# Switching bodies with your partner **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 26, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656 "2011-02-26T01:37:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/1 "2011-02-26T01:37:32Z")
What would happen if you and your partner (or a friend of your preferred gender) switched bodies for 30 days? In my case: My partner would love it, and I would hate it (I am not at all attracted to my own type). For those of you who are exclusively heterosexual, would you even try to have a sexual relation, or look elsewhere . . . or would you be celibate for a month? ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/2 "2011-02-26T01:41:02Z")
I don’t find my SO physically attractive. However, intellectually and emotionally, wow, it just gets better all the time. Switching bodies would make no difference. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/3 "2011-02-26T01:41:48Z")
The obvious answer for a heterosexual assuming that you kept the same brain and personality is that you wouldn’t need a partner at that point. Sorry boys, the bar is closed. If you mean would I have sex with a guy with a female brain regardless of who they are? No, sorry. I like certain people for who they are but the door only swings one way. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/4 "2011-02-26T01:53:43Z")
> [@Heyoka13](#): > > I don’t find my SO physically attractive. Hahahahahahahaha I find that hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/5 "2011-02-26T02:00:01Z")
I spent some time on that answer. Glad you liked it. (I’m actually single, but that answer is just so apropo . . . ) ---
**Author:** ![Docta\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Docta\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Docta_G)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/6 "2011-02-26T02:22:40Z")
I’d probably play with my new boobs a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/7 "2011-02-26T02:30:09Z")
I’d love to switch bodies with my husband for awhile. I’ve always wanted to have sex as a man, and I won’t lie, I think it would be awesome to have sex with myself as him. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/8 "2011-02-26T02:34:02Z")
> [@Docta\_G](#): > > I’d probably play with my new boobs a lot. We usually do this with XKCD, but… Obligatory [Misfile](http://www.misfile.com/) link: [Misfile - Hell High - 10/3/25](http://www.misfile.com/index.php?page=27) Oh, and [one perk](http://www.misfile.com/index.php?menu=omake3). ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/9 "2011-02-26T02:48:50Z")
I, too, would love to switch with my spouse and have sex. How interesting would that be? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/10 "2011-02-26T02:48:53Z")
This trope (man into woman playing with the new equipment all day) is covered (as they all seem to be) in TV Tropes: > **[Man, I Feel Like a Woman - TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ManIFeelLikeAWoman)** > > A specific example of Power Perversion Potential. Almost every time a male—and it is always a male—gets trapped in some kind of Gender Bender situation, the first thing the man-turned-woman does is check out the new equipment, usually … ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/11 "2011-02-26T02:58:29Z")
I also don’t find my partner particularly \*physically \*attractive (although we have a great sex life). But honestly, I wasn’t even thinking about sex when I opened the thread. I was thinking about health. He’s got COPD and a heart condition, not to mention the aches and pains of an older, well-used body. I think I’d come out of the experience terrified (well, even more than I already am) that he’s going to drop dead on me any minute. I have always wondered what’s it’s like to fuck with a penis, though, so I’d definitely not be celibate that month! And I’ve always wondered about the male fascination with my breasts, so it’d be interesting to play with them from a new angle. The downside, of course, is that if he swapped bodies with me, I’d find out just how fat these pants really make my ass look. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/12 "2011-02-26T04:03:37Z")
Oh, I would _so_ do this! I have unashamed penis envy; I always threaten to grow one just so I can play with it, and my daughter and I have a game where we say our penis is bigger than each other’s. I’d pee on all the trees and car tires, and I’d wave it around, and I’d go “Hey, I got your [whatever] right HERE!” I’d go into the men’s room and intentionally start conversations with the other guys at the urinal. But silly penis games aside, I’d like to see the world from my husband’s point of view. I’d like to see myself through his eyes, and perceive sex with his body. And I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like walking around with those things bobbling around between your legs. ---
**Author:** ![Waxwinged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@Waxwinged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waxwinged)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/13 "2011-02-26T04:06:03Z")
I’d love it, my partner’d hate it, and we’d lose our only means of support. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/14 "2011-02-26T04:19:09Z")
[Story exploring a few variations on this theme.](http://eidolon.net/?story=Closer&pagetitle=Closer§ion=fiction) ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/15 "2011-02-26T04:20:07Z")
Hetero couple here. I’d truly enjoy learning to fuck as a man an see life from the other side. I’d also like to take my car in for an oil change and see if I were treated differently, go to Home Depot for the same. I’d also schedule my waxing to coincide with the switch… No reason for me to have all the fun. Honestly I’d think it was a great experience to figure out what he enjoys alone or with me physically as well as learn what hurts to him (in general concerning his health) and what he puts up with physically as time marches on, all over our bodies occasionally with spikes. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/16 "2011-02-26T06:22:23Z")
The classic in this genre is Thorne Smith’s _Turnabout_ (1930), a novel in which a husband and wife are constantly bickering about how the other has a better life, irritating their Egyptian statue Mr. Ram, who switches them into each other’s bodies (alright, but it’s no weirder than Thorne Smith’s other novels, which included _Topper_). My favorite line (from the screwball ending) is delivered by an outraged hospital nurse: “Suckle that young…and make it snappy!” The book was made into a 1940 movie, which I’ve never seen. Reportedly it had some trouble with Hollywood censors, though it likely was considerably toned down from the book. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/17 "2011-02-26T06:40:39Z")
> [@Docta\_G](#): > > I’d probably play with my new boobs a lot. > [@Balance](#): > > We usually do this with XKCD, but… > > Obligatory [Misfile](http://www.misfile.com/) link: [Misfile - Hell High - 10/3/25](http://www.misfile.com/index.php?page=27) > > Oh, and [one perk](http://www.misfile.com/index.php?menu=omake3). There’s also [this](http://www.sgvy.com/archives/Edda1/Issue1/Page6.html): _Squish! Squish! Squishsquishsquish!_ ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/18 "2011-02-26T06:55:03Z")
You are evil. I just thought about the time I got rained on while riding and walked into work…going squish, squish, squish. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/19 "2011-02-26T12:51:37Z")
My husband would work off the extra poundage I’m currently carrying. That would be awesome. His body would gain 10 pounds, which it could do without much consequence. I’m for it! ---
**Author:** ![History\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b19c9b/32.png) [@History\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Geek)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656/20 "2011-02-26T16:47:14Z")
Once you get past the whole sex aspect of it, this becomes a very complicated question. 30 days would involve having to do your partner’s job. I know for certain I couldn’t do my girlfriend’s job. She put in a lot of time - not to mention blood, sweat, and tears - training for what she does. It’s just not possible to even try faking it for a day. It’s a better question, if the intent is to solely gauge people’s reactions to the idea of having sex with their partners during the swap, to make it a 3-day weekend. That way you can each spend the first day just fooling around with your “new equipment.” The next two days could then be spent implementing whatever plan the two of you worked out. I’m sure my girlfriend and I would give it a shot. We’re both very curious people and couldn’t pass up the chance to see what happened. But only within a very limited range of time - we’re also both reasonable people. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/switching-bodies-with-your-partner/572656.md?page=2)