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A ménage à trois (also sometimes known as a trio, threesome, or three-way) is a sexual relationship involving three people. The French phrase literally translates as "household of three". There are a number of possible combinations of sexes and sexual interactions of the sexual partners. Sometimes, the sexual attraction is mainly between one of the three and the other two and less between these other two; this may for example apply in the case of three heterosexuals.
A ménage à trois should not be confused with a love triangle, which refers to an unsatisfactory romantic relationship involving three people.
Troilism is the name for the paraphilia relating to three-party sex.
As of 2005, there is no country allowing both same-sex marriage and polygamy; therefore, if three people have a marital bond, this consists of two heterosexual marriages: of one person with two persons of the opposite sex.
Famous ménages à trois in movies and television series:
- Design for Living (1933)
- Actors involved: Gary Cooper, Fredric March, and Miriam Hopkins
- American Psycho (2000)
- Actors involved: Christian Bale, Cara Seymour, and Krista Sutton
- Wild Things (1998)
- Actors involved: Denise Richards, Neve Campbell, and Matt Dillon
- Laurel Canyon (2002)
- Actors involved: Kate Beckinsale, Frances McDormand, and Alessandro Nivola
- The L Word (2004)
- Actors involved: Jennifer Beals, Laurel Holloman, and an unknown man
- Paint Your Wagon (1969)
- Actors involved: Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and Jean Seberg
- The film Threesome (1994) is about a love triangle of three college roomates, two men and a woman. The premise of the film is mostly a male heterosexual fantansy but there is a undeveloped bisexuality in the film as both of the male roomates may be repressing some homosexual desires.
- The anime F³ has a three-part OAV series on DVD called "Ménage À Trois". It also features threesome and other group sex.
- Seinfeld: An episode was aired in which George encourages Jerry to participate in a threesome.
Further reading
- Barbara Foster, Michael Foster, Letha Hadady. Three in Love: Ménages à trois from Ancient to Modern Times. ISBN 0595008070
See also
- Polyamory, Polygamy, Polyandry
- Bisexuality
- Politics, a novel about a ménage à trois ("the socialist utopia of sex")
- List of famous trinities, trios, triplets, or threesomesde:Flotter Dreier