alexan85
10-17-2006, 01:15 AM
In the context of BDSM, bondage involves people being tied up or otherwise restrained for pleasure. Bondage is usually, but not always, a sexual practice. The paraphilia of being sexually aroused by bondage is sometimes known as vincilagnia.
Studies in the U.S. have shown that about three quarters of all men find the idea of bondage to be erotic; many women do as well. As with any study of sexual thoughts and behavior, the available studies are not well controlled and the best studies are now out of date
BDSM subcultures:
It is worth noting that bondage has sexual appeal to persons of both sexes and all sexual orientations. However, a subculture of gay men, sometimes called leathermen, were arguably among the first group to make obvious hints of their tastes in bondage in public.
The growth of the gay leather subculture parallels the biker culture that arose after World War II -- a number of early leathermen were WW2 veterans, and the military traditions of discipline and structure were an important influence in Old Guard leather. While the bikers were not identified as homosexual, the leathermen admired their toughness, tenacity, and willingness to ignore mainstream social mores. Consequently, they adopted the biker style of dress, particularly the use of black leather. While this served a utilitarian purpose for the bikers, in providing warmth and protection from "road rash", it was primarily of fashion and fetishistic value to the leathermen, who for the most part did not ride motorcycles extensively.
Beginning in the late 1960s, heterosexual groups began to come together to explore bondage and power exchange. With time, these groups have grown and have raised their profile somewhat, to the point where most U.S. cities of any size have one or more such groups. A major goal of most of these groups is to provide semi-public opportunities for BDSM, in an effort to provide a safe environment for relative strangers to engage in such activities. As such, these groups attach high importance to objective safety rules, such as the use of safewords
Couples and bondage:
Although reliable data are unavailable, the financial success of companies that market bondage equipment testifies to the fact that it is more than fantasy to many; it is plausible that a sizeable proportion of couples have made regular use of bondage in their sexual activities at some point in their relationships. This is especially plausible considering that common household items can be used for play, such as rope for restraint or a padlock for a ball lock.
For the most part, such bondage games end in sex. In contrast, bondage games between more casually acquainted players in the BDSM subculture frequently end in masturbation only, or in some cases include no sexual release at all. In the case of a ball lock, the male is capable of intercourse, but remains bound indefinitely.
Safety rules followed by couples in a committed relationship are frequently more subjective and trust-based. These differences can lead to culture clash where a couple with a history of bondage games together encounters the BDSM subculture: the couple can't understand the insistence on safewords, while the members of the subculture can't understand the focus on sexual intercourse.
Bondage erotica
Two women tapegagged and cuffed to iron barsStudies1 of men's sexual fantasies have shown that the fantasy of being bound during intercourse is second in frequency only to the basic fantasy of sex with a voluptuous nude woman. Consequently, it should be no surprise that bondage themes have been present in pornography for some time.
Bondage pornography for heterosexual men almost overwhelmingly depicts bound women, rather than bound men, despite the most common fantasy in both sexes being one of being bound, rather than of being the dominant. This may be because many men fear becoming aroused by pictures of other men, and are more willing to identify with a bound woman. It may also be because pictures of bound women allow them to experience vicariously both the heterosexual male dominant and female submissive fantasies.
However, there is a persistent yet small niche of crossdressed men in bondage that has been depicted in photographs and videos published by Harmony Concepts since the early 1970s. Since the advent of the Internet, the world wide web has provided a steady medium for fetish models, such as Delilah Knotty to express the transgendered role of men in bondage. Today, the Internet provides views of human bondage in nearly all aspects not traditionally shown in mainstream pornography.
Technique
Bondage can be divided into six main categories:
Bondage that pulls parts of the body together (rope, straps, harnesses).
Bondage that spreads parts of the body apart (spreader bars, x-frames).
Bondage that ties the body down to another object (such as chairs or stocks).
Bondage that suspends the body from another object (suspension bondage).
Bondage that restricts normal movement (hobble skirts, handcuffs, pony harness).
