Mutual masturbation

Mutual masturbation is a sexual act where two or more people stimulate one another sexually, usually with the hands.

This may be done in situations where the participants do not feel physically able (or that it is socially appropriate) to have full sexual intercourse, but still wish to have a mutual sexual act. It is also done as part of the full repertoire of sexual intercourse, where it may be used as an interlude, a form of foreplay or simply as an alternative activity to insertion.

Mutual masturbation is practiced by people of all sexual orientations. If used as an alternative to penile penetration, the aim may be to preserve female virginity or to prevent pregnancy.

A circle jerk usually refers to a group of men masturbating together. The participants may or may not masturbate each other.

The techniques of mutual masturbation resemble those of simple masturbation, with the exception that one is stimulating another person, rather than oneself.

Mutual masturbation may or may not result in one or more of the partners achieving orgasm. If no body fluids are transferred, mutual masturbation is a form of safer sex. As such it was encouraged among gay men by some safer sex organisations in the wake of the AIDS scare of the 1980s, as an alternative to anal or oral sex.

Mutual masturbation may also be carried out with or without removing clothes, for instance by rubbing against one another. This is also known as frottage.

Mutual masturbation can also be generalized to group masturbation scenarios such as a circle jerk, where a group of people either take turns to masturbate or all masturbate simultaneously.

Fingering

Fingering, also called fingerbanging or finger fucking, is the practice of stimulating the vagina, clitoris, or anus of a sexual partner by inserting the fingers, and is a common form of mutual masturbation.

The practice is generally considered Safe sex as long as a few basic precautions are followed: the hands should be clean and the nails trimmed and filed; long, sharp or jagged nails can cause cuts, injury or infection. If there are cuts, infections or open wounds on the fingers they should be covered with a latex or vinyl glove. Finger cots may also be used, but they may be more likely to slip off and remain inside the receptive partner. The hands should be thoroughly washed with soap and warm water before eating or placing in the mouth. If stimulating both the anus and vagina, a new latex glove should be used each time to avoid cross-contamination.

Virtual sex

In the modern era, with the popularity of webcams, it could be argued that two people watching each other masturbate via an Internet link is another form of mutual masturbation. It has been suggested that in the future, a more interactive form of mutual masturbation via Internet link may be possible using teledildonics, a specialized application of the technology known as haptics. See also virtual sex.

Metaphor

The term "mutual masturbation" is often used as a vulgar metaphor. It can refer to a situation, often in the workplace or academia, where people are stroking each other's ego without producing anything of value.