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BDSM, that is, the universe that brings together the practices of bondage, discipline, domination, submission, sadism and masochism, would have begun in the era of antiquity in Mesopotamia. With the creation of writing, stories of goddesses and gods have been found mentioning BDSM sexual practices. The story most popularized by historians is that of the goddess Inanna. According to the stories found, Inanna would be a goddess venerating her vagina which tended to place men in a position of submission and in a state of orgasmic pain.
In ancient Greece, BDSM was present in the essence of a religious ritual called "flagellation" for both men and women. Flogging was carried out in Sparta in what was called the whipping tomb, which was a room specially dedicated to the practice of whipping in order to feel sexual pleasure. Sex being an integral part of society, the transmission of knowledge was encouraged.
BDSM was also seen in the representation of this teaching in the role relationships that some couples or duos could have as student/teacher, therefore with a power relationship associated with sexuality. (A little reminder that consent occupies a primordial part of BDSM practices today and we cannot say that at that time these notions were necessarily respected or applied.)
The arrival of the Kama Sutra, which is a Sanskrit work, brings the notion of consent and a guide to more targeted BDSM practices to seek more controlled sensations. The Kama Sutra dictates places that can be hit in the context of a consensual sexual relationship to promote sexual pleasure, including the shoulders, head, space between the breasts, back, buttocks, hips and the middle part of the body. The book also indicates methods for doing it well, including hitting with the back of our hand, hitting with contracted fingers and hitting with the open palm of the hand, for example.
In the 18th century, Donatien Alphonse François, the Marquis de Sade, who was a French nobleman, wrote several stories and novels highlighting sexual practices that used pain to elevate sexual pleasure. In fact, he even spent time in prison for his activities and behaviors that were far from societal norms. It is from his title that the term "sadism" in the definition of BDSM was born.
Leopold von Sacher-Masoch is an Austrian writer who evoked BDSM in his stories in the 1870s. For example, the story "Venus in Furs" illustrates the great desire of a man to become the slave of a woman and for her to punish him to the point of pain. It is also in these writings that the term "masochism" indicating perversion will be taken up by the psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing and will remain in BDSM culture thereafter.
One of the first pornographic novels, Fanny Hill by John Cleland shows the story of a prostitute woman who participates and observes during group sex scenes in England. At times in the novel, we see that the author refers to pain and pleasure. Moreover, flagellation was still present, however increasingly hidden due to the decline of the Catholic Church. It was in brothels and brothels that BDSM practices were experienced, including by personalities such as King George VI. We began to see installations such as a machine to whip several people at once and a spanking chair.
With industrialization comes new materials such as leather, PVC and metal which will be used more and more in the context of BDSM culture in communities influenced by biker groups. Both clothing and sex toys have been influenced by these new materials bringing innovation to BDSM sexual practices. Much associated with masculinity, leather becomes an emblem of violence and aggressive sexuality in fetishes. Later, some pin-ups including Bettie Page, took up these BDSM representations to bring a different touch bringing several meanings to leather.
It is understandable that BDSM goes back a long way in history and seemed to focus a lot on the mixture of pain and sexual pleasure, without necessarily having the consent of all the people involved. Although whipping and the notion of violence seemed very popular at the time, the definition of BDSM has diversified and included several sexual practices that were not mentioned much in ancient stories. We can also see that BDSM was practiced as much publicly as in more hidden environments depending on the time and the associated beliefs.
Today, BDSM is increasingly explained and shared with consent as a priority in communities. Although there is still work to be done, the options for experiencing BDSM and connecting with other interested people are more open than before. Thanks to social networks and specialized dating apps, it is now possible to be able to interact with people who are into BDSM and find events to explore as well. Thanks to the popularization of erotic shops and online commerce, it also allows you to get sex toys, accessories and erotic lingerie to experience your BDSM as you wish.
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