Ask any kinky person where they got their first hint of BDSM desire, and chances are they will name something from mainstream film or television: Catwoman or Emma Peel on 1960s TV, the whipping scenes in gladiator movies, the damsels-in-distress in a thousand melodramas. Generations of fans found these scenes of fetishistic pleasure and assembled them into collections, piecing together a history of sadomasochistic moments.
The Celluloid Dungeon uncovers the hidden history of BDSM in the mainstream media, a complex dance of repression and desire. For every step to expand the visibility of kink on screen, there’s an equal and opposite reaction to contain it. Popular successes like Secretary or Fifty Shades of Grey show kink, but only the most conservative form of it.
About the Presenter
Peter Tupper is a Vancouver, BC writer and historian. He is a two-time winner of the National Leather Association’s Geoff Mains award for non-fiction, a co-founder of Metro Vancouver Kink, and author of A Lover’s Pinch: A Cultural History of Sadomasochism (2018). He has presented at events across North America on the history of BDSM. He blogs at www.historyofbdsm.com
Date: Sunday, May 18, 2025
Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Time Zone: Central Time – US & Canada (change)
Location: LA&M Etienne Auditorium,
6418 North Greenview Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, United States
