No matter what porn will have you believe, there’s so much more to anal sex than doggy style. Sure, doggy style is awesome, obviously. You get to see yourself actually penetrating your partner, and if you and your partner are into ass-smacking, you’re in the ideal position to spank their behind. Hot.

But doggy style is just one of many anal sex positions out there, and if you don’t try anything else, you might be missing out on some of the mind-blowing sensations that come with exploring your and/or your partner’s back door. (Hello, prostate orgasms.) If you’re looking for some creative new ways to have butt sex, we’ve got you covered with this list of the 20 best anal sex positions that aren’t doggy style. Been there, done that. This list describes how to pull off each position from the perspective of the person doing the penetrating, but I’d like to note: All of these anal sex positions have been tried out by yours truly as both the penetrator (a.k.a. the “top”) and the person being penetrated (a.k.a. the “bottom”).

Continue reading on Men’s Health

Anonymous: I’m 20, and a virgin. I read in other posts that you recommend girls who are virgins start with anal and stay vaginal virgins. I like the idea, but I want to know if you really think that I should, and why.

Anal porn has been my favorite for years, and thinking about doing it makes me so horny. I masturbate that way mostly but sometimes I rub my pussy too. Should I stop doing that if I go anal only? I’ve tried putting a toy in my pussy too, but it doesn’t feel as good as in my ass, which is why I’m thinking anal only would be a good idea.

I don’t want to be weird, though, and wouldn’t guys want to fuck my pussy too and get upset if I said no?

I definitely, unequivocally, recommend staying a vaginal virgin and going straight to anal only! Now, if someone has already had vaginal sex before going anal only, or really wants to try both and compare before committing to anal only, that’s fine too—whatever works for each person—but if you have the opportunity to keep your pussy virgin and totally unused, and that’s something that interests or appeals to you, then absolutely go for it!

The way I see it is, most girls who prefer anal but try vaginal end up anal only anyway and just regret that they wasted their virginity and didn’t stay pure anal only when they had the chance. By going straight to anal only and staying a vaginal virgin, there’s nothing to regret—you can always try vaginal sex later if you change your mind, but if you lose your vaginal virginity now, you can never go back to being a vaginal virgin again.

It sounds like you already know being an anal only vaginal virgin is the right path for you—you prefer anal, don’t enjoy vaginal masturbation, and are on an anal only blog asking for advice, so your decision is nearly made already. Commit to it. You won’t regret it.

As for what guys might think, that’s going to depend on the guy. Some guys might want pussy, and they’d be the wrong guys for you if you want anal only. Other guys absolutely prefer anal and anal only girls, and would love the idea of an anal only vaginal virgin girlfriend. If they don’t respect that your pussy is off limits for good, find someone who will.

Many people enjoy anal sex, but not exclusively. They make anal a part of their sexual routine and enjoy it as a portion of the sex they have, though vaginal often remains some part of it as well.

Now, any inclusion of anal is better than none, but there’s something to be said about being anal only, and it’s something that’s hard to fully comprehend until you’ve tried it for yourself for a while.

Stopping all vaginal penetration entirely to focus purely on anal ends up amplifying your arousal and pleasure beyond simply having anal sex, and makes sex better, more enjoyable, and more exciting.

Why is this? It likely comes down to a combination of factors: the increased trust and intimacy that comes from focusing purely on anal sex, and the fact that vaginal and clitoral stimulation suppress arousal, especially post-orgasm, while anal tends to have far more arousal amplifying effects.

So, if you aren’t already, try going anal only for a few months and see what it’s like for yourself. You’ll most likely fall in love with it and not want to return to vaginal sex.

Looking back on your Sex Ed days, you probably got to the basics that P-in-V sex can lead to pregnancy. Anal sex was most likely left out of that pregnancy convo, and that’s probably because you technically can’t make a baby in your b-hole.

But, even though you can’t get pregnant from anal itself, it’s still possible (say what?).

All genders, identities, and sexual orientations can enjoy anal play (which can involve a penis, dildo, other sex toys, or fingers… get creative). But, when it comes to the possibility of pregnancy, we’re talking about penis to anus located near a vagina.

