Teabagging is a
slang term for the
sexual act involving someone placing their
scrotum in the
mouth
In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...
of their
sexual partner for
sexual pleasure, or onto the
face or
head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...
of another person, sometimes as a
comedic device Comedic device refers to a kind of device used to make a statement more humorous. In layman's terms, it is what makes things funny.
List of comedic devices
Repetition
Repetition is the essential comedic device and is often used in combination with ...
.
The name of the practice, when it is done in a repeated in-and-out
motion, is derived from its passing resemblance to the dipping of a
tea bag into a
cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, c ...
of hot
water as a method of
brewing
Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and #Fermenting, fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with Yeast#Beer, yeast. It may be done in a brewery ...
tea. As a form of
non-penetrative sex, it can be done for its own
enjoyment or as
foreplay.
Oral sex
Along with the
penis, the scrotum is
sensitive and considered to be an
erogenous zone. This makes varying degrees of
stimulation
Stimulation is the encouragement of development or the cause of activity generally. For example, "The press provides stimulation of political discourse." An interesting or fun activity can be described as "stimulating", regardless of its physica ...
an integral part of
oral sex.
And while some may enjoy the stimulation, not everyone responds to it. Sex experts have suggested various techniques that the performer can use during
fellatio to increase their partner's pleasure. These include gently
sucking and tugging on the scrotum and use of
lips to ensure minimal contact with their
teeth.
It has also been recommended as a form of foreplay or
safer sex. It presents a low risk of
transmission for many diseases, including
HIV.
Its gain in prominence has been attributed to its depiction in the 1998 film ''
Pecker'', directed by
John Waters.
It has since become popular enough with couples to be discussed during an episode of the television series ''
Sex and the City''.
Sex and
relationship
Relationship most often refers to:
* Family relations and relatives: consanguinity
* Interpersonal relationship, a strong, deep, or close association or acquaintance between two or more people
* Correlation and dependence, relationships in mathem ...
experts have varying
definition
A definition is a statement of the meaning of a term (a word, phrase, or other set of symbols). Definitions can be classified into two large categories: intensional definitions (which try to give the sense of a term), and extensional definitio ...
s on how the act is performed. According to
columnist
A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...
Dan Savage, the person whose scrotum is being stimulated is known as "the teabagger" and the one giving the stimulation is "the teabaggee": "A teabagger dips sack; a teabaggee receives dipped sack." Some consider the act to be as simple as fellatio involving the scrotum.
Others consider the
position
Position often refers to:
* Position (geometry), the spatial location (rather than orientation) of an entity
* Position, a job or occupation
Position may also refer to:
Games and recreation
* Position (poker), location relative to the dealer
* ...
to involve the man
squatting
Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
over his
recline
A recliner is an armchair or sofa that reclines when the occupant lowers the chair's back and raises its front. It has a backrest that can be tilted back, and often a footrest that may be extended by means of a lever on the side of the chair, o ...
d partner, while the
testicles are repeatedly raised and lowered into the mouth. Whether or not
licking and
fondling
Physical intimacy is sensual proximity or touching. It is an act or reaction, such as an expression of feelings (including close friendship, platonic love, romantic love or sexual attraction), between people. Examples of physical intimacy ...
is considered tea bagging was once debated on ''
The Howard Stern Show''.
In video games
Teabagging in
video games involves a player character rapidly and repeatedly crouching over the corpse of another player-controlled character as a form of humiliation or to provoke the other player. The practice likely originated from multiplayer communities in games such as
''Quake'' or ''
Counter-Strike'', and it became more prominent in later
first-person shooter games
First-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eye ...
like ''
Halo: Combat Evolved''. The use of teabagging is now widespread in
video game culture, although some gamers consider it to be an act of bad sportsmanship or harassment.
The act courted much controversy across June and July 2022 when two professional female ''
Valorant'' players received suspensions by
Riot Games
Riot Games, Inc. is an American video game developer, publisher and esports tournament organizer based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in September 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill to develop ''League of Legends'' and went on t ...
for criticizing people who had compared the act 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, which ...
. In addition to the suspensions, the players were also
doxxed and faced real-world consequences. The suspensions caused outrage in much of the ''Valorant'' and wider internet community, with various commentators calling the comparison to real-world sexual violence as “out of control” and “absurd”.
The player known as Dawn, who received a three-month suspension for voicing her opinion, said of the situation: "I have watched
exual assaulthappen in broad daylight. It is not something you can compare to crouching in a video game. I was visibly upset by this, as were hundreds of thousands of people, and replied under her thread expressing my frustrations and concerns."
Social ridicule and harassment
Teabagging is not always carried out
consensually, such as when it is done as a
practical joke
A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...
,
which, in some jurisdictions, is legally considered
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, which ...
or
sexual battery
Battery is a criminal Offence (law), offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the act of creating apprehension of such contact.
Battery is a specific common law offense, although the term is used more general ...
.
It has been practiced during
hazing
Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...
or
bullying
Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...
incidents, with reports including groups holding down victims while the perpetrator "shoved his testicles in
he victim'sface"
or puts his "
crotch to his head".
See also
*
Swaffelen
*
Turkey slap
*
Kanchō
is a Practical joke, prank performed by clasping the hands together in the shape of an Finger gun, imaginary gun and attempting to poke an unsuspecting victim's anus, often while exclaiming "Kan-CHO!". (noting that the prank is popular among sch ...
References
External links
*
{{Sexual slang
Oral eroticism
Practical jokes
Sex- and gender-related slurs
Scrotum
Sexual acts
Sexual slang