BDSM
BDSM is an acronym that stands for "bondage and discipline," "dominance and submission," and "sadism and masochism." It encompasses a variety of unconventional erotic practices that may include role-playing, the use of sexual toys, and varying degrees of physical restraint or pain, often for sexual gratification. BDSM can be practiced by individuals of any sexual orientation and does not necessarily involve sexual intercourse; many derive pleasure from the dynamics and aesthetics of the experience alone.
Historically, BDSM has roots in ancient cultures, with evidence of similar practices seen in Roman literature and the Kama Sutra. The subculture gained prominence in the U.S. post-World War II, influenced by changing sexual norms and the rise of adult entertainment. Despite its growth, BDSM has often been stigmatized, with misconceptions linking it to past trauma or dysfunction. However, research suggests BDSM practices are more common than typically believed, with significant portions of the population engaging in or fantasizing about such activities.
The 2011 novel "Fifty Shades of Grey" brought mainstream attention to BDSM, though it received criticism from some within the community for its portrayal of BDSM dynamics as tied to personal trauma. A key aspect of BDSM culture is the emphasis on consent, with established safe words to ensure mutual respect and safety during encounters.
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Subject Terms
BDSM
"BDSM" is an abbreviation formed from three pairs of terms: "bondage and discipline," "dominance and submission," and "sadism and masochism." The term refers to a wide variety of unconventional eroticism and sexual practices that may involve role-playing, kinky clothing and attire, and the pursuit of erotic and sexual gratification through the use of an array of sexual toys and devices. The term "kink" refers broadly to unconventional sexual practices and fantasies. BDSM activities may be practiced by people of any sexual orientation. Contrary to popular belief, BDSM may or may not involve actual sexual intercourse, as some individuals achieve pleasure and gratification simply from the role-playing, outfits, and/or physical pain inflicted or received during BDSM activities. Over the years, BDSM has evolved into a well-developed subculture and is practiced in many countries around the world. Members of the BDSM community often refer to conventional sexuality and lifestyles as "vanilla." Although BDSM is not a new phenomenon, it has gained considerable notoriety since 2011, with the publication of British author E. L. James’s novel Fifty Shades of Grey, which sold more than 100 million copies worldwide within three years (including more than 45 million copies sold in the United States), putting it among the best-selling books of all time. The book was developed into a 2015 Hollywood film of the same title that grossed more than $500 million worldwide.
Background
Artwork, artifacts, and written records indicate that BDSM has been practiced since ancient times. The Spartans engaged in whipping as part of their religious ceremonies, while dominance and submission role-playing eroticism is found in Roman literature, as well as the ancient Hindu text Kama Sutra, written roughly two millennia ago. In the United States, sexual fetishism and BDSM began to develop an early following in the 1930s, facilitated by the rise of motion pictures and influenced by similar lifestyles in Europe. However, as J. P. Larocque notes, it was not until the post–World War II era that BDSM emerged as a prominent subculture in American society. This was aided by several factors, including increasingly permissive sexual norms and a proliferation of adult entertainment magazines such as Hugh Heffner’s Playboy(introduced in 1953) and other publications featuring scantily clad women known as "pin-up girls." The most famous pin-up girl, Bettie Page, was photographed in the 1950s by photographer Irving Klaw in various black leather outfits with a whip in hand. The advent of the birth control pill and the rise of the gay and lesbian rights movement in the 1960s also further loosened previously restrictive American sexual norms.
However, BDSM has long been stigmatized and pathologized in mainstream American society, where a common stereotype holds that people who find pleasure and erotic gratification in either administering or experiencing pain or bondage during sexual encounters must be compensating for or reenacting past traumas or abuses. Persons who engage in BDSM have thus traditionally concealed this aspect of their lives, out of concern that disclosure of this information could result in termination of their employment, loss of friendships, or loss of custody of their children. The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) formed in 1997 to fight popular stereotypes regarding the BDSM community as deviant and to challenge the professional classification of kinky sexual practices as disordered or dysfunctional. Until 2013, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) designated sexual sadism and masochism as paraphilias (the condition of being sexually aroused in unusual or atypical ways) in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). However, the fifth edition of the DSM makes a distinction between paraphilias, which are no longer diagnoses in themselves, and paraphilic disorders, which identify when paraphilias start to cause distress or impair a person’s healthy functioning in life.
