Underwood, Gay Men and anal eroticism: tops, bottoms, and versatiles, Harrington Park Press 2003Īccording to some, living a versatile lifestyle implies a certain openness to new things and an opposition to labels, stereotypes and generalizations. It requires a special kind of playfulness, creativity, curiosity, and coordination. Versatility to them is akin to speaking two different languages. Versatility is a unique and important feature of male anal sex. What sets this scenario apart from the others is the versatility of the men involved.
The reciprocal scenario, where both men take turns fucking each other, is often exercised as a celebration of equality. Versatility, though, is not limited to the simple acts of anal, oral, or vaginal penetration, but also includes the splitting of duties and responsibilities in the relationship. Each participant penetrates the other and is penetrated in his turn. Flip-flop or flip fuck commonly describes switching from top to bottom during one sexual encounter between two men. Versatile refers to a person who enjoys both topping and bottoming, or being dominant and submissive, and may alternate between the two in sexual situations. An oral bottom is the exclusively receptive partner in oral sex, providing the penetrative partner, or oral top, with unreciprocated fellatio and irrumatio. The term receiver or receptive partner may be preferred by some. A versatile bottom is one who prefers to bottom but who tops occasionally. A power bottom is someone who aggressively enjoys being the receptive partner. In gay male sexuality, a total bottom is someone who assumes an exclusively receptive role during anal or oral intercourse. Bottom may also describe a wider social context of submission within a romantic or sexual relationship, though this element does not apply to all people who prefer to bottom. Bottom is also used as a verb meaning "to be penetrated by another, whether anally or orally".
This frequently refers to MSMs who are penetrated via the anus during anal sex. Bottom Ī bottom is usually the receptive partner during sexual penetration. Trevor Hart of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that self-identified tops were more likely to act as the penetrative partner in other sexual activities (besides anal intercourse), including oral sex and sex toy play. The terms penetrative partner or giver are synonyms of top, created to describe the act of penetrating without implying non-egalitarian relations among participants. A versatile top is one who prefers to top but who bottoms occasionally. A service top is "one who tops under the direction of an eager bottom". A power top is one noted for their great skill or aggressiveness in topping. With regard to gay male sexuality, a total top is one who assumes an exclusively penetrative role for sex. Top may also describe a broader personal identity involving dominance in a romantic or sexual relationship however, this stipulation is not a requisite element of being a top. Top is also used as a verb meaning "to penetrate another". 19th-century erotic painting depicting Hadrian "topping" Antinous (detail), by Paul AvrilĪ top is usually a person who engages in the penetrative role during sexual activity for men who have sex with men (MSMs), this often involves penetration using the penis during anal or oral sex.