Anal sex has been around a lot longer than most people realize and even though it has been associated only with homosexual sex throughout most of history, the truth is that anal sex is now enjoyed by people of all genders and sexual orientations.
In modern society, anal sex is often considered the last taboo, which is one of the reasons for its popularity. In fact, anal sex is more popular than many people realize and its history is an interesting one.
How Long Has It Been Around?
Between 100 CE and 800 CE in Peru, archaeologists found over 10,000 pieces of pottery, most of them jars or pots. What made these items so unique?
Many of them portrayed anal sex acts between all types of partners, which means that anal sex has been around for quite a while.
At first, there were non-sexual explanations attributed to the pottery but it wasn’t long before people started to realize and accept the fact that they were, in fact, demonstrating anal sex.
It is clear that a very long time ago, anal sex was not considered anything unusual or rare. This is partly because at one time, there was little to no birth control available and people realized that a woman could not get pregnant through anal sex.
In the days when birth control was either non-existent or considered a no-no, anal sex offered couples a great way to enjoy sex without the fear of pregnancy. Hence, it became something that was a lot safer and less worrisome than having sex and constantly worrying about a woman getting pregnant.
The pottery that was discovered also made people realize that many years ago, anal sex was not just for gay men as heterosexual couples enjoyed the practice as well.
These days, many couples enjoy anal sex when they’ve decided to “save” themselves for marriage, although for all practical purposes, anal sex is still sex.
There have been other cultures throughout history that have exhibited a tendency to enjoy anal sex. This includes ancient Rome, where free men often took on young male slaves and had sex with them.
Japanese erotic art proved that both heterosexual and homosexual men were having anal sex in ancient times. It wasn’t until the Victorian Age that sexual repression became the norm and sex was looked upon as a way to reproduce and nothing else.
In the 20th century, things began to change and sexual activity was looked upon as a way to pleasure one another, not just as a way to make babies.
Unfortunately, anal sex was still looked upon as something unnatural or even unclean and that attitude remained until very recently.
Still, even today, anal sex is looked upon by a lot of people as something dirty, which is why so many people who enjoy the activity are reluctant to admit to it.
What Caused Its Popularity to Rise?
No one knows why or when anal sex became so popular but one of the reasons attributed to its popularity is the fact that nowadays, the female butt is constantly getting the attention that it may or may not deserve. In short, butts have become sexualized and therefore sexual activity regarding the butt was the next logical step.
When you couple this with the rise of pornography that now shows anything and everything, it is little wonder why anal sex is so popular these days. Anal sex is usually considered the last taboo for many people, which is one of the many reasons why people decided to give it a try in the beginning.
The popularity of anal sex varies from country to country and from culture to culture but many people are surprised to learn that in more conservative or repressed cultures, anal sex is widely popular.
One of the reasons for this is that historically, when people are repressed, they tend to gravitate towards the behaviors that society is trying to keep them from participating in.
When repressed and conservative cultures participated in anal sex, it might have been because the activity was looked down upon and considered something wrong and which no one should be doing. When it comes to sex, after all, there are a lot of taboos; fortunately, society is stripping away those taboos one at a time.
Another reason for its rise in popularity is because older generations, whose sexual habits were quite “vanilla” and basic, often were repulsed by the thought of having anal sex.
They passed this attitude down to their teenagers and teenagers usually seek to do whatever their parents want them to stay away from.
There is little doubt that at one time, teenagers began having anal sex as a way to go against the teachings of their parents and from there the activity became even more popular.
The Definition of Virginity Is Changing
Again, some couples have made the decision to remain virgins until their wedding night; unfortunately, that decision doesn’t stop their sexual urges from becoming very strong. Nowadays, a lot of young couples don’t consider anal and oral sex to be “real” sex and they feel that participating in anal and oral sex allows them to remain virgins until marriage.
However, as mentioned earlier, as any sex expert will tell you that sex is sex whether it’s vaginal, anal, or oral.
Many young people also assume that anal sex is just as safe as oral sex but the truth is that although these types of sex cannot get a woman pregnant, they can still cause STIs and infections including HPV and even HIV.
For this reason and more, it is highly recommended that if you are interested in anal or even oral sex, you should always use protection.
Different Cultures Have Different Attitudes About Anal Sex
Typically, the periods of history that have been dominated by religion involved more repressed behaviors, which includes anal sex. Many world religions consider sexual activity outside of the normal male-female type of vaginal sex to be unnatural and even sinful.