Overview
As a distinct subculture, BDSM features its own unique terminology for its practitioners and practices. The community refers to a specific BDSM experience or session as a "scene." The terms "top" and "bottom" are often used to refer to individuals in the role of administering and receiving pain, respectively, during a scene. BDSM community standards hold that scenes are entirely consensual and that the bottom always has the option of immediately ending a scene for any reason, by uttering a predetermined "safe word." However, Slate columnist William Saletan points out that although he supports the right of individuals to engage in BDSM, there will always be tops who do not honor safe words. Furthermore, Saletan argues that the mere fact that BDSM is based around the notion of inflicting pain as part of the human sexual experience all but guarantees that mainstream society will view it critically.
However, a growing body of research indicates that BDSM and kinky sexual behavior is far more common among Americans than previously believed—a revelation that belies the longstanding classification of this activity as deviant by the APA. Rose Eveleth points out that a 2005 survey found that 36 percent of American adults admitted they had used blindfolds, masks, and ropes during sex at least once, while 65 percent of college students surveyed in 1999 admitted that they had fantasized about being tied up during sex. A study published by the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, the nation’s leading research institution on sexual behavior, claimed that between 5 and 10 percent of Americans engage in at least occasional sadomasochistic behavior (inflicting or receiving pain as part of sexual experience). Even in 1953, widely perceived as a time of strict sexual mores in US history, 50 percent of men and 55 percent of women indicated that they enjoyed being bitten during sex. Such data reveal that kink is popular among a large number of Americans, and has been for a long time. Furthermore, a 2008 study of approximately 20,000 Australians found that males who found BDSM pleasurable were less likely to have experienced psychological or emotional trauma.
British author E. L. James’s best-selling 2011 novel Fifty Shades of Grey resulted in greater mainstream exposure for the BDSM lifestyle. The novel focuses on the sexual and emotional relationship between Anastasia Steele, a college senior, and Christian Grey, a young and highly successful entrepreneur. While Steele develops romantic feelings for Grey, Grey’s psychological distress and insistence on a purely sadomasochistic, nonromantic sexual relationship with Steele ultimately drives her away. Many members of the BDSM community heavily criticized Fifty Shades of Grey for perpetuating negative social stereotypes and stigmas around BDSM. The novel and subsequent film imply that Grey’s mental distress and obsession with inflicting sexual pain to achieve gratification stem from his own teenage experiences of sexual exploitation—a story line that many BDSM practitioners see as distinctly unrepresentative of their community.
Bibliography
Eveleth, Rose. "Americans Are More into BDSM than the Rest of the World." Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Inst., 10 Feb. 2014. Web. 6 July 2016.
Gerson, Merissa Nathan. "BDSM versus the DSM." Atlantic. Atlantic Monthly Group, 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 6 July 2016.
Gueren, Casey. "25 Facts about BDSM That You Won’t Learn in ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.’" BuzzFeed. BuzzFeed, 12 Feb. 2015. Web. 6 July 2016.
Larocque, J. P. "A Brief History of BDSM." DailyXtra.com. Pink Triangle, 13 Nov. 2014. Web. 6 July 2016.
Rinzler, Lodro. "How Many People Are Actually Doing S&M? We Decided to Find Out." Marie Claire. Hearst, 21 Feb. 2015. Web. 6 July 2016.
Saletan, William. "The Trouble with Bondage." Slate. Slate Group, 4 Mar. 2013. Web. 6 July 2016.
Smith, Anna. "Fifty Shades of Grey: What BDSM Enthusiasts Think." Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 Feb. 2015. Web. 6 July 2016.
Wiseman, Jay. SM 101: A Realistic Introduction. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Greenery, 1996. Print.