There are few occasions in which we can pinpoint the exact date that a word began being used in the English language, and “pegging” is one of them.

June 21, 2001.

A letter writer to Dan Savage’s famous sex column lamented that there is no word to describe the phenomenon of the heterosexual sex act of a woman penetrating a man anally with a strap on dildo.

And then names were suggested by readers, voted on, and voila, pegging is a word we now have.

One of my favorite things about human sexuality is that we invent and explore new ways of having sex and being sexual long before we develop the words to talk about them (for instance, the word “foreplay” wasn’t used until 1921!) and this leaves decades, centuries, sometimes millennia, of a sort of covert, underground sexual world of acts that lots of people do but no one names.

So why peg?

1. Power

Being the penetrator, the one in control, the one bending someone else over can be an extremely empowering and exciting premise for some women.

 2. Empathy

For the heterosexual male recipient, it can be an eye-opening experience to be the person being thrust into. It can be humbling, it can be empowering, and it can help develop an empathetic understanding of the needs sexual “receivers” have including communication, patience, ongoing feedback, and lube.

 3. Pleasure

Beyond the psychological play, heck yes there are physical benefits! Pegging can stimulate the prostate, which can cause powerful orgasms. And depending on the type of strap-on set up you use, the clitoris and/or vagina can be vibrated, massaged, or penetrated during the pegging.

Here are some suggestions on which strap-ons to try for pegging to maximize the pleasure.

1. Vibrating ME2 Probe by CalExotics

Featuring a 6.5 inch silicone shaft and compatible with most harnesses, this pegging toy is special because of the contoured cup, as I call it. The cup is a textured silicone base of the dildo that perfectly hugs and vibrates against the vulva and clit, so that you’re getting some while you’re giving some.

2. Love Rider Strapless Strap On by CalExotics

One side for you, one side for him, Love Rider is a strap on, without the strap. This silicone 30 function vibrator has a shaft for anally penetrating your partner, and a smaller vaginal shaft for you.

You guide the action by squeezing your pelvic floor muscles around the shaft, and with no harness or fabric between you, and with you both receiving pleasure from the same vibrator at the same time, it can be a super sensual connecting experience.

 3. Hipster Harness by CalExotics

If you want to femme up your pegging domination, these are cute pink cotton undies that double as a universal harness that holds most harness-compatible dildo/probes in place during pegging action.

PS: A sewn in internal pocket allows you to insert a bullet or other small vibrator for added stimulation for you.

  - Dr. Jill McDevitt