Cowgirl sex position

Classical Greek bas-relief

The woman on top position, also called the reverse missionary, amazon, or cowgirl, is a type of sex position. In this position,

• the man lies on his back
• the woman sits on top of him facing him, with his body between her legs, and with her groin aligned over his to facilitate penetration.

The name derives from the image of the woman "riding" the man like a cowboy rides a bucking horse. It is one of a number of female superior sexual positions, another being the reverse cowgirl.

In medieval times there was a superstition that a child conceived during female-superior coitus would grow up to become a Bishop. Therefore sex with the woman on top was sometimes called "trying for a Bishop".

Features

Penetration is quite deep, and the woman can control the depth and intensity of penetration. Some people have speculated that there may be a marginally lower risk of pregnancy due to the effects of gravity. Evidential support for this is lacking. Clitoral pressure may not be very intense, but can be provided by hand, or by the man periodically semi-withdrawing and manipulating his penis against the woman's clitoris, or by other means.

The Cowgirl position

Proponents of the cowgirl position say there are these advantages:

• Both partners can see one another, and in particular the man can view and caress the woman's breasts while they are in a more natural position.
• Often the man can delay his orgasm longer in this position.
• The position is far less tiring for the man as he does not have to support his weight while also being physically active.
• The woman may take a relatively static position, so that she does not tire (by supporting her upper body with her extended arms with her torso almost horizontal), while the man, not having to support his weight can be quite active without fatigue. This variation eases the strain of motion upon the woman's knees, which may be an advantage for some women.
• The woman can control the depth, intensity and angle of penetration, and enjoy the dominant feeling of being in control.
• The man can enjoy the relaxing and otherwise rare opportunity of reclining and receiving pleasure without physical strain.
• The woman can easily stimulate her clitoris with her hand (if in the upright version).
• The man can stimulate the woman's clitoris with his hand.
• If sitting upright, the woman can reach behind her to stimulate the man's testicles.
• The man can caress the woman's butt cheeks.
• In a variant position in which the woman is on top and leaning over the man, the man and woman can embrace and kiss while the man is penentrating the woman. He can also feel her breasts and caress her butt cheeks.
• If the man sits on a chair while the woman is in the cowgirl position, the man can suck or lick the woman's breasts.

Dominance and submission

Variant allowing improved clitioral stimulation and greater male activity. Also much easier on the woman's knees

As well as being enjoyable for its own vanilla sexual pleasure, this position is a good position for play with sexual dominance: some women like to take control of the man by holding his arms down, and some men like to take control of the woman by taking hold of her arms behind her back. Those of a switchy disposition can move from one to the other and back again. Some consider this to be a position which is particularly suited to female dominance.

Feminism

Woman atop man sitting in chair; 19th century photograph

Female superior sex was promoted by some feminists of the 20th century. For example, Avedon Carol recalls in an essay on feminism and BDSM that:

"I definitely felt I was under pressure from some quarters to be dominant if I was going to persist in my unfortunate tendency to interact sexually with men. It was also made clear to me that I was supposed to prefer the "female superior" position in intercourse."

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Disabilities

The reverse missionary position is one of a number of positions sometimes recommended for experimentation by partners where the male has some form of disability. Dr. Ruth Westheimer wrote to the wife of a stroke victim that:

"Another area that you could explore would be a change of positions. The side by side position is sometimes helpful in these situations, as long as you make sure that the stroke victim is positioned so that the "healthy" side is uppermost. You could also try mutual masturbation, oral genital stimulation, the female superior position or the use of a vibrator."

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