Bondage that wraps the whole body or a part of it in bindings such as cloth or plastic (saran wrap or cling film "mummification") as well as sleepsack bondage.
Some of the large variety of restraints used in bondage:
Rope, often preferred because of its flexibility. Rigging, however, requires considerable skill and practice to do safely.
Chains, including police handcuffs, thumbcuffs and belly chains.
Institutional restraints, including straitjackets.
Purpose-made bondage gear, such as monogloves, sleepsacks and bondage hooks.
Some simple bondage techniques:
Verbal bondage, in which (as the name suggests) the top simply tells the bottom to do something.
Simply tying the hands together in front or behind.
Anchoring the hands to the front, back or sides of a belt at the waist.
A spread eagle, with the limbs splayed out and fastened by wrists and ankles to bedposts, door frame or some other anchoring point.
A hogtie securing each wrist to its corresponding ankle behind the back (wider, padded restraints such as bondage cuffs are recommended for this).
A ball lock involves fastening a padlock around the male testicles, leaving the male at his partner's mercy for what could be a prolonged period, in private or concealed in public.
The crotch rope involves pulling a rope between the labia to apply pressure to the female genitals. Sometimes a knot is placed in the rope at the position of the clitoris to intensify the sensation.
Some more complex techniques:
The reverse prayer position (not recommended unless the subject has flexible shoulders).
An over-arm tie, in which the arms are brought over the head, and the wrists fastened together behind the head and then by a length of rope, chain or strapping to a belt at the waist.
There are also some common fantasy settings in which bondage is often played:
Rape fantasy: The top fictitiously abducts the consenting bottom and has complete control to do what he/she pleases.
Domination/slavery: A training session occurs in which rewards for obedience and punishment for defiance are given. Humiliation is usually involved.
Predicament bondage: The bottom is given a choice between two tortures. For example, caning on the rear or flogging on the chest. If the bottom cannot stand one any longer, the top will start the other. This can also be done mechanically, like having a bottom squat and rigging a crotch rope to tighten if they attempt to stand.
Bondage is often combined with other sexual and BDSM techniques. See list of bondage positions and list of bondage equipment for more details.
Technique in self-bondage is more complex, involving special methods to apply the bondage to oneself, and also to effect a release after a lapsed period of time. Self-bondage is also notably risky: see the safety notes below.
Safety
Many people regard bondage as safe when conducted between sober, trusted partners who are fully aware of the risks involved and the precautions necessary to ensure safety. Partners who are in committed relationships may have a greater basis for trusting each other. Performing acts in a supervised location, such as a dungeon, or with a group of trusted friends may also increase safety.
There is also a subculture of people who seek out others interested in bondage and pursue such activities with people who they do not know well. This subculture has given rise to the safe, sane and consensual credo.
Safety precautions include:
The use of a "safeword", or some clear way for the subject to indicate genuine distress and a wish to abort.
Never leaving a bound person alone.
Avoiding positions or restraints which may induce postural asphyxia.
Making sure that the subject changes positions at least once an hour (to avoid circulation problems).
Making sure that the subject can be released quickly in an emergency.
Avoiding restraints which impair breathing. (Gags or hoods which block the mouth can become asphyxial hazards if the subject vomits or the nose becomes otherwise blocked.)
Remaining sober; alcohol and drugs should be avoided.
One very simple safety measure is to ask the subject every so often if he or she is all right. Another is to check body parts like hands and feet for numbness or coldness, which can happen if nerves have been pinched or blood circulation has been blocked. Another is to check for skin discolouration. Skin that does not get enough oxygen turns bluish. If blood can get in, but can't get out because one of the veins has been blocked, that part of the body turns purple.
If the subject has been gagged or can otherwise not verbally communicate, a different form of the safeword is needed. For instance, they may hum a simple tune, or an object in one hand (typically a ball) can be released.
Some simple preparations may also be helpful:
Food. It is surprisingly common for people (especially those on diets) to faint during a long session. Having a regular meal beforehand is recommended; being fed small snacks during play may also help avoid fainting.
