the "ideal prepuce" to be long, tapered, and "well-proportioned." Removing it was considered mutilation. Men with short foreskins, a condition known as lypodermos, would wear a leather cord called a kynodesme to prevent its accidental exposure.<ref>{{REFjournal | last=Hodges, | first=Frederick M. [http://www.cirp.org/library/history/hodges2/ | coauthors= | title=The Ideal Prepuce in Ancient Greece and Rome: Male Genital Aesthetics and Their Relation to Lipodermos, Circumcision, Foreskin Restoration, and the Kynodesme]. | journal=Bulletin of the History of Medicine, vol. | date=Fall 2001 | volume=75, no. | issue=3 (Fall 2001): pp. | pages=375-405 | url=http://www.cirp.org/library/history/hodges2/ | quote= | pubmedID=11568485 | pubmedCID= | DOI= | accessdate=2019-09-30}}</ref>
The sight of circumcised genitals at public baths or gymnasia would inspire laughter and ridicule. Jewish men who wished to gain acceptance in the larger social world gave themselves a presentable appearance by pulling the remaining foreskin forward as far as possible, and keeping it under enough tension to encourage permanent stretching toward its original length. Using a fibular pin or a cord, they pierced the front of the remaining foreskin, drew it forward, and fixed it in place; sometimes they would attach a weight to maintain tension. Over time the foreskin stretched and restored at least some of the appearance of an intact organ.<ref>{{REFbook