In BDSM spaces, few phrases get tossed around as carelessly as “topping from the bottom.” It is often used as an accusation, a warning, or a way to shut down a submissive or bottom who dares to have preferences, opinions, needs, limits, or a functioning nervous system. And that is where the problem begins. Because there is a real difference between topping from the bottom and power bottoming. One can undermine an agreed dynamic. The other can be an intentional, negotiated, an