Choke is a 2008 dark comedy based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, written and directed by Clark Gregg. Amazon
When I’ve asked leather guys whether they’d rather make it with a real Con Ed [repair] man or a lawyer who looks like one, the question baffles them. It lies outside the system of their fantasies. In their hearts they may know that the lawyer would be more adventurous and uninhibited lover, but their passion demands he at least appear to be a worker.
White, Edmund. 1979 “Sado Machismo”, from The Burning Library: Essays , Knopf, New York, 1994
Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell) is a recovering, self-described “sex addict”, who fakes choking in restaurants so that he can emotionally manipulate his rescuers, which is to pay for supporting his Alzheimer’s-afflicted mother Ida (Anjelica Huston). He also works as a Colonial American historical re-enactor, performing a sanitized version of historical times.
(Spoilers ahead)
Continue reading »Storr, Merl. 2003. Latex and Lingerie : Shopping for Pleasure at Ann Summers. Oxford: Berg. Amazon
Ann Summers is a UK brand of lingerie and sex toys, sold by brick-and-mortar stores, by online retailing and by a system of “Ann Summers parties”, in which saleswomen organize parties and directly market goods to the (all female) attendees. These goods include lingerie, sex toys, and related items. In particular, they sell bondage cuffs, light impact implements and other BDSM equipment. The Ann Summers parties are a point where “the rubber meets the road”, where people (i.e. hetero, vanilla women) have their first direct contact with BDSM toys, and the concept of BDSM play in general. Merl Storr’s book, based on interviews with party hosts and participant observation, presents valuable insights into how vanilla/hetero identities can change to accommodate the purchase of BDSM gear, if not the actual use of such.
Continue reading »Strangeland is a 1998 thriller/horror film written by and starring Dee Snider (of 80s glam metal band Twisted Sister) and directed by John Pieplow. Amazon
Continue reading »The Presbyterian Lash is a short satirical play from 1661 by Francis Kirkman, a rogue-ish author, publisher and bibliographer, with an eye for capitalizing on scandal.
Continue reading »- Dan Young is doing a Zoom talk BDSM: The History of a Secret Culture on September 29th, 2pm CDT. It will reference a lot of my own work as well as that of Stephen K Stein. Register at Forbidden Tickets.
- Etsy has joined the list of platforms that built their followings hosting BDSM/fetish/kink/queer content (e.g. Tumblr) and then banned it so they could attract investors.
- Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play. is a 2024 documentary about the production and reception of Jeremy O. Harris’ Slave Play. Currently streaming on HBO and Crave.
- The Ukrainian city of Lviv not only has a statue dedicated to Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, author of Venus in Furs, it has a themed cafe and hotel in his name too. Cafe menu, hotel, tourist listing, merch
- More finds on Archive.org (you may need to register to read some of these):
- Vincent Andrews published Synopsis of Homosexual publications surrounding Old Guard, which includes scans of articles from Drummer magazine in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Michael Grumley’s book Hard Corps: Studies in Leather and Sado Masochism with photos by Ed Gallucci (Penguin, 1977), which provides a look at the pre-HIV leather scene.
- Gilles Deleuze’s 1989 book Masochism: Coldness and Cruelty, which takes a high-level, philosophical look at masochism and Sacher-Masoch’s work.
- Concertina: The Lives and Loves of a Dominatrix by Susan Winemaker, 2007.
Elust is the only place where the smartest and hottest sex bloggers are featured under one roof every month.
Whether you’re looking for sex journalism, erotic writing, relationship advice or kinky discussions, it’ll be here at Elust.
If you have a post included in Elust 177, please re-post the latest edition on your own blog, ideally with your own unique comments next to each link, or a paragraph for each category and/or write your own introduction.
For SEO purposes, non-identical re-posts of Elust are much better for search ranking, and it’s more appealing for readers.
Here’s an Example of Elust 176 published by Femina Viva with a unique introduction and comments next to the links.
Sex Work
Gen West, When 3 Isn’t a Crowd
Oz Bigdownunder, Sipping the Princess of Pop’s Prosecco, A Duo with Isabella Love
Lexi Rose, She Wants to Slurp – Food to Make Your Cum Taste Better
Maîtresse Nuit, The Art of Balancing Desires
Sandra, LAM London Alternative Market New Venue
Kristina J, Living in the Shadows: The Unseen World of a Sex Worker
Princess Kaz, The Alchemy of Role Play and BDSM
Sex Worker Search, Privacy Policies of Sex Worker Directories
Hellga, BDSM Dungeon Hourly Rentals in London
Erotic Fiction
Jerusalem Mortimer, In the Realm of the Sensei – Prologue 2
Product Reviews
Morgan Destera, TOY TEST – Funzze Jeweled Vibrating Butt Plug
Liz X, Clear Pleasure – Funzze Glass Dildos Seductive Rotary Surprise
Of Sex and Love, Why Do I Keep Breaking Vibrators? (a review of the Febos Wand)
Thoughts & Advice on Sex & Relationships
Sapora Knight, Boundaries: Elevate Your Intimate Connections to New Heights
barefoot sub, Today Is Not A Typical Day
Tantric Sexual Healing, Sexuality as a Path to Meditation: A Tantric Perspective
O Miss Pearl, Scenes From a Femdom Marriage
Witch of the Wands, Date Ideas to Reignite the Spark in Your Relationship
Books and Movies
Schey Place Books, Erotic-Romance Book of the Year
Future of Sex, Long Live the New Flesh: The Cronenbergs’ Take on Tomorrow’s Sexuality Might Grow On—or In—You
The History of BDSM, Tokyo Decadence (1992): The Celluloid Dungeon
Thoughts & Advice on Kink & Fetish
Femina Viva, The AI dominatrix training academy and why we will all be slaves
The Libertine, also know as La Matriarca, is a 1968 film directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile and starring Catherine Spaak. IMDB
A wealthy man, Franco, suddenly dies and leaves everything to his young, beautiful wife, Margherita (aka Mimi). She finds that he had been seeing a string of mistresses, and sets out on a journey of sexual exploration.