Cutting tools. A pair of EMT scissors—useful for safely cutting rope and tape off skin—is recommended.
Keyed-alike padlocks, if chains are being used.
It should be noted that scenes depicted in bondage photographs and videos are chosen for their visual appeal and fantasy value. In most cases they cannot be "acted out" with good results.
Self-bondage carries a higher risk, particularly because it violates the first principle of bondage safety: to never leave a bound person alone. Without someone to release them in the event of an emergency or medical crisis, self-bondage can be lethal to its practitioners. It has been estimated in the medical literature there are around 500-1000 deaths every year in the United States due to autoerotic asphyxia (self-strangulation) alone.
Why bondage?
People who find it erotic to be tied up find it so for a variety of reasons:
The most frequently cited reason is a mental freedom from inhibitions and responsibility since they have, in a way, given up control of the sexual situation to follow. This is sometimes referred to as a "power exchange."
Some like the tactile feeling of restraint, that is, the feeling of pressure or pulling.
Some enjoy the feeling of helplessness for its own sake. Some like to struggle aggressively against their bonds, particularly when being sexually or otherwise stimulated. There are some in this category who play bondage games that do not include a significant sexual component.
To intensify the experience of orgasm control or of orgasm denial.
Some derive pleasure from symbolic degradation (less common). People who enjoy role playing prison or mental hospital situations probably fit best in this category.
Fetishistic interest in the mechanics of bondage, with particular interest in the equipment and restraints used. Some of these people are interested in the look, feel, and aroma of leather and rubber restraints. Others are fascinated by the relationship between the geometry of the tie, the degrees of freedom remaining and the feelings elicited.
As an adjunct to other BDSM activities
Like hang gliding or mountaineering, some feel that bondage allows them to do something potentially dangerous in a safe way.
In the wide range of human sexual experience, there are probably a few others.
People who enjoy tying other people up are motivated by a variety of reasons, including:
Taking pleasure in the erotic submission of their partner
The feeling of trust which comes from another person placing their physical freedom in their hands
Wishing to please their partner, and the stimulation engendered by their partner's pleasure in it
Fetishistic interest in the elegance of bondage, with particular interest in the geometric patterns and symmetry (or artistic asymmetry) of the restraint
Using bondage as an adjunct to other BDSM activities
Enjoyment of the power and control one has over a restrained partner; people for whom this is a principal motivation may have trouble making it much fun for the other person.
Bondage Philosophy
Perhaps the most interesting and ardent "bondage philosopher" was Michel Foucault. While it is believed Foucault had only a limited personal involvement in the practice of bondage, he wrote a number of intellectual explorations of BDSM culture. He was particularly interested in the power relations that bondage brought to the surface, and how these relations reflected upon a larger societal discourse. Of further interest was the notion of a "Limit Experience", wherein the participant attempted to navigate the line between the most intense pleasure and nearly unbearable pain. While some have derided "Limit Experience" as a perverse manifestation of the Freudian "death instinct", Focault believed bondage could provide a safe and telling environment for studying this concept.
Bondage and relationships
The mechanics of bondage are trivial compared to the relationship issues.
Start with a committed relationship with a lot of trust and plenty of sexual activity together.
Talk things through first.
Start slow and easy.
Take turns being the one being tied up.
Take the simple safety precautions listed above.
Some members of the BDSM subculture take another route and seek out partners who share their interest in bondage. Many act out their bondage fantasies within the confines of private "play" parties where overt genital contact is not allowed between participants.
Some bondage practitioners go through a process often called "negotiation" with potential partners, be they long time partners or more casual relationships. Negotiation is essentially a conversation conducted well before any sexual activity has begun in which each party frankly outlines what they are interested in and what their boundaries are, and out of that shared information comes to a mutual agreement about potential bondage play in upcoming sexual activity. Although some people may find this embarrassing at first, this frank and forthright exchange allows both parties to feel confident about bondage activity and to understand their partner's needs. Due to the vast range of activities and intensities that are possible in bondage play and fetish sex, negotiation is an excellent technique to make sure both parties have realistic expectations and that the anticipated acts will be enjoyable to all involved.
