
Facesitting, also known as queening or kinging, is a
sexual practice with one partner
sitting
Sitting is a basic action and resting position in which the body weight is supported primarily by the bony ischial tuberosities with the buttocks in contact with the ground or a horizontal surface such as a chair seat, instead of by the low ...
over the other's face, sometimes allowing for
oral–genital or
oral–anal contact. The sitting partner may face in either direction.
Components

Facesitting is common among
dominant and submissive individuals, for demonstrating superiority and for
sexual gratification. The full-weight body-pressure,
smothering
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects all the tissues and organs, some more rapidly than others. There are m ...
,
moisture
Moisture is the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts. Moisture is defined as water in the adsorbed or absorbed phase. Small amounts of water may be found, for example, in the air (humidity), in foods, and in some comme ...
,
body odor
Body odor or body odour (BO) is present in all animals and its intensity can be influenced by many factors (behavioral patterns, survival strategies). Body odor has a strong genetic basis, but can also be strongly influenced by various factors, ...
s, and
darkness
Darkness is the condition resulting from a lack of illumination, or an absence of visible light.
Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low luminance because the hue-sensitive photoreceptor cells on the retina a ...
can be perceived as powerful
sexual attractions or compulsions. The person sat upon may be in
bondage, sexually
submissive, or simply held down by the body-weight of the other person. In some cases, the submissive will consume the dominant's bodily wastes or be subjected to the dominant's flatulence. While the dominant is sitting on the submissive, the submissive might also lick their
anus
In mammals, invertebrates and most fish, the anus (: anuses or ani; from Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is the external body orifice at the ''exit'' end of the digestive tract (bowel), i.e. the opposite end from the mouth. Its function is to facil ...
. In facesitting, the dominant may
defecate on the submissive's face. Often, the dominant will
flatuate on the submissive, which is often perceived as a sexual attraction.
Furniture

Sometimes special furniture is used, such as a "queening stool" or "smotherbox".
A ''queening stool'' is a low seat which fits over the
submissive's face and contains an opening to allow oral-genital and/or oral-anal stimulation of the
domme while seated.
The position allows the
pelvic floor muscles
The pelvic floor or pelvic diaphragm is an anatomical location in the human body which has an important role in urinary and anal continence, sexual function, and support of the pelvic organs. The pelvic floor includes muscles, both skeletal and ...
(PFM) to relax and therefore partly exposing the
labia minora
The labia minora (Latin for 'smaller lips', : labium minus), also known as the inner labia, inner lips, or nymphae, are two flaps of skin that are part of the primate vulva, extending outwards from the inner Vagina#Vaginal opening and hymen, vagi ...
to intimate touch. The
gluteus maximus
The gluteus maximus is the main extensor muscle of the hip in humans. It is the largest and outermost of the three gluteal muscles and makes up a large part of the shape and appearance of each side of the hips. It is the single largest muscle in ...
and
levator ani
The levator ani is a broad, thin muscle group, situated on either side of the pelvis. It is formed from three muscle components: the pubococcygeus, the iliococcygeus, and the puborectalis.
It is attached to the inner surface of each side of the ...
muscles, the major muscles of the crotch, can relax and sag allowing easy access to the vagina and anus. Additionally, the stool allows for greater comfort and allows for the activity to be done for a longer period of time.
A smotherbox (or "smothering box") is a special form of queening stool which also allows the person under the seat to be locked in place, restrained by the
neck
The neck is the part of the body in many vertebrates that connects the head to the torso. It supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that transmit sensory and motor information between the brain and the rest of the body. Addition ...
as in a set of
stocks
Stocks are feet and hand restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law de ...
.
A smotherbox has two openings. One is in a vertical side of the box for the
neck
The neck is the part of the body in many vertebrates that connects the head to the torso. It supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that transmit sensory and motor information between the brain and the rest of the body. Addition ...
of the person who has their head inside the smotherbox. The other is in the top of the box to expose their face. The inside of a smotherbox is often padded to provide support for their neck and prevent their head from moving. The padding may also muffle noises from the outside, causing a relaxation effect and heightening their other senses. Smotherboxes are usually custom made pieces of furniture that may have a special significance for their users. They are sometimes made out of precious woods, with leather used for the seat.

