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BDSM
Article Talk
This article is about consensual adult
sadomasochistic activity. For the medical
condition involving non-consensual ideation or
behaviour, see Sexual sadism disorder. For the
medical condition in which pain/humiliation is
required for sexual arousal and causes distress
or impairment, see Sexual masochism disorder.
BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or
roleplaying involving bondage, discipline,
dominance and submission, sadomasochism,
and other related interpersonal dynamics.
Given the wide range of practices, some of
which may be engaged in by people who do not
consider themselves to be practising BDSM,
inclusion in the BDSM community or subculture
often is said to depend on self-identification
and shared experience.
BDSM
Aspects
B&D, B/D, or BD Bondage and
discipline
D&s, D/s, or Ds Dominance and
submission
S&M, S/M, or SM Sadism and
masochism
Roles
Top/dominant Partner who performs
or controls the activity
Bottom/submissive Partner who receives
or is controlled
Switch Switches between
roles
The BDSM initialism
The initialism BDSM is first recorded in a
Usenet post from 1991,[1] and is interpreted as
a combination of the abbreviations B/D
(Bondage and Discipline), D/s (Dominance and
submission), and S/M (Sadism and
Masochism). BDSM is now used as a catch-all
phrase covering a wide range of activities,
forms of interpersonal relationships, and
distinct subcultures. BDSM communities
generally welcome anyone with a non-
normative streak who identifies with the
community; this may include cross-dressers,
body modification enthusiasts, animal
roleplayers, rubber fetishists, and others.
Activities and relationships in BDSM are often
characterized by the participants' taking on
roles that are complementary and involve
inequality of power; thus, the idea of informed
consent of both the partners is essential. The
terms submissive and dominant are often used
to distinguish these roles: the dominant
partner ("dom") takes psychological control
over the submissive ("sub"). The terms top
and bottom are also used; the top is the
instigator of an action while the bottom is the
receiver of the action. The two sets of terms
are subtly different: for example, someone may
choose to act as bottom to another person, for
example, by being whipped, purely
recreationally, without any implication of being
psychologically dominated, and submissives
may be ordered to massage their dominant
partners. Although the bottom carries out the
action and the top receives it, they have not
necessarily switched roles.
The abbreviations sub and dom are frequently
used instead of submissive and dominant.
Sometimes the female-specific terms mistress,
domme, and dominatrix are used to describe a
dominant woman, instead of the sometimes
gender-neutral term dom. Individuals who
change between top/dominant and
bottom/submissive roles—whether from
relationship to relationship or within a given
relationship—are called switches. The precise
definition of roles and self-identification is a
common subject of debate among BDSM
participants.[2]
Fundamentals
Behavioural and physiological
aspects
Social aspects
Psychology
History
Legal status
Cultural aspects
See also
References
Further reading
External links
Last edited 12 days ago by Eddie891
Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless
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