Bondage (BDSM)
Bondage, in the BDSM subculture, is the practice of consensually tying, binding, or restraining a partner for erotic, aesthetic, or somatosensory stimulation.
A partner may be physically restrained in a variety of ways, including the use of rope, cuffs, bondage tape, or self-adhering bandage.
Bedroom bondage games may be used for sexual arousal or as a form of foreplay,[3] that requires and implies a level of trust and a surrender of control by the restrained to the active partner.
The main feature of sexual bondage is that it renders the restrained person vulnerable to a variety of sex acts, including some that they may be inhibited from otherwise engaging.
[4] Others experience helplessness, struggle against their bonds, and feel a degree of masochistic pleasure from the restraint and pain, as well as being unobstructed for erotic stimulation by their partner.
[2] In 1995, psychologists Kurt Ernulf and Sune Innala from Sweden published an analysis based on answers from members of the bondage-oriented Usenet group alt.sex.bondage.
[5] In a survey of American students conducted by a magazine in 1996, 24% of the people who replied claimed to have sexual fantasies involving bondage.
This form of bondage is the best known in BDSM and denotes restraining the passive partner for an ulterior purpose, such as making them more accessible for a spanking session.
[9] In this form of bondage, the restrained partner is purposefully bound in an uncomfortable or painful position, for example as a punishment in connection of a dominant/submissive sexual play.
[11] A subculture of gay men, sometimes called leathermen, were among the first groups to make obvious hints of their taste in bondage in public spaces.
Public play of this variety is more rooted in social activity and the safe space afforded by such clubs than exhibitionist fetishism.
These include: Self-bondage is more complex, and may involve special techniques to apply bondage to oneself, and also to effect a release after a lapsed period of time.
Bondage is safer when conducted between sober, trusted partners who are fully aware of the risks involved and the precautions necessary to ensure safety, such as informed consent.
Another is to check body parts like hands and feet for numbness or coldness, which can happen if nerves have been pinched or blood circulation has been blocked.
[17][18] Some simple preparations may also be helpful: Scenes depicted in bondage photographs and videos are chosen for their visual appeal and fantasy value.
Self-bondage carries a higher risk, particularly because it violates an important principle of bondage safety; to never leave a bound person alone.
For the feeling of being tied up to be as authentic as possible, practitioners of self-bondage can use time-limit clocks, freeze their keys in blocks of ice, or use self-invented devices, in order to temporarily abandon power over their own restraint and freedom (called "tunnel play").
A popular variant of bondage considers the artistic and aesthetic part of tying a person up more than the transfer of power and control, or the sexual pleasure.
In emergency situations, EMT scissors provide a quick way to free the restrained partner, however this destroys the rope.
Chains are occasionally preferred to rope for suspension bondage due to their tensile strength and ability to hold heavy weights.
Metal bondage appeals to some people because of the material's tough image and the fact that its physical hardness makes it difficult to struggle or escape from.
The cold sensation and clanking sound of chains provides auditory and tactile sensory stimulation and can be used to enhance the atmosphere of a BDSM dungeon.
Many people have a fetish for leather, latex and polish and use these materials in connection with bondage, for example for cuffs, belts or neck bands.
After George W. Bush's 2000 election, there was concern within the pornography industry regarding possible future U.S. Justice Department prosecution over obscene material.
[31][32] Examples of bondage erotica include Anne Desclos's Story of O (published under the pen name Pauline Réage), Frank E. Campbell's books[33] and the artwork of Robert Bishop.
Sweet Gwendoline was the main female character in John Willie's works, and possibly the most famous bondage icon after Bettie Page.
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty was an erotic trilogy published in the 1980s by Anne Rice which contained bondage scenarios, as part of a wide range of BDSM acts.
A table in Larry Townsend's The Leatherman's Handbook II (the 1983 second edition; the 1972 first edition did not include this list) which is generally considered authoritative states that a grey handkerchief is a symbol for bondage in the handkerchief code, which is employed usually among gay male casual-sex seekers or BDSM practitioners in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe.
[34] By the 1990s, references to bondage could be found in mainstream prime-time television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where equipment such as handcuffs or collars and concepts such as the safeword were included as a matter of course.
The print edition of the first book, Fifty Shades of Grey, was published in 2012 and became the fastest selling bestseller, breaking multiple sales records.
