Aside from its potential to be incredibly hot, a cool thing about anal penetration is that anyone can receive it, anatomically speaking. And because of the ingenuity of sex toy creators, it’s possible for anyone to provide it—yes, we’re talking about strap-ons! Wearing a dildo to bang your partner from behind, or pegging, can allow you to each uncover a brand new world of feel-good possibilities.
“Pegging” was first coined by sex columnist Dan Savage in 2001; the term initially referred to a cisgender woman using a strap-on to anally penetrate a cisgender man. It’s since been adapted by some sex educators to mean any person using a dildo to penetrate someone who has a penis within the butt, Gigi Engle, COSRT-registered sex and relationships psychotherapist based within the United Kingdom and lead intimacy expert at dating app 3Fun, tells SELF.
Anatomy aside, this type of strap-on anal sex can allow for a fresh power dynamic or kinky role reversal within the bedroom, and even just a unique kind of delight (when you’re latest to back-door play). Keep reading to learn all of the nuts and bolts of pegging, from the spark it may possibly set to your sex life to the mechanics of suiting up and plugging in.
Why you may find pegging super hot
The incontrovertible fact that pegging involves anal penetration could also be reason enough to provide it a go. Your butt is “full of nerve endings, specifically around the anal opening,” Engle says, “so you don’t really have to do deep penetration to activate the anus.”
And let’s not neglect the opposite feel-good region you possibly can access via pegging—the prostate (or P-spot), which is linked with intense orgasms. You can get at this zone through the use of an angled dildo, so it presses on the front a part of the recipient’s anal wall (just like how an individual with a vagina might use a curved toy to access their G-spot).
Beyond the physiological upsides, though, pegging may be a novel sex act to you—which may be erotic in its own right, Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, PhD, sexual and relational communication professor at California State University, Fullerton, and host of the podcast (she goes by Dr. Tara), tells SELF. After all, some adventure and freedom can feel super arousing in case your typical routine has gotten somewhat same-old, same-old.
Of course, for lots of individuals, pegging is just typical sex. For others, though, it may possibly feel subversive, given it challenges the (very hetero) standard of a person penetrating—and taking control over—a girl. As Engle points out, there’s a “fun power exchange” that may occur. And beyond being an enormous turn-on, feeling such as you’re doing something taboo or super risqué may even cement your bond with a partner, Dr. Tara says: It becomes your little secret to share (*winky face*).
At the identical time, it’s vital to notice that there’s nothing naughty about pegging. And the longstanding perception of anal as something dirty or flawed unfortunately keeps plenty of individuals from doing it and experiencing the complete extent of delight that’s possible for them, Evan Goldstein, MD, New York City–based anal surgeon and creator of , tells SELF. So just remember: If the “wrongness” of pegging gets you off, then great—but there’s zero actual shame in doing or having fun with it.
A note about pegging, sexuality, and gender roles
This act puts an individual with a penis within the receiver role, which is often regarded as solely the purview of girls and gay men. “For men who are perhaps not extremely comfortable with their sexuality, it may feel uncomfortable being associated with any kind of homosexuality,” Dr. Tara says.
