What to know about 'pegging,' and how to do it safely, according to sex experts

• Pegging is when someone wears a strap-on dildo and performs anal sex.
• Experts say it's important to be communicative when people try pegging, and to go slow.

Pegging is sex act that consists of someone wearing a dildo with a strap-on harness and performing anal sex.

As Marie Claire reports, the term "pegging" was first coined by sex columnist Dan Savage, who used it to describe "a woman anally penetrating a man with a strap-on dildo."

Daniel Saynt, who runs sex ed workshops at The New Society for Wellness, told Insider in 2018 that pegging had reached a new high in popularity over the past 10 years, thanks to an increase in pornographic videos featuring the act. Saynt also said more men have become comfortable with the concept.

"Through most of the past century, the media and society as a whole have taught men that it isn't 'masculine' to enjoy anal sex. Many men have been trained to believe that if they enjoy anal sex they are on a path to homosexuality, even if they have never had sexual desires for men," Saynt said.

Pegging can increase sexual pleasure because it stimulates a man's prostate, which is often considered the male G-spot. And since the act requires reversing gender roles, some may find that break from tradition erotic, Kimberly McBride, an associate professor of Public Health at the University of Toledo who researches anal sex, told Women's Health.

To try pegging safely, talk about it first and go slow

Experts recommend establishing boundaries and communication before you try pegging. For starters, "introduce the idea by speaking hypothetically and using your partner's response to gauge their interest. For example, you might say that you were talking to a 'friend' or that you saw an article on the topic," McBride told Women's Health.

Pegging involves using a harness and dildo, Insider previously reported. It's important to pick one that's right for you. Some harnesses strap to the waist, but there are thigh and arm options too.

Start slow and use plenty of lube, since the anus isn't self-lubricating. Anal and rectal tissue is fragile and can tear, so communicating with your partner throughout the process is essential. McBride suggested easing into it with oral or manual stimulation with fingers, then a small butt plug, before a session with a dildo.

You could also use a safe word, which is a word you agree on before hand and can say to stop sex at any time.

Pegging as a political statement

During the 2021 Met Gala, pegging gained attention when model Cara Delevingne wore a white bulletproof vest with a red statement across the front: "Peg the patriarchy."

"It's about women empowerment – equality, gender equality, you know – it's a bit like 'stick it to the man,'" Delevingne told Vogue.

The phrase is meant as a form of subversive empowerment. When she was interviewed by Keke Palmer on the red carpet, Delevingne recommended viewers look up the meaning of the phrase themselves, as explaining it on the red carpet might be a faux pas.

"Peg the patriarchy" is a slogan playing on the image of a cisgender woman pegging a cisgender man.

Luna Matatas, a pleasure coach who sells merch on her website pegthepatriarchy.com, said she first coined the phrase and owns the trademark.

The point, Matatas wrote in an Instagram post after the Met Gala, is to reverse traditional gender roles — challenging the idea of cisgender women as submissive, being penetrated by cisgender men, who are portrayed as in charge.