“I’m sorry, you want me to put what where?” would be my response if propositioned with this latest sex act growing in popularity. Panty stuffing, for those as blissfully unaware as I was, is when underwear gets stuffed into the vagina, and sometimes the mouth or anus, during sex.

This is a real thing people do. A dedicated Reddit thread (NSFW) on the subject pulls around 8,000 weekly visitors, and the practice has gotten so popular that a guy recently posted asking whether it was safe to do at his girlfriend’s request. (His exact concern: could the underwear get lost up there?) The short answer is no; the vagina is a closed space with a cervix at the end of it. The longer answer has a few caveats.

So what’s the appeal? According to sexologist Becky Crepsley-Fox, who spoke to Metro about the fetish, panty stuffing pulls from two broader kinks: sensation play, which is about the physical feeling of different materials, and insertion play, which is the erotic charge of putting something inside the body. For the person being stuffed, the draw is often a feeling of fullness combined with a texture that’s different from a toy or a body part, scratchier, bumpier. For the person doing the stuffing, there’s a power element, the satisfaction of directing a partner and watching them follow through.

What Is Panty Stuffing? The Risky Sex Trend Experts Want People to Understand.

Within BDSM dynamics, being ordered to insert a thong and comply is reportedly, for some submissives, the main attraction.

The risks, though, are real and should be taken seriously. Anything introduced into the vagina can disturb its bacterial balance and raise the risk of infection, including BV, yeast infections, UTIs, and contact dermatitis. Fabric that’s been worn, or that’s traveled anywhere near the anus, carries bacteria directly into a warm environment that is very good at cultivating it. A 2026 paper also flagged that microplastic particles from synthetic materials can migrate through vaginal tissue, so stuffing a lace thong made of polyester is a very bad idea on multiple levels.

The material rules are important. Cotton only, freshly washed, and nothing synthetic. If the underwear gets pushed too far during penetration, it won’t go past the cervix, but it may need a doctor’s help to retrieve. Leaving it in increases the risk of infection.

For many people, panty stuffing is one piece of a larger erotic experience, not the main event. If you’re curious, the checklist is short: clean cotton, already aroused, and keep it shallow to figure out whether the sensation actually feels good for you.