| The particular method used to perform sexual intercourse, which has a number of euphemisms such as making love, having sex, and the common vulgar slang words. The number of different positions is subject to dispute ranging from a dozen to hundreds depending on which reference work you use, from The Joy of Sex to the Kama Sutra.
Basically the number of sexual positions can probably be generally summed up as follows:
- Both lying horizontal (usually on a bed), facing each other, male on top ("Missionary Position")
- Both lying horizontal (usually on a bed), facing each other, female on top ("Woman on Top")
- Male horizontal (usually on a bed), woman astride him in a semi-horizontal position
- Female horizontal (usually on a bed), man astride her in a semi-horizontal position
- Both lying on their sides, facing each other
- Both lying on their sides, male entering female at approximately 45 degree angle from face-to-face
- Male seated, woman astride him
- Female seated, man astride her
- Both standing, male thrusting into woman from below (this was demonstrated in the movie Soul Food)
- Both standing, female riding down onto man
- Male standing, woman astride him (this was made famous in the scene involving James Caan as Sonny Corleone and one of his sister's bridesmaids having horizontal sex with the woman against a door in the motion picture The Godfather)
- Female standing, man astride her (as most males are usually much stronger than females and weigh more, this is usually rare)
- Male standing, female standing but bent over so that man enters her vagina from behind ("Doggie Style")
- Male standing, female standing but bent over so that man enters her anus ("Anal Sex")
- Both lying horizontal (usually on a bed), female face down, male pushing penis into female's anus ("Anal Sex")
- Male standing, female kneeling and stimulating penis with her mouth (Felatio or Oral Sex) or the slang term of "blow job". This is what U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton claimed was not "sex" when performed upon him by Monica Lewinsky
- Female standing, male kneeling and stimulating clitoris and/or vagina with his mouth (Cunnilingus or Oral Sex). This was also done with the woman (Sharon Stone) lying down in bed while the man (Michael Douglas) was doing her with his head stuck in her crotch in the movie Basic Instinct).
- Both lying horizontal (usually on a bed), each stimulating the other's sex organs with their mouth (Oral Sex, usually referred to by the term "69")
There are a number of variations to these, for example, with the "missionary position" or "woman on top" positions the man (woman) can either be riding the woman (man) between or around her (his) legs. |