Going through the backdoor is a pretty common item on the sexual menu for women. One study, found more than a third of U.S. women said they’d had anal with a male partner in the past 3 months. Another study found that 13 percent of women had anal in the past 12 months, while 36 percent of women had done so in their lifetime.

These stats may vary, but one thing is certain: People are out there plundering the booty. Here’s what you need to know when it comes to pregnancy risk and anal sex.

Continue reading on Greatist

This message was originally posted to the Anal Only Bdsmlr blog, and is being cross-posted here.

Anonymous: You keep enconraging gapes and double anal. They’re indeed a very sexy thing, but in reality wouldn’t you be afrait if the one good hole get’s loose there’s nothing to enjoy anymore?

While in fantasy, some people like the idea of women being stretched out to the point that they can’t enjoy even anal anymore, that doesn’t really happen in real life aside from major injury and nerve damage.

Gapes are just the result of learning to control your anal muscles and keep them relaxed open. Because you have that control, you can also let them tighten back up again too, when you’re ready to do so.

Stretching from increased usage, whether from larger partners, larger toys, or from double anal, doesn’t mean that you’re always loose, it just increases your upper limit of comfortable stretching. You can still stay tight when you want to have sex that way, and enjoy smaller penetration as well. Women like Roxy Raye, who can have massive gapes and enjoy huge toys, still close up tight after and can have “normal” anal sex too.

That said, some women simply prefer larger penetrations and over time may find that they want to focus on large toys or double anal, because thats what gives them the most pleasure, and that’s perfectly fine as well if it’s what they want and they’re able to sustain it.

Anal sex is in. To be fair, it has been for quite some time (and for queer men, it’s always been in). In fact, Marie Claire went as far to call 2014 the “Year of the Booty,” and in December of that year, Mic wrote a feature called: This Year Was a Game-Changer for Anal Sex — Even for the People Who Weren’t Having It.

Six years later, anal is still going strong. As a sex writer, I’m constantly asked to write pieces about how to have healthier and more pleasurable anal sex.

By why is everyone talking about anal sex now? In large part, it’s because a sex-positive revolution is happening, and we’re more open to exploring our sexuality and vocalizing our desires. (For the record, people were always having anal sex before it was “in”—the mainstream media simply wasn’t talking about it the same way.) Also, anal sex feels really fucking good. Plain and simple. It feels good to do things to someone else’s butt, and have someone else do things to your butt. Really, the more butts involved during sex, the better.

Don’t just take my word for it. I reached out to 12 sex-positive men, asking them to describe, in detail, what anal sex feels like. Their answers make it clear that anal sex isn’t just in—it’s here to stay.

Continue reading on Men’s Health

People choose the anal only lifestyle for many reasons, including but not limited to:

• a simple preference for anal sex
• wanting to maintain vaginal virginity
• the natural birth control of anal sex
• the dom/sub dynamics that can pair well with being anal only
• total orgasm denial, or clitoral orgasm denial with the benefits of anal orgasm

What is your reason for being anal only? Please respond in the comments and share why you are or want to embrace the anal only lifestyle.

Before jumping on the butt sex bandwagon, you should know what is anal sex fact vs. fiction. Look no further than this how-to guide for beginner-friendly anal action.

What do Lady Gaga, platform sneakers, and anal sex have in common? They’re all having a moment.

This morning, in the span of one hour, Truffle Butter played at my fave coffee shop (if you don’t know what that has to do with anal, two words: Urban Dictionary), an email about the launch of a new butt plug popped into my inbox, and my pal texted to ask which position—missionary or doggy—was a better position for first-time anal sex.

Still, the sex act seemingly everyone’s intrigued by—and in some cases trying—is still shrouded in mystery. And, to be fair, butt sex can be kind of intimidating. Here, sexperts break down anal sex facts vs. fiction to deliver—drum roll please—a first-time anal sex how-to guide. To replace some of that confusion with clarity, read on for tips and tricks on how to prepare for anal sex that will make it as pleasurable, safe, clean, and orgasmic as possible.

Continue reading on Shape