It’s okay if you’re into anal. It’s just not for me! Whenever anal sex comes up in conversation (which is more often than you’d probably imagine), the most frequent question I hear is, “Why do boys want it?” and “Why would a girl let him do that?”
So, I don’t have a great answer to either of those questions. There’s data that suggests watching porn is linked to teens being more likely to try anal sex; there’s also speculation that as digital media made pornography more accessible, the limits had to be pushed further beyond vaginal intercourse.
I’m not saying that porn made anal the final frontier of sex, but data does show a parallel trend of rising online porn consumption and rising participation in anal sex. However, records indicate that various groups of ancient peoples engaged in anal, so it’s been around for a while.
Men who have sex with men could tell you how great anal is. The prostate, the gland which produces the liquid in semen, can be stimulated through receiving anal penetration, supposedly leading to better orgasms.
Women, however, do not have the same prostate gland structure and nerve receptors that men have inside the anus. Women DO have an equivalent to the prostate – called the Skene’s gland, it can be stimulated through vaginal penetration and is what researchers believe is responsible for female ejaculation.
But if you aren’t getting a life-changing orgasm from it, why would you want something stuck up your butt? My personal theory is that the act itself brings the recipient a sort of forbidden pleasure. While not necessarily physically pleasant, it's still mentally and emotionally arousing. The ideas of giving and receiving anal sex may be arousing in ways that other sexual practices are not.
As BDSM has become more prominent in mass culture ("Fifty Shades," anyone?), the boundaries between pain and pleasure have become blurred. Practices once thought to be "sexually deviant" are now accepted and even trendy. Choking, slapping and spanking aren’t unheard of on college campuses. So how different then, is the blend of pain, pleasure and taboo of anal?
The most important things to keep in mind when studying and considering anal sex are the same factors we emphasize in other sexual practices: protection and consent. Don’t stick anything in someone’s butt without asking first, and remember that STIs can still be spread through anal contact, even if there’s no risk of pregnancy.
My personal plan is to keep anal as something to try if I ever get too bored. It’s on my list of possibilities, probably right after a sex swing but before verbal humiliation. But hey — don’t knock it till you try it.
