Bottoming From the Top

A behavior known as "bottoming from the top" occurs in BDSM scenarios, where the top truly depends on the bottom to give them instructions. The bottom must assume the topping position since the top is behaving from a bottom perspective even though they are ostensibly in the "dominant" role during the scene.

More About Bottoming From the Top

The most common cause of bottoming from the top—and its opposite, topping from the bottom—occurs when expectations, boundaries, and restrictions are not appropriately established before a scene. The bottom is forced to take charge when a top behaves like a bottom.

However, both partners typically find such scenarios to be disappointing. The top is upset that they didn't offer the bottom what they wanted, and the bottom is upset that they couldn't simply feel and enjoy the scene.

The most common situations for bottoming from the top are when the top is a bottom or when the characters are unclear about the scene's goal and expectations. For this reason, a lot of negotiating is required before a scene is started.