The smotherbox is placed on a stable surface. The cover (top half of the smotherbox) is open while the submissive lies down on their back and places their head in the box. When they are in position the cover is closed. The cover can have
hinge
A hinge is a mechanical bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation, with all ...
s or be a separate part. Locks may be used to emphasize the submissive position or the submissive's hands may be fastened above their head to the box. Smotherboxes may be more permanently mounted to tables or other stable objects, and the submissive restrained to that surface instead. A Queening Chair or Facesitting Throne is another variation that is popular, designed to emphasize the relative place of the domme and submissive. They can be elegant and more formal than the smotherbox.
In popular culture
In 1980,
Monty Python
Monty Python, also known as the Pythons, were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy ser ...
recorded a humorous song, "
Sit on My Face
"Sit on My Face" is a short song written by Eric Idle and performed by the members of the comedy troupe Monty Python, which originally appeared on the album ''Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album'' and later appeared on the compilation '' M ...
", about the pleasures of facesitting. Written by
Eric Idle
Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied English at Pembroke Co ...
, the song's lyrics are sung to the
melody
A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...
of "
Sing As We Go" by
Gracie Fields
Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...
. The opening gives way to multiple male voices singing "Sit on my face and tell me that you love me." The remaining lyrics contain numerous references to
fellatio
Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act consisting of the stimulation of a human penis, penis by using the mouth. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may also be termed ''fellat ...
and
cunnilingus
Cunnilingus is an oral sex act consisting of the stimulation of a vulva by using the tongue and lips. The clitoris is the most sexually sensitive part of the vulva, and its stimulation may result in a woman becoming sexually aroused or achievi ...
.
The
Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014, introduced by the British government, brought about a ban on the depiction of various sex acts in
hardcore pornography
Hardcore pornography or hardcore porn is pornography that features detailed depictions of sexual organs or sexual acts such as sexual intercourse, vaginal, anal sex, anal, oral sex, oral, or Non-penetrative sex#Manual sex, manual intercourse; e ...
on the Internet. Ostensibly, the bill sought to protect women from sex acts that were considered "violent" or "unsafe", and banned a wide variety of sex practices, including facesitting, strangulation, and
fisting. This law impacted only the production of pornographic videos as opposed to acts performed privately. Protests against the law were held outside the
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...
, with protesters saying the law did not reflect the wishes of the public. In 2019, the law was overturned.
See also
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BDSM
BDSM is a variety of often Eroticism, erotic practices or Sexual roleplay, roleplaying involving Bondage (BDSM), bondage, Discipline (BDSM), discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given ...
*
Body worship
*
Cunnilingus
Cunnilingus is an oral sex act consisting of the stimulation of a vulva by using the tongue and lips. The clitoris is the most sexually sensitive part of the vulva, and its stimulation may result in a woman becoming sexually aroused or achievi ...
*
Dominatrix
A dominatrix ( ; or dominatrices ), or domme, is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. The BDSM practice is called female dominance, or femdom. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily l ...
*
Erotic humiliation
Erotic humiliation or sexual humiliation is the act of performing consensual psychological humiliation, in order to produce erotic excitement or sexual arousal. This can be for the person(s) being humiliated and demeaned, the person(s) humil ...
*
Namio Harukawa, Japanese artist who featured facesitting extensively in his work
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Maledom
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Oral sex
Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth). Cunnilingus is oral sex performed on the vu ...
*
Sex position
A sex position is a positioning of the bodies that people use to engage in sexual intercourse or other sexual activities. Sexual acts are generally described by the positions the participants adopt in order to perform those acts. Though sexua ...
*
Teabagging
References
External links
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{{BDSM
Sexual acts
Anal eroticism
Cunnilingus
BDSM activities
Oral eroticism
Pornography terminology
Sex positions
Anus
Vulva