Sadomasochism [S&M], are
derived from the names of two authors.
Sadism comes from the notorious Marquis
de Sade (1740–1814) who practiced sexual
sadism and wrote novels about inflicting pain.
Masochism is named after Leopold von Sacher-Masoch,
who wrote novels about his masochistic fantasies.
Sadomasochism delightfully combines
sexual pleasure with physical pain.
Sadistic Seduction
Masculinity has sexually constricted women:
expectations, dominance and power, desires.
Men have escaped this societal prison.
So explains my favourite dominatrix who’s helped me
to explore the lives of full-service fantasy providers.
With gender dynamics being renegotiated at both
a public and private level, BDSM — which is often
read as a sexual dialogue about power —
has captured the zeitgeist.
Whether it’s club kids in head-to-toe PVC,
or rubberists at fashion shows, the clothes
you might have once expected to see in a sex
dungeon have become common fashion statements.
Particularly for women, whose freedom has typically
been fettered by submissive gender roles, fetishwear
as chic daywear has become a shorthand for sexual empowerment.
Besides appropriating their workwear for clout,
cultural engagement with the work of professional
dominatrixes has been thin on the ground, even
from the most sex-positive amongst us.