Depictions of bondage in popular culture
Bondage received a positive (if brief) treatment in The Joy of Sex, a mainstream sex manual popular in the 1970s. The publication of Madonna's book, Sex, which included photographs of bound nudes, did a great deal to improve public awareness and acceptance of bondage.
By the 1990s, references to bondage could be found in mainstream prime-time television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where equipment such as handcuffs or collars and concepts such as the safeword were included as a matter of course.
Movies
Bondage is also featured in the following movies (among others):
9 1/2 Weeks
Basic Instinct
Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino
Secretary
Se7en
Euro Trip
The Notorious Bettie Page
Video games
Video games have also featured dominatrices, such as one of the characters for the fighting game, Soul Calibur II(Ivy), for PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. True Crime: Streets of LA also featured an entire mission based around this practice. On one mission on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the player has to obtain a keycard for a rival casino from one of the employees. The player ends up following her to a sex shop, where she dresses up in bondage clothing. The player then has to dress in a gimp suit to disguise himself as the man she has ordered for sex with her in order to obtain the keycard. Postal² features a gimp in the game, and at some point Postal Dude is taken hostage by some rednecks and forced to wear a gimp suit.
Bondage magazines return
Dedicated bondage magazines again became popular in America in the 1970s. Publishers of bondage magazines included Harmony Concepts, Inc. and the House of Milan, and Lyndon Distributors Limited. House of Milan have since been purchased by Lyndon Distributors Limited.
These magazines were not generally available through mainstream distributors, and were sold either in sex shops or by mail order. They contained little advertising content, and were therefore entirely supported by the cover price.
Typically, each magazine consisted of several multi-page pictorials of tied-up women, often with a fictional narrative attached, and one fictional story of three or four pages in length. Sometimes pictorials were replaced by artwork by a fetish artist.
Another type of magazine was the "compendium magazine", usually consisting of a large number of individual photographs drawn from previous magazines, without any linking story.
Because of their relatively small circulation, compared with mainstream pornography, most bondage magazines were printed in black and white, except for the cover and centerfold. In the 1980s and 1990s, experiments were made with adding more color content, but most magazine content remained black and white.
The attitude of some the early magazines could be regarded as misogynistic, in spite of editorial disclaimers that the magazines represented only fantasies. However, in the 1990s magazine publishers started to produce femdom material depicting men in bondage, as well as portraying female models as participants in mutually satisfying bondage games.
Bondage websites and bondage imagery in mainstream pornography
As of 2003, specialist bondage magazines have been mostly displaced by the availability of bondage material on the World Wide Web, and the presence of bondage imagery in mainstream pornographic magazines such as Nugget and Hustler's Taboo magazine.
However, the tradition of bondage magazines continues in the form of "art books" of bondage photographs, published by mainstream publishers such as Taschen.
Japanese bondage:
Shibari (しばり, Shibari?) is a Japanese verb that literally means "to tie" or "to bind" it is used in Japan to describe the artful use of twine to tie objects or packages. Kinbaku (緊縛, Kinbaku?) is the word for "bondage" or Kinbaku-bi which means "beautiful bondage". Kinbaku (also Sokubaku) is a Japanese style of sexual bondage or BDSM which involves tying up the bottom (or uke) simple yet visually intricate patterns, usually with several pieces of thin rope (generally 6mm or 8mm). The word Shibari came in to common use in the west at some point in the 1990s to describe the bondage art Kinbaku.
Japanese Bondage is said to differ from Western bondage in that, instead of just immobilizing or restraining the bottom, the bottom gains pleasure from being under the pressure and strain of the ropes, squeezing the breasts or genitals—though there are examples of Western bondages enthusiasts such as John Willie. The main difference is that Western full-body bonage uses long lengths of rope (early on cotton rope, later in the 1980s or 1990s nylon become popular, later still—around 2000—polypropylene became the material of choice) as opposed to Japanese bondage which uses multiple pieces of rope of 7 meters. Japanese bondage as practiced in Japan also uses relatively simple knots (requiring only about two to five types of knots), while western bondage enthusiasts tend to favor more complex knots.
