Pegging is a sexual practice in which someone (usually with a vagina) performs

anal sex Anal sex or anal intercourse is generally the insertion and thrusting of the erect penis into a person's anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure.Sepages 270–271for anal sex information, anpage 118for information about the clitoris. O ...

on someone else by penetrating their

anus The anus (Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, the residual semi-solid waste that remains after food digestion, which, d ...

with a strap-on dildo.

Naming

The

neologism A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...

"pegging" was popularized due to the sex education movie ''

Bend Over Boyfriend ''Bend Over Boyfriend'' (''BOB'') is a series of sex education videos covering the practice of a woman penetrating a man's anus with a strap-on dildo (known as pegging). The first of the two videos, which was released in 1998, became the best-s ...

'' released in 1998. After it became the winning entry in a contest for the " Savage Love" sex advice column, held by

Dan Savage Daniel Keenan Savage (born October 7, 1964) is an American author, media pundit, journalist, and LGBT community activist. He writes '' Savage Love'', an internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column. In 2010, Savage and his husb ...

in 2001 upon observing that except for the phrase "Strap On Sex" used by Queen and her partner Robert in their national lecture series (Robert was the original Bend Over Boyfriend at the Good Vibrations lectures). The concept lacked a common name and there was no dictionary entry for the act.These three links chronicle how the term ''pegging'' came into usage.
Let's Vote
, May 24, 2001
Count Every Vote
, June 7, 2001
We Have a Winner!
, June 21, 2001 Other words include "buggery" or "

sodomy Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non-procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''so ...

", but these refer to anal sex in general. "Strap-on sex" can be used for vaginal or anal intercourse between people of any gender using a strap-on, and is thus less precise than pegging. Some queer people prefer "strap-on sex" instead of "pegging" because they feel the latter is too

hetero Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to ...

and cis centric. Beckett and Miller use "pegger" and "peggee" to refer to the person penetrating and the person being penetrated; "top" and "bottom" are also used.

Method

Pegging is penetrative sex with a strap-on dildo, usually anal penetration. It is usually defined as a

heterosexual Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" t ...

practice in which a woman penetrates the anus of a man. This definition of pegging is very centered around

cisgender Cisgender (often shortened to cis; sometimes cissexual) is a term used to describe a person whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. The word ''cisgender'' is the antonym of ''transgender''. The prefix '' cis-'' is L ...

and heterocentric identities. However, anyone can be penetrated anally regardless of their genitals or gender. The person penetrating their partner uses a strap-on dildo, often a silicone phallus, attached with a harness or strapless (a dildo that also penetrates the pegger).

Lubricant A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, t ...

is also used. According to Tristan Taormino, gender and gender roles play an important part in pegging. Pegging reverses traditional

heterosexual

gender roles A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cente ...

in sexual practices: the man is penetrated by the woman, becoming passive rather than active.

In popular culture

According to Beckett and Miller (2022), most popular representations of pegging are derogatory, negative or even amounting to

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, whi ...

. Long before the term was coined as such, the 1970 film ''

Myra Breckinridge ''Myra Breckinridge'' is a 1968 satirical novel by Gore Vidal written in the form of a diary. Described by the critic Dennis Altman as "part of a major cultural assault on the assumed norms of gender and sexuality which swept the western world ...

'', based on the novel by ''

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and e ...

'', depicted the first known pegging scene on screen. The first explicit pegging scene is believed to be the 1976 pornographic film '' The Opening of Misty Beethoven''.

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine sexuality as well as numerous accusat ...

describes a pegging act in his 1795 book '' Philosophy in the Bedroom''. There is a depiction of pegging in the

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...

1959 novel '' Naked Lunch''. The dildo used in the scene is called a Steely Dan III, and is the source from which the musical group Steely Dan takes its name. ''

'' (1998) is based on a series of lectures and workshops by Robert Lawrence and Carol Queen. ''Bend Over Boyfriend'' originally inspired

to call the act "BOBing" but his readers subsequently voted on the winning term, "pegging". Since the coinage of "pegging", it was featured in the TV show '' Weeds'', on the episode "

Crush Girl Love Panic The second season of ''Weeds (TV series), Weeds'' premiered on August 14, 2006, and consisted of 12 episodes. Plot The second season, while comedic, has a darker tone, as Nancy becomes increasingly involved in the more dangerous aspects of the ...

" (2006). Here, pegging appears to be non consensual and is played as a joke towards the male character being forced into anal sex. In the episode "Knockoffs" of the TV series ''

Broad City ''Broad City'' is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. It was developed from their independent web series of the same name, which was produced between 2009 and 2011. The sitcom, like the web seri ...

'', Abbi Abrams pegs Jeremy Santos on his request. In the 2016 film ''

Deadpool Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in '' New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, De ...

'', Wade Wilson is pegged by his girlfriend Vanessa Carlysle on

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday list of minor secular observances#March, celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights, women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, ...

. In the episode "To Peg Or Not To Peg" of the TV Series ''

The Bold Type ''The Bold Type'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Sarah Watson and produced by Universal Television for Freeform. It is inspired by the life and career of former editor-in-chief of '' Cosmopolitan'' magazine Joanna ...

'', Kat pegs Cody.

Naming

Method

In popular culture

References

Bibliography

Further reading