We’ve reached the point where just about everything you’ve ever done in bed now has an official name. The latest addition to the ever-expanding sex dictionary? “Shallowing”— a subtle move that plenty of people were already doing, but probably didn’t know they were “doing it” in any codified way.Shallowing is exactly what it sounds like: stimulation focused at the entrance of the vagina, using fingers, toys, or anything else that doesn’t dive too deep. No thrusting, no full-on penetration—just light touch a few centimeters in, right where most of the nerve endings actually are. Sex toy company SmileMakers puts it this way when they talked to Glamour: “The idea is to go in only by a few centimeters.” Which is a polite way of saying “don’t go full jackhammer.”Why Everyone’s Suddenly Talking About “Shallowing” in BedIt may be trending now thanks to brands like LELO, who flagged it as one of 2024’s biggest sex trends, but it’s far from new. In a 2021 study of over 3,000 women published in PLOS ONE, 84% said this kind of outercourse added noticeable pleasure to their sex lives. That includes women aged 18 to 93, by the way—meaning this is less of a TikTok-fueled moment and more of an underrated, high-sensation staple that’s finally getting its due.Sex experts say the appeal lies in its intentionality. “Shallowing is a fantastic way to become more aware of nerve endings and bodily responses,” sexologist Marla Renee Stewart told The Hearty Soul. And unlike a lot of technique-driven sex talk, this one doesn’t rely on circus-act flexibility or obscure terminology. It’s more about slowing down, paying attention, and dialing into the kinds of sensations that deep penetration often steamrolls right past.There’s also a practicality to it. For anyone who finds deeper sex physically uncomfortable—or just plain overrated—shallowing offers a pressure-free way to connect that still delivers. It’s gentle, focused, and honestly a lot more inclusive than most of what gets pushed in mainstream porn.You could roll your eyes at yet another renamed body movement, but at least this one isn’t trying to be edgy for the algorithm. It’s just giving a name to something real—and maybe making a few more people feel seen (and turned on) while giving it a try.The post Why Is Everyone Suddenly Into Shallowing in Bed? appeared first on VICE.