What is pegging and its origins in sexual practices?
Executive summary
Pegging is commonly defined as penetrative anal sex performed with a strap-on dildo—historically described as a cisgender woman penetrating a cisgender man—but the term and practice have broadened to include participants of any gender and sexual orientation [1] [2] [3]. The modern label was popularized by a naming contest in Dan Savage’s 2001 Savage Love column, though the act itself predates that coinage and appears in earlier sexual literature and slang [2] [4].
1. What pegging is, plainly put
At its simplest, pegging refers to someone wearing a strap-on harness and dildo to anally penetrate another person; most reporting frames it as a woman penetrating a man, but many outlets note inclusivity across genders and sexual orientations and that contemporary usage covers any instance of strap-on–assisted anal penetration [5] [1] [3].
2. Who named it and how the word entered culture
The specific English word “pegging” was popularized when sex-advice columnist Dan Savage ran a contest in 2001 asking readers to suggest a name for this practice; a reader’s submission—“peg”—won and entered common parlance, though sexual senses of “peg” existed in earlier slang and nineteenth-century usage [2].
3. Historical roots and earlier references
Reporting and commentary caution that while the modern term is new, the act is not: commentators point to earlier depictions in erotic literature—one outlet notes a reference in the Marquis de Sade’s 1795 work—and to longstanding practices and slang tied to anal sex and sex work predating Savage’s contest [4] [2]. Sources make clear the term’s genealogy is distinct from the practice’s deeper history [4] [2].
4. Why it matters culturally — power, gender and stigma
Discussion of pegging is often framed as a site for debates about gender roles, power and sexual stigma: advocates and sex educators present it as a way to subvert traditional penetrator/penetrated roles and to explore dominance or female-led relationships, while critics and cultural observers point to lingering shame, homophobic assumptions, and sensationalism in media coverage [1] [3] [6]. Mainstream visibility—through TV, film and viral moments—has amplified interest and sometimes sensationalized the act, with spikes in online searches after celebrity or royal rumors demonstrating how cultural chatter drives curiosity [7] [5].
5. Safety, pleasure and how experts frame it
Sex educators and health outlets emphasize consent, communication and technique: pegging can provide physical pleasure through prostate stimulation for receptive partners, but practitioners urge going slowly, using appropriate lubrication and hygiene, discussing STI risks, and attending to the emotional vulnerability of both partners [5] [6] [8]. Guides and therapists cited in mainstream reporting encourage experimentation within trust and practical preparation rather than shaming curiosity [8] [6].
6. Variations, communities and subcultures
Pegging appears across contexts—from kink and BDSM scenes where it is sometimes practiced as part of domination/submission play, to female-led relationship dynamics and feminization kinks—and the meaning practitioners attach to it ranges from erotic role reversal to simple mutual pleasure; reportage stresses that motivations and experiences vary widely [1].
7. Where reporting limits leave questions
The assembled sources provide consistent definitions, cultural history about the word’s coinage, and practical advice, but they do not, collectively, map the full global history of anal penetration practices outside Western discourse nor quantify prevalence across populations; those are gaps that would require academic or cross-cultural historical research beyond the cited reporting [2] [4].