Let's Talk About Butt Stuff

What was once a taboo, final bedroom frontier for hetero couples seems to be getting more airtime, especially in pop culture.

- Danielle Kam

Anal action has come up on television (Girls, Broad City, Younger), in celebrity news (actress Gabrielle Union praised giving and receiving back-door oral in a radio interview last year) and on social media (we’ll let you search that at your own risk).

Many off-air couples are now bumming around, too. In our COSMO Sex Survey last year, one-third of you said that you’d tried anal sex – and according to Pornhub, searches for porn videos featuring the act grew a whopping 120% from 2009 to 2015.

‘When people talk openly about sexual practices, more are likely to say, “I think I’ll try that”,’ says sexuality educator Charlie Glickman. And for many, receiving anal pleasure is emotionally encouraging. ‘It makes them feel as though there is nothing about them that’s wrong.’

If you and your partner are down, butt fun – when approached correctly, safely (see below) and consensually – can be an erotic experiment with a new erogenous zone. This no-BS guide to booty sex will teach you the basics of a pleasure you can really get behind.

Butt First, Four Things to Know About Venturing into the Great Bum-Known

1 HYGIENE Trim your nails, go to the bathroom, and wash your hands first, says sexologist Emily Morse, host of the ‘Sex with Emily’ podcast.