The History of BDSM – Page 2 – Documenting my research in the history of consensual sadomasochism

Bloodsisters (1995) lesbian BDSM documentary

Oct 172020

The documentary Bloodsisters, covering the San Francisco leatherdyke community in 1995, is currently streaming online as part of NewFest, New York’s LGBTQ+ film & media festival. The streaming will last until October 27, 2020.

You can view the trailer and some supplemental interviews and other materials on Vimeo. There was an online discussion with the director, Michelle Handelman, and others in August 2020, available on Youtube.

NOTE: I attempted to view this stream in Canada and was refused. It may only be available for viewers in the USA.

Link Roundup, October 2020

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Oct 152020

My attempts to learn more about the history and tradition of Japanese sadomasochism has been hampered by the language barrier. The Kinbakunomicon and its accompanying podcast by Faviola Llervu are goldmines for English-speakers wishing to learn more, including English translations of Japanese articles going as far back as 1920. One of the many interesting elements was learning that even among Japanese practitioners, there is little agreement about the “right” way to do shibari/kinbaku. More reason to be suspicious of anyone claiming to know the “one true way” about anything. (Llervu also edits the Nawapedia wiki on Japanese BDSM.)
CvltNation has a piece on influential fetish artist and photographer John “Willie” Coutts and his model/muse/wife Holly Anna Faram.
While many BDSM and swinger events have had to shut down because of COVID-19, the Club Passion swingers event in Abbotsford, BC, has reopened. The operators say they are taking precautions by taking the temperatures of people entering, and requiring that people who meet outside of their six-person “bubble” wear masks.
TASHRA also talks about the many BDSM parties and social gatherings that have had to close down under the pandemic.
ExpensiveHoe.com has scanned a pictorial and an autobiography of early 80s bondage model Sarah Foster Tate.
The Boot Fetishist explores the extreme high heel shoe and boot culture of the pre-WWII era, publicized through magazines like London Life and centered on the products from National Shoe Stores and Regent Shoe Stores, both based in London’s Wardour Street.

POSE Season 2: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Oct 022020

POSE is a drama series set in the ballroom culture of New York City, set in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In contrast to the beauty and glamour of the ballroom scene, the performers (mostly poor, non-white, and queer/trans) make their livings through work of varying legality. The second season features a plotline about working as a pro domme.

Elektra (Dominique Jackson) at the Hellfire Club.

A to Z of Sex podcast

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Sep 242020

I’m the guest on Dr Lori Beth Bisbey’s A to Z of Sex podcast, talking about, what else, the history of sadomasochism. (Spotify)

Link roundup, September 2020

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Sep 192020

Did any one woman do more to popularize fetish fashion than Diana Rigg, who passed away on September 10, 2020? The Guardian looks at how she became a fetish style icon as Mrs. Emma Peel on the cult UK TV series The Avengers.
Though just about everyone has heard of the term “masochism”, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch himself is a largely forgotten literary figure of the 19th century. I found a couple of articles, from Forgotten Galicia and The Wave of Things, that reveal a few tidbits, such as he had a desert cake named after him, and there is a Café Masoch theme bar in the Ukrainian city of L’Viv.
Dangerous Minds has a feature on Possibilities! an art book (with more than 1,300 images) and biography of fetish/BDSM pioneer John Willie, aka John Coutts. It includes a short summary of Coutts’ life. Published by Belier Press.
The BBC has a quick look at the history of latex in fashion.
Another Man magazine has another history of leather in fetish fashion.
The BDSM culture has a knack for adapting to and eroticizing social anxieties. For most of 2020, we’ve been anxious about the COVID-19 pandemic, and naturally that fear has been eroticized. Insider talks with pro-domme Victoria Rage about how she has catered to new requests from her clients, such as kinky “CDC inspections” and even mock executions.
The famous Hedonism II adults-only resort in Jamaica has also adapted to the times with branded masks and hand sanitizers, social distancing markers, regular temperature checks, on-property quarantining rooms, and banning the foam party and “human car wash” events.
In the UK, a new domestic violence bill has been hailed as “ending the rough sex defense”, which may also mean that even mild, consensual “actual bodily harm” – such as bruising or scratching – could be seen as assault.

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.

iZombie S03E05: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Sep 022020

iZombie, “Spanking the Zombie”, aired May 2, 2017 IMDB

iZombie is a TV series about a world in which an infectious disease gives people a craving for brains, though some can retain their human intelligence and appearance. The protagonist is Olivia “Liv” Moore, a police forensic scientist who investigates murders by literally eating the brains of the victims and inheriting their memories and personalities temporarily.

In this episode, the victim is Roxanne Greer, who worked as a pro dominatrix known as Sweet Lady Pain. This is literally all we know about her. Even though Liv has access to some of her memories and behaviours, all we see is a few visions of her interacting with clients. We learn nothing else about her, not her family, her background, how and why she got into this business, what she thinks of the work or the men she sees, or what she is like when she’s not being a dominatrix.

The Blacklist S05E03: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Aug 292020

“Miss Rebecca Thrall”, aired October 11, 2017 IMDB

The main plot of “Miss Rebecca Thrall” concerns a scheme by Waterday Financial to take out life insurance policies on poor people, and then bribe police officers with loans to kill them, and collect the money.

The main agent of this operation is Miss Rebecca Thrall (played by Sarah Wynter) who negotiates with both the victims and the killers. She also keeps a man in a full rubber suit and hood bound to a St. Andrew’s cross in her basement.

Sex and the City S02E12: The Celluloid Dungeon

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Aug 202020

Sex and the City S02E12, “La Douleur Exquise!”, aired August 22nd, 1999 IMDB Title translates to “the exquisite pain”

Sex and the City was a popular dramedy series about single women in New York City around the turn of the millennium.

The opening narration of this episode makes it clear that BDSM is just another aesthetic to be adopted, consumed, and abandoned, befitting the series’ consumerist ethos.

Carrie (vo) “New York City restaurants are always looking for the next new angle to grab that elusive and somewhat jaded Manhattan palate. Last year it was fusion Cajun. Last month it was mussels from Brussels. And tonight, it’s S&M.”

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!

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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.

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!

Welcome toElust 133-

~ This Month’s Top Three Posts ~

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A Lover's Pinch: A Cultural History of Sadomasochism