Uncategorized – The History of BDSM

Tom of Finland: This Life and Times, by F. Valentine Hooven III

Dec 172021

Hooven, Valentine. 1997. Tom of Finland: his life and times. New York: St Martin’s Press.

One thing I’ve been curious about in the life of Touko Laaksonen, better known the world over as Tom of Finland, is did he participate in BDSM?

Hooven’s 1993 biography explores the deeply closeted, all-male, outdoors world that formed Laaksonen’s sexuality. There were a handful of bars and cafes in 1940s and 1950s Finland that catered to gay men, but they upheld a culture of effeminacy he didn’t care for. (Hooven makes the point that the “queen” stereotype was a way of asserting gay identity publicly in decades past.) His way to be gay was to partake in furtive, anonymous, nighttime encounters in parks, bus stations and the like.

Elust digest #144

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Dec 152021

Welcome to Elust 144.

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. Want to be included in Elust #145? Start with the rules, come back January 1st to submit something and subscribe to the RSS feed for updates!

“Miss Martindale” and the Female Disciplinary Manual

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Aug 102021

A few months ago, I perused the used books section at Vancouver’s venerable queer bookstore Little Sisters. In addition to a book on Kenneth Anger’s underground gay leather film Scorpio Rising, I happened across a book without a barcode or copyright date or even an author, titled The Female Disciplinary Manual. I had heard of this before and remembered something about it being connected with some kind of schoolgirl discipline fantasy operation. As it was only $9.00 Canadian and in excellent condition with dust jacket (copies on Amazon are priced at $148 or more), I snapped it up.

The book itself is a rather odd work, purporting to be from the 2030s when the school disciplinary regime of the early 20th century in England has been reinstated as the solution to a decadent culture. The prose is in an arch, deadpan tone that leaves the reader guessing how much of this is part of the school discipline fantasy and how much is sincere.

By happenstance, I also came across the strange story of the organization that wrote and published the book and apparently lived by its ethos. The fifty-year saga links into pagan cults, lesbian separatists, Victorian-Edwardian cosplay as a lifestyle, early text-only video games, the English schoolgirl-discipline fetish, and far-right politics.

Review: Sadomasochism and the BDSM Community in the United States, by Steven K. Stein

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Apr 182021

Stein, Stephen K. 2021. Sadomasochism and the BDSM community in the United States: kinky people unite. New York : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group

Stein’s first chapter, which attempts to describe the proto-BDSM culture of the early and mid twentieth century, is a necessarily scattershot collection of data points. Research any historical field long enough and the gaps in the record become clear. We know so little about the sadomasochistic subculture prior to the 1970s. There’s some data about the gay subset, precious little about straights, and practically nothing about lesbians. Stein had access to the Kinsey Institute, the Carter Johnson Leather Library, the NLA Archives and more, and even then he couldn’t shed any new light on American BDSM before 1970.

Stein treats the BDSM culture as a whole, whereas I think it is more accurate to describe it as three parallel but separate streams (gay, lesbian, and straight), each with their own economy, and culture, that occasionally influence each other.

The Cell (2000): The Celluloid Dungeon

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Dec 112020

Julie : You, however, have a problem with women.
Mr. Gone : [scoff] How perceptive… did you figure that one out when I kidnapped you, or tied you up with leather straps? OF COURSE I’VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH WOMEN!
The Maxx (1995)

The Cell (IMDB) is a 2000 science fiction/thriller film with a strong artistic pedigree. The director is Tarsem Singh, best known for surreal music videos. The costumes are designed by Eiko Ishioka who also did the costumes for Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) and Singh’s later film The Fall (2006). The music was by Howard Shore, composer for the films of David Cronenberg.

The story starts in familiar Gothic territory. A young woman has been kidnapped and imprisoned in a hidden glass box that is slowly filling with water. She’s the latest in a number of women murdered by Carl Stargher (Vincent D’Onofrio).

ELust Sex Blog #135

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Oct 252020

Welcome to Elust 135 –

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. Want to be included in Elust #136? Start with the rules, come back November 1st to submit something and subscribe to the RSS feed for updates!

~ This Month’s Top Three Posts ~

Since there were only eight submissions and only two voting judges it doesn’t seem right to have a top three this month. I would like to thank Mrs Fever and Subbee for doing their part.

NOTE from FEVE: I have highlighted my personal favorites in purple.

All blogs that have a submission in this edition must re-post this digest from tip-to-toe on their blogs within 7 days. Re-posting the photo is optional and the use of the “read more…” tag is allowable after this point. Thank you, and enjoy!

Thoughts & Advice on Sex & Relationships

Body Talk and Sexual Health

We are not a coterie

Erotic Non-Fiction

Erotic Fiction

My Private Life in a Ford Cortina

Thoughts & Advice on Kink & Fetish

How does femdom work?

Books and Movies

iZombie S03E05: The Celluloid Dungeon

Leather Archives & Museum fundraiser auction, September 5-13

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Sep 042020

The Leather Archives & Museum’s annual fundraiser auction is back, and as it’s 2020, it’s online. You can get a great deal on sexy stuff and help a worthy cause.

ELust sex blogs #133

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Aug 202020

Welcome toElust 133-

~ This Month’s Top Three Posts ~

Shitty Dating Advice Marketing I’m Sick Of

Birthday nude: Is this what you want?

This One Was Just Right: A Goldilocks Story

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. Want to be included in Elust #134? Start with the rules, come back September 1st to submit something and subscribe to the RSS feed for updates!

~ Featured Posts by our Guest Editor ~

Little Switch Bitch

Bitch in heat

Molly’s words make me ache. I ache because I know how heartfelt her words are. She means every single one but equally, I feel the emotions. I understand that need. In fact, it’s not far from how I feel right now!

Aftercare

Lilly writes with such an honesty in her words.. It’s almost as if I am reading a diary log of her thoughts. Her post has made me wonder about my own aftercare and how I react. Fab thought provoking post.

Thoughts & Advice on Kink & Fetish

Tuned in and Turned on, 24/7

Blogging

Self-Doubt – The bitch that tries to quieten

Erotic Non-Fiction

French Maid
Help wanted!

Erotic Fiction

Sex We Never Had, Places We N
Wicked Wednesday: In the Realm of the Sensei

Thoughts & Advice on Sex & Relationships

July

Books and Movies

Eurotrip (2004): The Celluloid Dungeon

Body Talk and Sexual Health

Self doubt and how it impacts me

Bones S01E08: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Aug 112020

Bones S01E08 “The Girl in the Fridge”, aired November 29, 2005 IMDB

Bones is another forensic investigation procedural TV series.

The case begins with the discovery of a decayed skeleton in an abandoned refrigerator. The forensic anthropologists determine that the deceased is a missing young woman, Maggie Schilling, who was held for ransom, but then the kidnappers broke off communication. She also had a condition that made her bones brittle, particularly stress fractures in her wrists.

The series’ protagonist, Dr. Temperance Brennan, says:

“She did fight, Michael. They kept her tied up like an animal. But she fought. That’s how she got those stress fractures, because she was bound and struggling.”

ELust Sex Blogs #132

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Jul 212020

Welcome toElust 132-

~ This Month’s Top Three Posts ~

Bisexuality, Shame and The Kiss That Never Wa

Can I touch you like that?

I’m Not A Very Good Masturbator

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. Want to be included in Elust #133? Start with the rules, come back August 1st to submit something and subscribe to the RSS feed for updates!