Vanilla Sex (NSFW)

[Medea]

'Vanilla sex' is a term I've heard thrown around a lot, but never really clearly defined. The Wikipedia page is not particularly illuminating.

From what I can tell, vanilla is somewhere between missionary and non-kink. Where's the line? I imagine this is a personal distinction, but I'm just not sure.

Is doing the most impossible moves from the Karma Sutra vanilla because it doesn't involve any BDSM?

What about missionary with one partner wearing a blindfold?

Lingerie?

Is it a different flavour? Are there different flavours?

I've never heard of strawberry sex or mint or neopolitan or black liquorice gelato (I will never figure out why I chose and paid for that when I hate black liquorice). Maybe the flavours could be some kind of grading system? (I nominate black liquorice as heavy BDSM, if it catches on.)

Does anyone have a couple of cents to throw in?

[Duelist925]

I've always taken it to mean sex without any added "spice" or the like. The cheese pizza of sex, if you will.

And vanilla is in the eye of the beholder, I think, but most of what I've seen agrees that its just straight up sex. Any position more complex than "doggy" probably doesn't qualify as vanilla.

[siead_lietrathua]

vanilla just means tame, imho. usually it's referred to jokingly as plain old missionary, man on top, etc. but vanilla, like kink, varies based on who you ask. i personally think of vanilla as sex that is constantly the same.
after all, even blindfolds, lingerie and kama sutra positions get boring if you only do the exact same thing over and over like it's a direction list from a boss >.<

the black licorice thing makes me laugh though since, shyte you not, earlier today i read something along the lines about how BDSM is like black jellybeans, you either love or hate them, no grey area. lol.

[Andara Bledin]

As mentioned, where you draw the line varies, but generally, it's sex without any props, roleplaying, or activities that aren't purely sex, and those activities don't involve any kinks or more than a few common positions.

[Ginger Tea]

Is it a different flavour? Are there different flavours?

I've never heard of strawberry sex or mint or neopolitan or black liquorice gelato (I will never figure out why I chose and paid for that when I hate black liquorice). Maybe the flavours could be some kind of grading system? (I nominate black liquorice as heavy BDSM, if it catches on.)

Does anyone have a couple of cents to throw in?

Although answered above regarding sex and what is or isn't (depending on who you ask) vanilla, there are no 'flavours' Vanilla is just a term used to denote default or bland, just as a cheese Pizza (that had already been mentioned).
This term has been used for years in all sorts of fields "Vanilla Minecraft" is just the basic install of the 'game' people flock to mod packs like Tekkit and Feed the Beast as they bring something to the game that is rather lacking in Vanilla, mostly some form of a goal to set yourself or something to do other than make pixel art on the horizon and giant dongs made of pink wool.
Vanilla Linux is a bit less generic as each flavour or distribution, might have a different set of core packages, but the concept of basic installation minus unwanted or un needed faff.

Regarding black liquorice and BDSM, I'm pretty sure you can get more than just edible thongs now, though I would hate to see the price of a full liquorice cat suit.
The others might end up as slang for other aspects of sex and sexuality, e.g. Neapolitan might denote mixed race couples (even though there are 3 flavours in the tub), but i'm not sure on that one catching on.

[Nyoibo]

I've always known it as basically just sex, basic positions, missionary, maybe a little adventurous with cowgirl or doggy, no oral, no anal, just straight up sex.

... Wait, I have a vanilla sex life

[Greenday]

Vanilla sex, as far as I'm concerned, is basically just doing the bare minimum to have sex. Some missionary or girl on top. Exploring other positions or getting into any fetishes takes it out of vanilla territory. Vanilla sex would just be the most basic stuff.

[Tanasi]

The lights can't be on and it is required to feel guilty afterwords.

[catcul]

I've always known it as basically just sex, basic positions, missionary, maybe a little adventurous with cowgirl or doggy, no oral, no anal, just straight up sex.

... Wait, I have a vanilla sex life

At least you HAVE a sex life.

[Ginger Tea]

If I said I had a vanilla sex life, seeing as I've been celibate since 199somethingorother, it would mean I had taken to the phrase in the wrongest of ways.

[HYHYBT]

Re: cat suit: this is one of those questions I'm afraid even to ask Google, but how did those get their name?

[Ginger Tea]

No idea tbh, the ones I'm thinking of are not cat eared etc, but I guess the Adam West batman's catwoman had a fetish-esque look to it without googling it myself.

[Nekojin]

Re: cat suit: this is one of those questions I'm afraid even to ask Google, but how did those get their name?

There appears to be two answers, and neither one is definitive. The first is plain: Because it gives a sleek outline, like that of a cat. The second is more expressive:


Catwoman, from the 1960's Batman television show, and the outfits that she wore. Since etymonline.com identifies its origin as 1960 (without giving any details =9_9=), I think the latter is certainly possible.

[Nekojin]

By the way, if you ever want to find the source of a possibly NSFW word without getting NSFW Google hits, just make sure you've got the term "etymology" first.

[Andara Bledin]

One would think that, considering the relative youth of the word, there would be more information on it's origin.

There were catsuits in media since the '40s, but apparently the term wasn't used to describe them until 1960.

And no more information is to be had.