When this happens, it doesn’t mean that anal sex doesn’t happen; it just means that no one is admitting to it. Indeed, it may have happened even more frequently in repressed societies simply because it was such a taboo.
Artifacts, poetry, books, and even sex toys from ancient peoples have been discovered that prove the existence of anal sex many centuries go. In fact, it appears that with the exception of the Victorian times, anal sex has been around almost since the beginning of time. Even in Victorian times, it is possible that people were having anal sex but they weren’t admitting to it.
In some periods of history -- even recently in the United States -- anal sex, or sodomy, has been outlawed, which meant that people having anal sex could even be arrested if it was discovered that they were participating in the act.
Most of these laws were specifically directed at the gay community but that is fortunately changing. The laws are being dropped in most places because of their unconstitutionality and because the gay lifestyle is more accepted than ever before.
These days, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, as well as other religions, have rules about anal sex but some of these rules have changed in recent years to be more accepting of the practice.
In fact, you’d be hard-pressed nowadays to find a religion that specifically forbids the act and even religions that forbid it often look the other way when they know that it is being practiced in their community.
Another interesting note about anal sex is that scientists have found that with most members of the animal kingdom, a certain percentage of them have been known to practice both anal and oral sex.
This includes not only humans but also animals of all kinds. Many experts estimate that roughly 10% of the species engage in anal and oral sex so these sex practices are not just limited to humans.
Interesting Facts About Anal Sex
Because anal sex is being enjoyed by more and more couples -- both straight and gay -- all the time, it is good to learn a little about this activity. Here are some interesting tidbits about anal sex that many people don’t know:
- It should never hurt. If you’ve never before tried it, take your time, use plenty of lube, and make sure that you aren’t participating in the act just to make your partner happy.
- A man’s prostate is similar to a woman’s G-spot. Most men are surprised by how good it feels when the prostate gland is massaged, not to mention how great their orgasms are afterwards.
- The anus has nerve endings in it. Many people don’t know this but these nerve endings can cause a lot of great sensations and some mind-blowing sex to occur.
- It is possible for a man’s penis to hurt his partner’s intestines during anal sex, although this usually only occurs if his penis is long or he inserts it very deeply into the anal area.
- Women, in particular, may feel as if they are going to have a bowel movement during anal sex. Fortunately, the feeling goes away quickly at some point during sex.
- Although very rare, anal sex can cause pregnancy if a condom is not used and the semen gets too close to the vagina.
- For many men, receiving anal sex is better than giving it. This doesn’t just apply to gay men either as many heterosexual men have admitted to this feeling.
- Some women, and even some men, can have an orgasm from anal sex. This is especially true when your genitals are being stimulated at the same time as anal sex is occurring.
- Because the anus isn’t self-lubricating as the vagina is, you must use a lot of lube every time that you have anal sex. There is no way around this fact.
- In most cases, the receiver doesn’t have to worry about poop coming out while having anal sex, although it is possible if you have a gastrointestinal illness or you’re intoxicated.
- You can get both UTIs and STIs through anal sex, which is why using a condom is highly recommended every time that you participate in this activity.
- Your butthole won’t keep stretching and stretching. It stretches to a certain point, making anal sex more comfortable, but it stops eventually and won’t stretch out any more.
With more and more people choosing to participate in anal sex than ever before, it is good to know that there are tips and suggestions available that can help make the activity much more pleasurable.
Anal Sex in Modern Times
One of the most surprising findings regarding anal sex is that it is enjoyed by both women and men even if they are straight. Anal sex was once thought of as a gay-only sexual activity but people of all genders and sexual orientations are proving this wrong.
In fact, even though they may not admit it, some straight men and women find that once they get used to anal sex, they start to prefer it over regular vaginal sex. When you consider the fact that it is possible for both men and women to experience orgasms while having anal sex, there is little wonder why it is so popular.
Another reason why anal sex is becoming less taboo is because society’s attitudes toward the LGBT community are changing. Since anal sex was once thought of as being enjoyed only by gays and because there are so many groups that are against homosexuality, anti-sodomy laws were the norm at one time.
Fortunately, this is changing. Nowadays, more and more people are accepting of the gay lifestyle and this is but one of the many reasons why anti-sodomy laws are being struck down in most countries.
Anal sex is nothing new and it is gaining in popularity all the time. As long as you practice safe sex and you aren’t doing anything that you really don’t want to do, anal sex can be very pleasurable, particularly if the two people involved are in a committed relationship.