It's never exactly clear how many sex positions got their names, and it certainly wasn't until the internet connect us all that we could agree to use just one term for one act. Most likely there were names of a certain act or position in one place, and in another town, the same position might have been called something completely different. And the only reason to mention this now is that the term 'Eiffel tower' is an awfully strange one to describe this sex act involving three people.

Typically this move involves two men and one woman. The woman is on all fours on the bed or floor, and one man enters her from behind (doggy-style), while the other receives a blowjob from her at the front (it should be noted that this could work with other combinations of genders, if strap-ons are available). Now as this move currently stands, it is better known by its much more unpleasant and chauvinistic term, 'pig roast' (the name coming from the person in the middle looking like they are on a bbq spit, with the two penises acting like the rod impaling the animal). But if the two people who are doing the inserting high five each other, this singular act of bring their hands together above their head will give the (sort of ) illusion of a triangular shape between the three people, and that would look something like the Eiffel Tower.

As far setting up, the most difficult aspect of the Eiffel Tower position is finding a third person (more on that below). If the parts are broken down, it pretty much just involves the doggy-style position, receiving oral while you are on your knees and the giver is on their hands and knees, and a weird sense of humour because two of you are going to celebrate the arrangement with a high five.

A bed with a firm mattress would certainly work well, as long as the ceiling isn't too low, and carpeted floors or a rug will help lessen any issues with knee discomfort after awhile (another reason why hardwood and tile floors can look great, but be the bane of sexual exploration).

It should be noted that while there is obviously going to be some enjoyment here by all parties involved in some way (full-on penetration at one end, and an oral sex at the other), the 'Eiffel Tower' position can be seen as more as novelty than anything else, something to try for a bit before moving onto another position. The high-fiving (or holding your palms against each other for any length of time more than a second) certainly suggests that the move should be taken more in jest that a serious form of pleasure (this is probably not going to be something mentioned in the kama sutra).

Threesomes have long been a fantasy for many people, enough so that jokes about men fantasizing about being with two women at once has become a corny joke on sitcoms. Plot points typically revolve around the challenges and obstacles of being able to be with two women at once, apparently mirroring the real-life difficulty of finding people willing to get involved in a threesome. And from a practical standpoint, it makes sense. If you are already involved in a relationship (casual or long-term), it's not exactly easy to sell the idea of bringing in a third person for sex if your partner isn't interested in it. And while group sex can certainly take on many forms, where two people of the same sex don't have to really get involved with each other to still have a good time, bringing in strangers can be just as awkward as uncomfortable as bringing in friends. Of course, from the perspective of the man, the idea of bringing in one the female friends of their wife of girlfriend into bed with them might be considered the mount everest of sexual achievement.

The twist to all this, of course, is that the Eiffel Tower position typically requires two guys and only one woman, which certainly changes the dynamic. And obviously it depends on the people involved, since just as a woman might be uncomfortable bringing another another woman into the equation, the same could be said for a man. Plus there is the possibility that simply based on physical size, a woman might be a bit more intimated with two men in bed (even she knows one or both of them).

One of the best ways to get around the possible awkwardness and uncertainly of a threesome (no matter if the makeup is MFF or MMF) is to make a foursome. That is, two couples who are willing to swap partners for the evening. While there's no immediate guarantee that even having sex beside each other on the bed will lead to group sex, the chances are a lot higher than at pretty much any other point in everyone's lives.

Trying anything new in a relationship - even if outside the bedroom - requires good communication skills, and of course when it does come to sex, it's even more essential. This goes double when you're adding extra partners. Of course if you know these people ahead of time it will be more comfortable, but since it's possible that you might have just met this adventurous third wheel at a party or online, making sure you're all on the same page throughout the night is key to having a good time.

It would actually be pretty odd to set up a threesome 'just' to do the Eiffel Tower, and it's more likely that it'll just be something you try for a moment during the night. But no matter what position you're trying, it's essential to make sure that everyone is willing to give it a try and is comfortable. Being pressured into a threesome or any group sex situation (or a particular position) is something that should be avoided at all costs. In fact, in the swinging, open relationship community, the most important. Never feel ashamed or that you're 'killing the mood' if you say no to something. It's perfectly within your right, and if your partners really were positive about the experience, they wouldn't want to you to do anything uncomfortable in the first place.

Threesomes might be as rare as unicorns (in fact, at sex clubs, finding an unaccompanied single woman is so rare that they are nicknamed 'unicorns' by the swinging community), so it makes that sense that while you have an extra person in bed who is ready and willing, you may as well trying a bunch of things that you've only dreamt of, or seen in porn videos (and then dreamt of). A simple variation on the Eiffel Tower position described above is double-teaming the person instead of doing vaginal/anal and oral. This is definitely getting everyone a bit closer together on the bed obviously (and depends on how comfortable the woman is at being penetrated vaginally and orally at once). And if the two people doing the inserting can still get their arms up to high five above the woman in the middle, it would actually look a lot more like a tower, since everyone is much more vertical.

As mentioned above, in some instances it might be easy to add an entire couple to your sex life instead of one extra person. And yes, there is augmented version of the position we've been talking about. The 'Eiffel Tower 69' fits this fourth person in there. So two people are already sixty-nine-ing each other (you know it's going to be intense when you start with a position like that), and then two others (guys, or women wearing strap-ons) park themselves in front of the openings of the people already playing, and go right in. If we are talking about standard couples setup, it would require the two women to be okay with exploring their bisexuality and performing oral on each other, while the guys enter them both from behind (in whatever hole is acceptable). You can flip this around and have the guys do the 69-ing, but the woman would require strap-ons to complete the tableau.

So wait, why is it called the Eiffel Tower position if it only kind of, maybe looks like the top of the famous structure? Well, maybe because the Eiffel Tower has long been associated with sex (even subconsciously) since its erection in 1889. More so than the pyramids, churches and monuments that held the title for world's tallest structure before it, this one really looks like a penis. It was widely mocked when its blueprints were first unveiled, and at first some people thought it would be impossible to build a structure that was three hundred metres high, that it would simply collapse on itself or blow over in the wind.

But it was completed without issue, and soon became one of the most popular landmarks in the world, with millions of tourists still visiting every year. And with that, of course, comes people trying ridiculous things on it. In 1912, an Austrian died while jumping off the tower, testing his homemade parachute. Since the 1980s, many people have successfully base-jumped and parachuted off the tower, but never with express permission from authorities, unless it was part of a large-scale celebration or event. Still, there has to be something thrilling about getting arrested after jumping off a giant penis structure made of iron.

Once again noting that the Eiffel Tower Position is more of a bit of fun where you can celebrate having a threesome, its exact replication might not be necessary if you're fortunate enough to find yourself in the same situation once again. Now the actual sex act - minus the key high five - might be a go-to position for all parties involved (not only for the two people on either end, but plenty of women and men love the feeling of being penetrated at either end) and can certainly be enjoyed again and again (even without it's rather unfortunate name of 'pig roast').

The concerns that a threesome can completely ruin a relationship is largely unfounded, as an attempt to spice up a couple's sex life by adding someone else speaks to a larger problem with the relationship (namely that you're bored with each other in all sorts of ways, not just the bedroom). So in that spirit, feel free to experiment and not worry too much what might come with the morning after. Living for the moment is the best way to live, and now you can enjoy the romance and splendour of the Eiffel Tower in the comfort of your own bedroom, without having to head to Paris (although that would be a very appropriate place to try out this particular sex position).

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