Butthole beauty is on the rise, but does it mean we’re having more anal sex?
Words by Laura Roscioli
Hole-istic health.
Laura Roscioli is a sex writer based in Melbourne. She feels passionately about making sex (and the conversations around it) more accessible, approachable and open. She also believes that the best learnings come from lived experience, and she’s here to share hers with you each fortnight on FJ alongside other musings, experiences and questions. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @lauraroscioli.
I’ve never thought about how my butthole looks. As far as body parts I’m self-conscious about in the bedroom, it’s probably the last on my list.
This might be because I’m not a huge anal play enthusiast — I’m not against it, it’s just not my favourite. Let’s just say I have a very different relationship with it than my gay male friends do. Or even some of the women in my life who are self-professed butt-stuff enthusiasts. I’m also not a porn star; no one is seeing my butt up close, with a spotlight on its every crevice.
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Personally, I’m not upholding any butthole beauty standards. No one has ever criticised mine (to my face, lol) therefore it remains unchanged, au naturale. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have an idea of what the ‘perfect butthole’ looks like.
In mainstream culture, bleaching your butthole was previously reserved as an act of self-maintenance for porn stars. Then, it became fodder for Kanye West lyrics and reality TV; on an episode of Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, where Kourtney admits to Khloe that she does anal bleaching. It popped up again on Geordie Shore, where Marnie Simpson famously bleaches Sophie Kasaie’s butthole on camera.
This was all happening around 2016. And like most beauty treatments that seemed ‘outrageous’ at the time, it has slowly trickled into the mainstream. More people started getting Brazilian laser hair removal, anal bleaching procedures, then lip fillers and BBLs. Basically, the ‘porn star’ look became mainstream.
I’ve been thinking about this recently, especially when it comes to the bush. I can’t remember a time I’ve seen a female bush poking out the side of a bikini bottom on social media or IRL. I have one, so I think I’m extra aware of when others don’t.
Realistically, we remain in a world where beauty standards, for every gender identity, still exist in a major way. Whether it be pubic hair preferences, lip fullness or the shade of your butthole; there are idealised expectations when it comes to being physically deemed sexy.
But recently, the conversation around ‘holecare’ has grown. Maybe you’ve noticed it too. Post-pandemic, we’ve seen the rise of at-home DIY beauty treatments, including skincare routines for our butts. You can now buy sheet masks to ‘lift and tone’ your booty, pimple patches for your buttne, and this year, U.S. beauty brand Megababe has expanded into holecare, launching a butthole cleanser (the ‘Bidet Bar’) and an extra-strength haemorrhoid cream (‘Butt Stuff‘).
Naturally, the topic is sparking some passionate discussions about the state of our culture, spearheaded by American beauty writer Jessica Defino. Here in Australia, new local brands like Happie Holl have emerged, dedicated to butt care, while earlier this year, Abbie Chatfield launched a butt plug and now anal play kit with Sydney-based sex tech brand Normal (obviously I tried it). It’s official, we’re in our butthole beauty era.
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As someone who writes about sex and relationships, this got me thinking: Are we paying more attention to how our assholes look because we’re having more anal? Is butt stuff becoming more normal in the sex conversation, or is it simply another body part we’re obsessing over, another area to target with a niacinamide serum?
According to OnlyFans content creator Evie Leana, the stigma around butt stuff is changing. “As we become more progressive and fluid, I think people are more comfortable exploring their sexuality. There isn’t as much shame surrounding taboo kinks or exploring body parts that venture away from the ‘cis’ experience.
“I know myself and a lot of other women who enjoy anal and butt play. It’s become a normal conversation topic within sex, compared to years ago when it was considered taboo.” Among her top requests are anal videos, double penetration and photos of her butthole. “Anal in all its forms is one of my most popular requests,” she says.
“I’ve noticed a rise in butthole requests since I started on OnlyFans. I’ve also noticed a rise of men who are into pegging. Some claim to be bi, but most are straight. I think it’s all about pleasure and the g spot, we have a better understanding of what that means for both men and women today, so there’s less shame in butt pleasure.”
Personally, I’ve never felt inclined to stick a finger in my boyfriends’ butt. I’ve also never wanted his finger in mine. I had a bad experience with anal as a young romantic optimist, so I think I’m a little wary. But I’ve definitely noticed the uptick in butt talk and TBH, it’s making me feel more comfy and curious again.
Part of that has to do with brands like Happie Holl, which aims to make information about butt care more accessible and non-judgemental. As founder Marc Lyons tells me, “It all started because I got a pesky anal fissure after some vigorous anal. After several months of waiting for it to repair, multiple trips to the GP and even a rectal surgeon; the medical pathway was providing a dead end. So, I took to the internet, researched various medicinal solutions and made my hole the test subject. With a combination of good hygiene, anal stretching and my special remedies, it healed!”
Through this trial process came the idea for Happie Holl, which March developed with a team of pharmacists. He wanted to use his newfound knowledge to bring more awareness to hole-istic health, creating remedies that “could soothe post-play or poo ouchies”.
Buttholes, like periods, reproductive health problems and truly anything related to our sex organs that sit outside of ‘penis’ and ‘vagina’ can often leave us feeling isolated when we need to visit the doctor or ask questions to people who should have the answers. Many of the sexy products emerging now are attempting to answer those questions, or at least make those conversations feel less awkward.
I’d say that butthole beauty isn’t a consequence of the rise of anal sex, but more so a gap in the sex conversation and market that needed to be filled.
For more on holecare, read this.
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