The aesthetics of the bound person's position are also important: in particular, Japanese bondage is notorious for its use of asymmetric positions to heighten the psychological impact of bondage.
History
Although some of the techniques of Japanese sexual bondage originated with the military restraint technique of Hojojutsu, sexual bondage techniques are far gentler, and great care is taken to avoid injury.
Many rope artists have derived their own flavor of Japanese-inspired bondage which often mixes some Shibari techniques with other forms of bondage.
Kinbaku is greatly influenced by the Sengoku period of Japan. One of Japan's darkest historical eras of torture and execution, it is still remembered for cruel means and methods that include the use of fire, knives, tattoos, rocks, boiling water, divining blocks and rocking horses[citation needed], etc.
Eventually (in 1742) the Tokugawa government created a foundation of crime laws, which included the seven different types of punishment (Labour, slavery, exile, death, etc) and the four kinds of torture (whip, pressing stone, constriction by rope, and hanging by rope).
According to several sources, bondage as a sexual activity first came to notice in Japan in the late Edo period. Generally recognized as "father of Kinbaku" is Ito Seiu, who started studying and researching Hojojutsu in 1908 and turned it into an art form. Kinbaku became widely popular in the 1950s in magazine form (some sources to some extent credit influence from John Willie with popularizing Kinbaku). In the 1960s, a tradition of bondage as a form of performance art developed in Japan.
In recent years Japanese style ropework has become popular in the western BDSM scene.
Technique
Traditional Kinbaku is based on fairly specific rope patterns, most of them derived from Hojojutsu ties. Of particular importance are the Takate Kote (a type of arm box tie), which forms the basis of most Kinbaku ties, and the Ebi, or "Shrimp", which was originally designed as a torture tie but today makes the bottom vulnerable for more pleasant forms of play.
Generally, traditional Kinbaku is practiced with ropes of 7 meters (23 feet) in length. Due to the generally different physique of Western bottoms, 8 meter (26 feet) ropes are commonly used in the West. The rope material is usually hemp or jute (neither sisal nor manila hemp are usually useful), prepared according to specific techniques to achieve a pleasantly soft yet sturdy rope. Other materials are also sometimes used, although most synthetic ropes tend to be too slippery for Shibari techniques.
For historic reasons, Kinbaku uses very few knots, sometimes none at all, or only a lark's head or an overhand knot. This requires rope with high friction.
Glossary
kinbaku (緊縛, kinbaku?): (noun) bondage
shibari (縛り, shibari?): (noun) to tie or bind
nawa shibari (縄縛り, nawa shibari?): (noun) rope tying
nawashi (縄師, nawashi?): (noun) a professional rope bondage performer in Japan
constraction from From Wikipedia.
Studies in the U.S. have shown that about three quarters of all men find the idea of bondage to be erotic; many women do as well. As with any study of sexual thoughts and behavior, the available studies are not well controlled and the best studies are now out of date
BDSM subcultures:
It is worth noting that bondage has sexual appeal to persons of both sexes and all sexual orientations. However, a subculture of gay men, sometimes called leathermen, were arguably among the first group to make obvious hints of their tastes in bondage in public.
The growth of the gay leather subculture parallels the biker culture that arose after World War II -- a number of early leathermen were WW2 veterans, and the military traditions of discipline and structure were an important influence in Old Guard leather. While the bikers were not identified as homosexual, the leathermen admired their toughness, tenacity, and willingness to ignore mainstream social mores. Consequently, they adopted the biker style of dress, particularly the use of black leather. While this served a utilitarian purpose for the bikers, in providing warmth and protection from "road rash", it was primarily of fashion and fetishistic value to the leathermen, who for the most part did not ride motorcycles extensively.
