Side By Side / Position Guide
ScissorSex Position
Line the hips up first. After that, keep every movement small.
The scissor sex position puts two partners face to face with their legs hooked together like a pair of open scissors, so the hips meet in the middle and the motion is a grind, not a thrust. Mostly it is used for scissoring, vulva against vulva. A penetrative version runs on the same interlocked legs.
Most people picture two bodies flat on their backs, legs dead straight, sliding together. That is a camera angle. Real scissoring is lopsided by comparison and works far better, with one partner reclining, the other straddling a thigh or leaning back on an elbow, and a humble pillow handling the lining up.
What ScissoringActually Is
Imagine two people lying face to face, each up on one elbow. Each upper leg crosses over the other person's lower leg, so the thighs overlap and the pelvises meet right where the blades of the scissors would join. Seen from above? Two open V shapes, hooked into each other.
Scissoring, also known as tribbing, means grinding vulva against vulva in that interlocked shape. It is common between women and among anyone with a vulva, and of all the lesbian sex positions it may be the one named most and explained least. The identical leg arrangement works for penetration too, with the giving partner's hips drawn in close through the interlock. Everything below applies to both.
Do not confuse it with the cross position. There, a partner lying face up is met by someone arriving perpendicular, for a sideways penetrative angle. The scissor position keeps both people facing each other, aiming for contact across the whole front of the pelvis.
Pressure,Not Depth
Scissoring runs on pressure and friction against the external anatomy, clitoris included, not on anything going deep. That changes what good technique looks like. Big movements drag the contact point off target. Small circles and short grinding strokes keep it put, and the pressure builds.
Alignment is everything. When one pelvis sits higher than its partner, contact lands on a thigh or a hip bone, which is nobody's goal. Shuffle up or down the bed, or wedge a pillow under one hip, and get the two level before anyone moves. Spend the opening minutes on the angle. Rhythm can wait.
Penetration follows identical logic. Because the interlock holds the hips close while capping how far anyone can push, steady pressure and a slow grind beat thrusting every time. Think of it as a closeness position that happens to include penetration, not a depth position.
How is the scissor set up?
Drag from the on-screen fantasy toward setups that survive an actual mattress. The bar tracks how easily contact holds.
How To ActuallyDo It
- 1
Lie facing in, a little apart
Lie on your sides, facing each other with heads level, each of you propped on whichever elbow is closest to the mattress.
- 2
Lift the upper legs and slide in
Both of you raise the upper leg and scoot the hips closer, letting each lower leg slide under the partner's lifted one.
- 3
Check where contact lands
Pause before moving. Do the pelvises actually meet? If one is sitting low, that partner slips a pillow under their hip.
- 4
Tilt the pelvis in
Roll both sets of hips a touch forward and inward. That small tilt shifts contact off the thighs and onto the front of the pelvis.
- 5
Grind in small circles
Keep each movement short and even. If contact slips, stop and realign, then start over rather than chasing it with bigger motion.
Hips, ShouldersAnd Chafing
Interlocked legs turn both people's hips outward, then ask them to hold that rotation while moving. That is the main thing to watch. Any pinching in the groin or where the thigh meets the hip? Stop there instead of easing deeper, and bend the knees more or swap which leg goes on top, which usually takes the twist away.
Next up, the supporting shoulder and elbow. Leaning on one arm while you grind sends steady load through that shoulder while the elbow bores into the mattress. Put a pillow under the arm, change sides, or lie all the way back for a spell. Nothing here has to be held in a single shape from start to finish.
Skin grinding on skin chafes. Worse, it chafes before anyone notices. Lube keeps friction at the useful level, and any option from the lube guide that agrees with your skin will work, as long as it goes on before starting rather than after something is already sore (a towel underneath spares the sheets).
Versions Of TheScissor Sex Position
Thigh riding. One partner lies back or sits propped on pillows while the other straddles a single thigh and grinds against it. Only one of you gets direct contact at a time. Still, it is easy to set up and easy to hold, and trading turns is part of the fun.
On the back, with a partner over them at an angle. The lower partner lies face up, knees apart. The other stretches out over them on a slight diagonal, one leg between and one outside, so the pelvises meet a little off center, and that upper partner's weight adds pressure without adding effort.
Reclined on elbows. Both people lean back on their elbows, legs interlaced, facing each other from slightly further apart. You keep the eye contact and swap a bit of pressure for the view. The spider looks much the same, only sitting up on the hands.
Adding a hand or a toy. Grinding alone does not always give enough direct stimulation. Slip a hand between your bodies, or hold a small toy in place, and the gap closes. That is not cheating. For more along those lines, see the technique guides.
The versions, drawn
Thigh riding
One partner sits back against pillows and the other straddles a thigh and grinds. Simple to set up, and taking turns is half the point.
On top at an angle
One partner on their back, the other over them on a slight diagonal with one leg between. Body weight adds pressure without adding effort.
What is your scissor tonight?
Tap the mood.
WhoIt Is Best For
The scissor suits partners who enjoy grinding, sustained pressure and face to face closeness. For couples with two vulvas it is an obvious match, and it works for any pair who wants external contact to be the main event and not an afterthought.
Long sessions suit it well. Movement stays small, and no one carries anyone else's weight. It also teaches you precisely what pressure a partner likes, since every adjustment is tiny and simple to talk through, and saying out loud what works pays off faster here than almost anywhere.
Skip it if hip trouble means every angle pinches, or if you are mainly chasing depth. Want a side by side option that asks much less rotation of the hips? The sideways position is gentler.
What GoesWrong
Copying the straight-legged version
Two flat bodies with straight legs hardly meet in the middle, and forcing it wrenches the hips. Bend the knees, raise the torsos or put one partner on top, and the pelvises come together.
Skipping the height check
If one pelvis sits higher, contact hits bone. Slide a pillow beneath the hip of whoever sits lower. Tiny change, and it decides whether scissoring works at all.
Grinding dry
Without lube, good friction becomes soreness. Apply it before you begin, and add more the moment the glide starts to drag.
Questions PeopleAsk
What is the scissor sex position?
In the scissor sex position, two partners face each other with legs interlocked like open scissors, bringing their hips together in the middle. The motion is a grind for pressure and friction, not a thrust for depth.
How does scissoring actually work?
It works through pressure and friction on the external anatomy, clitoris included. Alignment counts for more than effort, so partners level their hips, often using a pillow, and grind in small circles.
Is the lesbian scissor position realistic?
The straight-legged version from the screen mostly is not. Versions that work have one person lying back while the other straddles a thigh or lies across them at an angle, or both reclined on elbows with legs interlaced.
Can the scissors sex style be penetrative?
Yes. The same interlocked legs allow penetration once the hips are drawn in close. Depth stays limited by the interlock, so it still works best as a slow, grinding position.
How do you make scissoring more comfortable?
Bend the knees to take twist out of the hips, pad the arm you lean on, and use lube against chafing. When contact slips, stop and realign rather than moving harder.