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In
human sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied wi ...
, top, bottom, and versatile are roles during
sexual activity Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) t ...
, especially between two men. A ''top'' is usually a person who penetrates, a ''bottom'' is usually one who receives penetration, and someone who is ''versatile'' engages in either or both roles. These terms may be elements of
self-identity In the psychology of self, one's self-concept (also called self-construction, self-identity, self-perspective or self-structure) is a collection of beliefs about oneself. Generally, self-concept embodies the answer to the question ''"Who am I? ...
that indicate an individual's usual preference and habits, but might also describe broader sexual identities and social roles. ''Top'' is known formally as insertive sex role, and ''bottom'' is known formally as receptive sex role. The terms ''top'' and ''bottom'' do not refer to the literal physical position during sex. For men who have sex with men and do not engage in anal sex, the term "side" has been proposed and has seen commercial use.


Top

A top is usually a person who engages in the penetrative role during sexual activity; for men who have sex with men (MSMs), this often involves penetration using the
penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males do no ...
during
anal Anal may refer to: Related to the anus *Related to the anus of animals: ** Anal fin, in fish anatomy ** Anal vein, in insect anatomy ** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy *Related to the human anus: ** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involving ...
or
oral The word oral may refer to: Relating to the mouth * Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid **Oral administration of medicines ** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or ora ...
sex. ''Top'' is also used as a verb meaning "to penetrate another". ''Top'' may also describe a broader
personal identity Personal identity is the unique numerical identity of a person over time. Discussions regarding personal identity typically aim to determine the necessary and sufficient conditions under which a person at one time and a person at another time ca ...
involving dominance in a romantic or
sexual relationship An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Although an intimate relationship is commonly a sexual relationship, it may also be a non-sexual relationship involving family, friends, o ...
; however, this stipulation is not a requisite element of being a top. Several related terms exist. With regard to gay male sexuality, a ' is one who assumes an exclusively penetrative role for sex. A ' is one noted for their great skill or aggressiveness in topping. A ' is "one who tops under the direction of an eager bottom". A ' is one who prefers to top but who bottoms occasionally. The terms ' or ' are synonyms of ''top'', created to describe the act of penetrating without implying non-egalitarian relations among participants. Trevor Hart of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georg ...
(CDC) found that self-identified tops were more likely to act as the penetrative partner in other sexual activities (besides anal intercourse), including oral sex and
sex toy A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure, such as a dildo, artificial vagina or vibrator. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals, and may be vibrating or non-vibrati ...
play.


Bottom

A bottom is usually the receptive partner during sexual penetration. This frequently refers to MSM who are penetrated via the
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, de ...
during anal sex. ''Bottom'' is also used as a verb meaning "to be penetrated by another, whether anally or orally". ''Bottom'' may also describe a wider social context of
submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...
within a romantic or sexual relationship, though this element does not apply to all people who prefer to bottom. In gay male sexuality, a ''total bottom'' is someone who assumes an exclusively receptive role during anal or oral intercourse. A ' is someone who aggressively enjoys being the receptive partner. A ' is one who prefers to bottom but who tops occasionally. The terms ' or ' may be preferred by some. An ''oral bottom'' is the exclusively receptive partner in oral sex, providing the penetrative partner, or ''oral top'', with unreciprocated
fellatio Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act involving a person stimulating the penis of another person by using the mouth, throat, or both. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may ...
or
irrumatio Irrumatio is a form of oral sex in which someone thrusts their penis into another person's mouth, often with the intention of inducing a pharyngeal reflex and forced vomiting, in contrast to fellatio where the penis is being actively orally excit ...
.


Versatile

''Versatile'', or ''vers'', refers to a person who enjoys both topping and bottoming and may alternate between the two in sexual situations. ''Flip-flop'' or ''flip fuck'' commonly describes switching from top to bottom during one sexual encounter between two men. Each participant penetrates the other and is penetrated in his turn. Versatility is a concept of
lifestyle Lifestyle often refers to: * Lifestyle (sociology), the way a person lives * ''Otium'', ancient Roman concept of a lifestyle * Style of life (german: Lebensstil, link=no), dealing with the dynamics of personality Lifestyle may also refer to: Bus ...
. ''Versatility'', though, is not limited to the simple acts of anal, oral, or vaginal penetration, but also includes the splitting of duties and responsibilities in the relationship. According to some, living a ''versatile lifestyle'' implies a certain openness to new things and an opposition to
labels A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...
,
stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
s and
generalization A generalization is a form of abstraction whereby common properties of specific instances are formulated as general concepts or claims. Generalizations posit the existence of a domain or set of elements, as well as one or more common character ...
s. Therefore, this concept differs from heterosexual relationships where sexual compatibility does not begin with guessing who will end up as top or bottom. In self descriptions of men seeking sex with other men, they may refer to themselves as a versatile tops or versatile bottoms in addition to using other terms. A 2009 Austrian study on
gay pornography Gay pornography is the representation of sexual activity between males. Its primary goal is sexual arousal in its audience. Softcore gay pornography also exists; it at one time constituted the genre, and may be produced as beefcake pornogra ...
has shown that at least 82.4% of all men performing in the male
porn industry The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related ...
are versatile at some point during their career. In this study, the performances of 5,556 actors were considered. 10.8% performed only in the top role, 6.8% only as bottoms. The study also found that the actor with the larger penis was more likely to act as the top.


