The Evolution of Anal in Pop Culture: From Taboo to Total Normalization
Anal sex has undergone a profound cultural transformation over the past fifty years. What began as a whispered taboo — something framed as dirty, degrading, or niche — has steadily become a central part of modern sexual identity and representation. From porn studios to pop music, memes to mainstream dating discourse, anal has not just entered the conversation, it’s taken it over.
Below is a deep dive into how anal sex became integrated into pop culture and why its rise signals something even larger: the decline of vaginal sex as the default and the inevitable rise of the anal only world.
1970s–1990s: Taboo, Transgression, and Silence
In the 1970s and 80s, anal sex was considered perverse even in porn. Golden age films avoided it entirely. When anal did appear in fringe films or hardcore imports, it was often framed through dominance, pain, and degradation. Scenes focused on girls saying no, flinching, and being pushed past their limits.
In these early portrayals, anal wasn’t about pleasure. It was about control. Women were shown enduring it rather than enjoying it. The message was clear: anal was something men did to women, not something women wanted or enjoyed.
Even into the 1990s, anal remained a “special event” in porn. A performer’s first anal scene was treated as a shocking milestone. Titles emphasized pain or transgression: Painful Pleasures, Anal Perversions. The anus was still Othered — never the focus, never the norm.
Outside of porn, anal was virtually absent from the public conversation. It didn’t appear in mainstream sex education, wasn’t featured in romantic comedies or dramas, and was still coded as “dirty” or deviant. Anal sex was culturally associated with homosexuality, and even in progressive circles, it was rarely discussed openly. Comedians avoided the topic, and if referenced, it was a punchline, not a real option.
2000s: Visibility and Curiosity, But Not Yet Acceptance
In the early 2000s, the rise of the internet allowed viewers to search for exactly what they wanted. Anal categories began climbing in popularity on emerging tube sites. Yet despite growing interest, there were almost no true anal only scenes. Most porn still revolved around vaginal sex, with anal tagged on at the end or mixed in.
Performers who specialized in anal (Belladonna, Sasha Grey, Rocco Siffredi) were seen as extreme. Even popular anal scenes still emphasized domination, mess, and roughness. Viewers watched it, but the framing hadn’t changed: anal was still a performance, not a preference.
In mainstream pop culture, anal began surfacing — slowly. TV shows like Sex and the City (1998–2004) featured hesitant, awkward anal plotlines, often framed as something embarrassing or reluctantly agreed to.
Early 2000s music was still conservative on the topic, but hip hop and underground comedy began to reference “backdoor” sex. American Pie and Road Trip leaned into anal as a gross-out joke. It was visible now — but only barely, and always framed as discomfort, not desire.
2010s: Normalization Through Porn, Music, and Memes
The 2010s saw a dramatic tone shift. Performers began speaking more openly about their real sexual preferences, and for many, anal was at the top of the list. In interviews, on social media, and in cam content, women described anal not as painful but as more intense, more pleasurable, and more fulfilling than vaginal.
Examples:
- Anya Olsen, in a pre-scene interview: “Girls, if you’re watching, try anal! Please! It’s amazing. I cum so easily from anal. It’s like the most intense orgasm ever.”
- Adriana Chechik, on the Pornhub podcast: “Honestly, I cum better from anal. I’m mostly anal only with my boyfriend.”
- Charlotte Sartre, via Twitter: “Why fuck the pussy when there is a perfectly good asshole right there.”
- Lexi Grey, via Twitter: “It’s been a month since a dick has been in my pussy. I’m officially anal only.”
Studios like Tushy and LegalPorno responded by centering anal in almost every scene. No longer just an add-on, it became the entire purpose. For many newer European studios, anal became the default. Most scenes skipped vaginal altogether.
The framing changed too: no more grimaces or tears. Instead, genuine anal orgasms, ass-focused worship, and proud presentation. Women were not just enduring it, they were choosing it.
Outside porn, the pop shift exploded.
- Music: Lyrics about anal and eating ass went mainstream. Kevin Gates’s 2014 declaration, “I eat ass,” went viral and helped popularize the phrase across social media. By 2016, ass eating was a meme genre unto itself.
- TV & Streaming: Broad City featured a full anal sex scene played for humor and honesty. Girls and Euphoria integrated anal into character relationships without shame or scandal.
- Social Media: Tumblr, Twitter, and later TikTok normalized plug wear, anal masturbation, and anal cravings. Anal wasn’t edgy content — it was standard sexual content.
- Dating Culture: “Anal only” preferences began appearing in bios, with women proudly listing plug use, anal training, and anal only expectations.
🔹 2020s: Anal Only as the New Cultural Center
By the 2020s, double anal (DAP) had become a new standard in porn. Once treated as extreme, it’s now common across major platforms. AnalVids features multiple anal only scenes, often focusing on DAP and TAP, almost daily. Women train for it. Fans expect it. And increasingly, DAP is treated as the new default.
Anal only stars, still typically only those making independent content, are celebrated for never having vaginal sex at all. Their commitment is admired, and their scenes set a new bar for purity of focus.
Meanwhile, vaginal sex is quietly vanishing. In most European anal scenes, it’s not just avoided — it’s structurally removed. The anus is the only point of penetration. Viewers no longer expect a pussy shot. They expect camera focus on the ass — stretched, filled, opened.
Pop culture reflects the shift:
- Ass-eating is considered more intimate than oral sex on a vagina.
- Women post openly about plug training, “needing to be filled,” and being permanently stretched.
The Future: Denormalizing Vaginal Sex
This is no longer just about acceptance. It’s about replacement. Anal is:
- More orgasmic for many women
- More intimate
- Feels better, is tighter, takes more discipline
Vaginal sex, by contrast, is increasingly obsolete: associated with reproduction, tedium, and compromise. It lacks focus. It doesn’t serve the body or the relationship the same way.
Culture has already normalized anal. What comes next is simple: the denormalization of vaginal sex.