Continue reading »- The Rialto Report podcast interviews Dian Hanson, famed writer and editor of Leg Show fetish magazine, among many others, and now editor of high end erotica books for Taschen. 4 parts.
- Justin Lehmiller’s Sex and Psychology podcast interviews Andrea Zanin about the use of BDSM as a bogus defense in legal cases.
- Short video on bondage-themed comic book covers over the years.
- Atlas Obscura provides a brief history of lesbian sadomasochism.
- Archive.org has one of Eric Stanton’s “Stantoons” pamphlets, published in 1987.
- Evie Lupine covered how Etsy is squeezing out BDSM toy manufacturers. This coincides with another trend of how high-end fashion is appropriating BDSM imagery and design.
Tokyo Decadence is a 1992 Japanese drama film, directed by Ryu Murakami and starring Miho Nikaido. (All quotations are from the English subtitles.) Amazon
Ai (Japanese for “love”) is a 22-year-old professional submissive sex worker, adrift in 1990s Japan, lacking in direction.
In the very first scene, Ai is tied up and naked. Her client tells her S&M is all about trust, but then blindfolds her despite her objections. He injects her with something, also apparently without her consent. (Drug use, both giving and receiving, is a recurring motif.)
In Ai’s scenes with her clients, she is awkward and passive, as if she wandered into a stage play and doesn’t know or understand the script. Clients impress their own ideas and archetypes upon her, more like a prop in their visions. Ai’s blank-ness may actually be an asset in her line of work, having little sense of self to interfere with her client’s fantasies.
The second client Ai sees, implicitly a Yakuza gangster, asks her about herself. She says:
Ai: I’ve discovered that I have no talent whatsoever.
After a scene with the gangster and his girlfriend, Ai pulls the bondage gear off and vigorously brushes her teeth. On her way out, the gangster overpays her and says to her:
Gangster: Don’t think you’ve no talent. That’s a cop-out.
Another client wants to be strangled by Ai and another escort while receiving oral. The two women think they accidentally killed him, and are astonished when he suddenly comes back to life.
Yet another client, who initially is friendly enough, proves to be a necrophile who wants to re-enact a specific rape and murder with Ai. When he tries to strangle her, Ai finally resists. He lets her go, but demands his money back. This puts Ai on thin ice with her manager.
On a threesome assignment, Ai meets Saki, a pro-dominatrix who deftly commands their masochistic male client (and Ai too). Saki shows the kind of confidence and control Ai lacks. Saki takes Ai to her lavish home, where they hang out. Saki proves to be a serious cocaine user (she snorts, injects and smokes it).
Ai: You must be wealthy.
Saki: Not really. It’s Japan that’s wealthy. But it’s wealth without pride. It creates anxiety, which drives our men into masochism. I’ve made my living out of these men.
Saki gives Ai an unspecified drug that will allegedly give her courage. After her night with Saki, Ai goes on a journey to find her former lover who married another woman, though it’s implied he actually died.
In a post-credit scene, Ai appears on stage, dressed in a Saki-like outfit. She signs something in sign language, then dances in a far more confident way.
I wouldn’t call Ai masochistic. She doesn’t embrace her experiences, but instead seems detached, even confused. It’s different from Lucy in Sleeping Beauty (2011); Ai seems like a person who has lost her way, and looks to others for direction. She watches Saki dominating the client like a person attending a university lecture that they just don’t understand.
BDSM in Tokyo Decadence is not a means to connection or intimacy. It’s a symptom of a dysfunctional society, of men (mostly) who have too much money for their own good, paralleled by the drug use (mostly cocaine and other stimulants) and the gourmet meals. Human connection is what’s missing, and what Ai searches for.
In the Realm of the Senses (aka Ai no Corrida, “Bullfight of Love”) is a 1976 Japanese-French film directed by Nagisa Oshima and starring Eiko Matsuda and Tatsuya Fuji. Amazon
The film is a fictionalized version of the true story of Sada Abe, who in 1936 Japan was arrested for the murder of her lover. She was found carrying his severed penis and testicles in her kimono. The film makes this a story of doomed lovers in a hostile world.
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