Beginning in the late 1960s, heterosexual groups began to come together to explore bondage and power exchange. With time, these groups have grown and have raised their profile somewhat, to the point where most U.S. cities of any size have one or more such groups. A major goal of most of these groups is to provide semi-public opportunities for BDSM, in an effort to provide a safe environment for relative strangers to engage in such activities. As such, these groups attach high importance to objective safety rules, such as the use of safewords
Couples and bondage:
Although reliable data are unavailable, the financial success of companies that market bondage equipment testifies to the fact that it is more than fantasy to many; it is plausible that a sizeable proportion of couples have made regular use of bondage in their sexual activities at some point in their relationships. This is especially plausible considering that common household items can be used for play, such as rope for restraint or a padlock for a ball lock.
For the most part, such bondage games end in sex. In contrast, bondage games between more casually acquainted players in the BDSM subculture frequently end in masturbation only, or in some cases include no sexual release at all. In the case of a ball lock, the male is capable of intercourse, but remains bound indefinitely.
Safety rules followed by couples in a committed relationship are frequently more subjective and trust-based. These differences can lead to culture clash where a couple with a history of bondage games together encounters the BDSM subculture: the couple can't understand the insistence on safewords, while the members of the subculture can't understand the focus on sexual intercourse.
Bondage erotica
Two women tapegagged and cuffed to iron barsStudies1 of men's sexual fantasies have shown that the fantasy of being bound during intercourse is second in frequency only to the basic fantasy of sex with a voluptuous nude woman. Consequently, it should be no surprise that bondage themes have been present in pornography for some time.
Bondage pornography for heterosexual men almost overwhelmingly depicts bound women, rather than bound men, despite the most common fantasy in both sexes being one of being bound, rather than of being the dominant. This may be because many men fear becoming aroused by pictures of other men, and are more willing to identify with a bound woman. It may also be because pictures of bound women allow them to experience vicariously both the heterosexual male dominant and female submissive fantasies.
However, there is a persistent yet small niche of crossdressed men in bondage that has been depicted in photographs and videos published by Harmony Concepts since the early 1970s. Since the advent of the Internet, the world wide web has provided a steady medium for fetish models, such as Delilah Knotty to express the transgendered role of men in bondage. Today, the Internet provides views of human bondage in nearly all aspects not traditionally shown in mainstream pornography.
Technique
Bondage can be divided into six main categories:
Bondage that pulls parts of the body together (rope, straps, harnesses).
Bondage that spreads parts of the body apart (spreader bars, x-frames).
Bondage that ties the body down to another object (such as chairs or stocks).
Bondage that suspends the body from another object (suspension bondage).
Bondage that restricts normal movement (hobble skirts, handcuffs, pony harness).
Bondage that wraps the whole body or a part of it in bindings such as cloth or plastic (saran wrap or cling film "mummification") as well as sleepsack bondage.
Some of the large variety of restraints used in bondage:
Rope, often preferred because of its flexibility. Rigging, however, requires considerable skill and practice to do safely.
Chains, including police handcuffs, thumbcuffs and belly chains.
Institutional restraints, including straitjackets.
Purpose-made bondage gear, such as monogloves, sleepsacks and bondage hooks.
Some simple bondage techniques:
Verbal bondage, in which (as the name suggests) the top simply tells the bottom to do something.
Simply tying the hands together in front or behind.
Anchoring the hands to the front, back or sides of a belt at the waist.
A spread eagle, with the limbs splayed out and fastened by wrists and ankles to bedposts, door frame or some other anchoring point.
A hogtie securing each wrist to its corresponding ankle behind the back (wider, padded restraints such as bondage cuffs are recommended for this).
A ball lock involves fastening a padlock around the male testicles, leaving the male at his partner's mercy for what could be a prolonged period, in private or concealed in public.
The crotch rope involves pulling a rope between the labia to apply pressure to the female genitals. Sometimes a knot is placed in the rope at the position of the clitoris to intensify the sensation.
Some more complex techniques:
The reverse prayer position (not recommended unless the subject has flexible shoulders).