Side

The term ''side'' has been proposed by ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' contributor
Joe Kort Joe Kort (born 1963) is an American psychotherapist, clinical social worker, board-certified clinical sexologist, author, lecturer and facilitator of therapeutic workshops. He works as Clinical Director and founder of The Center for Relationship ...
for gay men who are not interested in anal sex. In May 2022,
Grindr Grindr () is a location-based social networking and online dating application targeted towards members of the gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community. It was one of the first geosocial apps for gay men when it launched in March 2009 an ...
added Side as a position option as opposed to Top, Bottom, or Versatile.


Prevalence

A tally of 55,464 profiles on
gay.com Gay.com was a chat, personals, and social networking website catering to the LGBT community. The site was a digital brand of Here Media Inc. In addition to community features, the site featured LGBT-related news and features. As of September 2 ...
from the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
showed that 26.46% preferred top, while 31.92% preferred bottom, and the largest group (41.62%) preferred versatile. The preferences seemed to vary by state, however. In Wyoming, for example, 16% preferred top, 44% preferred bottom, and 40% preferred versatile. In West Virginia, tops outnumbered bottoms by a slim margin (32% top, 29% bottom, and 39% versatile). In Oregon, "versatile" profiles made up nearly half (48.42%). A study of men who have sex with men found only 37.2% of participants had engaged in anal sex, while 72.7% had participated in oral sex and 68.4% in partnered masturbation, putting "sides" in the majority.


Other


General

In the
hanky code The handkerchief code (also known as the hanky code, the bandana code, and flagging) is a system of color-coded cloth handkerchief or bandanas for non-verbally communicating one's interests in sexual activities and fetishes. The color of the ha ...
, a person flagging the top, or active, role would wear the hanky in the left pocket, and the bottom, or passive, role on the right. Acts which were not divisible into distinct roles, however, such as "69" or "anything", followed a pattern in which one flagged interest by wearing the hanky on the left and absence of interest by wearing it on the right, and preferences that did not relate to sexual mechanics, such as uniform fetishism or prostitution, followed a pattern in which the seeker flagged on the right and the object of desire flagged on the left. The ''cowboy position'' is anal sex in which the bottom straddles the
top A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect. Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a few ...
. The position is often cited as being advantageous for bottoms who are new to anal sex, as it allows the receiving partner to lower himself on to the other's penis at his own pace.


Alternative terminology

Other terms for ''top'' and ''bottom'' include ''active'' and ''passive'', and ''pitcher'' and ''catcher''. The intended meanings of ''active'' vs. ''passive'' in reference to oral sex can be unclear, however. ''Switch'' is sometimes used for ''versatile''.


Role vs. position among sexualities

The terms ''top'', ''bottom'' and ''versatile'' do not necessarily refer literally to physical position during sex.Topping or Bottoming – How To Know If You're A Top Or Bottom
. Gaylife.about.com (2012-01-01). Retrieved on 2012-01-09.
For example, if the inserting partner lies on his back and the receptive partner straddles him, the inserting partner is still considered the ''top'', and the receptive partner the ''bottom'', despite their reverse physical arrangement.


See also

*
Lordosis behavior Lordosis behavior (), also known as mammalian lordosis (Greek lordōsis, from ''lordos'' "bent backward") or presenting, is the naturally occurring body posture for sexual receptivity to copulation present in females of most mammals including ro ...
* ''Seme'' and ''uke'': related terms in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is used ...
and
anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening o ...
publications and
fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
*
Sex position A sex position is a position of the body that people use for sexual intercourse or other sexual activities. Sexual acts are generally described by the positions the participants adopt in order to perform those acts. Though sexual intercourse g ...
* ''Top'', ''bottom'', and ''switch'': terms used in
BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged in ...
erotic practices and roleplaying


References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Dossie Easton, Janet W. Hardy. ''The New Topping Book.'' Greenery Press, 2003. . * Person, Ethel S. / Terestman, Nettie / Myers, Wayne A. / Goldberg, Eugene L. / Salvadori, Carol: Gender differences in sexual behaviors and fantasies in a college population, 1989, erschienen in: Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, Bd. 15, Nr. 3, 1989, P. 187–198 * Janus, Samuel S. / Janus, Cynthia L., 1993 The Janus Report on Sexual Behavior, Wiley, New York * Charles Moser, in Journal of Social Work and Human Sexuality 1988, (7;1, P.43–56) {{DEFAULTSORT:Top And Bottom Anal eroticism Gender roles in the LGBT community LGBT slang Male homosexuality Sexual roles Sexology