An over-arm tie, in which the arms are brought over the head, and the wrists fastened together behind the head and then by a length of rope, chain or strapping to a belt at the waist.
There are also some common fantasy settings in which bondage is often played:
Rape fantasy: The top fictitiously abducts the consenting bottom and has complete control to do what he/she pleases.
Domination/slavery: A training session occurs in which rewards for obedience and punishment for defiance are given. Humiliation is usually involved.
Predicament bondage: The bottom is given a choice between two tortures. For example, caning on the rear or flogging on the chest. If the bottom cannot stand one any longer, the top will start the other. This can also be done mechanically, like having a bottom squat and rigging a crotch rope to tighten if they attempt to stand.
Bondage is often combined with other sexual and BDSM techniques. See list of bondage positions and list of bondage equipment for more details.
Technique in self-bondage is more complex, involving special methods to apply the bondage to oneself, and also to effect a release after a lapsed period of time. Self-bondage is also notably risky: see the safety notes below.
Safety
Many people regard bondage as safe when conducted between sober, trusted partners who are fully aware of the risks involved and the precautions necessary to ensure safety. Partners who are in committed relationships may have a greater basis for trusting each other. Performing acts in a supervised location, such as a dungeon, or with a group of trusted friends may also increase safety.
There is also a subculture of people who seek out others interested in bondage and pursue such activities with people who they do not know well. This subculture has given rise to the safe, sane and consensual credo.
Safety precautions include:
The use of a "safeword", or some clear way for the subject to indicate genuine distress and a wish to abort.
Never leaving a bound person alone.
Avoiding positions or restraints which may induce postural asphyxia.
Making sure that the subject changes positions at least once an hour (to avoid circulation problems).
Making sure that the subject can be released quickly in an emergency.
Avoiding restraints which impair breathing. (Gags or hoods which block the mouth can become asphyxial hazards if the subject vomits or the nose becomes otherwise blocked.)
Remaining sober; alcohol and drugs should be avoided.
One very simple safety measure is to ask the subject every so often if he or she is all right. Another is to check body parts like hands and feet for numbness or coldness, which can happen if nerves have been pinched or blood circulation has been blocked. Another is to check for skin discolouration. Skin that does not get enough oxygen turns bluish. If blood can get in, but can't get out because one of the veins has been blocked, that part of the body turns purple.
If the subject has been gagged or can otherwise not verbally communicate, a different form of the safeword is needed. For instance, they may hum a simple tune, or an object in one hand (typically a ball) can be released.
Some simple preparations may also be helpful:
Food. It is surprisingly common for people (especially those on diets) to faint during a long session. Having a regular meal beforehand is recommended; being fed small snacks during play may also help avoid fainting.
Cutting tools. A pair of EMT scissors—useful for safely cutting rope and tape off skin—is recommended.
Keyed-alike padlocks, if chains are being used.
It should be noted that scenes depicted in bondage photographs and videos are chosen for their visual appeal and fantasy value. In most cases they cannot be "acted out" with good results.
Self-bondage carries a higher risk, particularly because it violates the first principle of bondage safety: to never leave a bound person alone. Without someone to release them in the event of an emergency or medical crisis, self-bondage can be lethal to its practitioners. It has been estimated in the medical literature there are around 500-1000 deaths every year in the United States due to autoerotic asphyxia (self-strangulation) alone.
Why bondage?
People who find it erotic to be tied up find it so for a variety of reasons:
The most frequently cited reason is a mental freedom from inhibitions and responsibility since they have, in a way, given up control of the sexual situation to follow. This is sometimes referred to as a "power exchange."
Some like the tactile feeling of restraint, that is, the feeling of pressure or pulling.
Some enjoy the feeling of helplessness for its own sake. Some like to struggle aggressively against their bonds, particularly when being sexually or otherwise stimulated. There are some in this category who play bondage games that do not include a significant sexual component.
To intensify the experience of orgasm control or of orgasm denial.
Some derive pleasure from symbolic degradation (less common). People who enjoy role playing prison or mental hospital situations probably fit best in this category.
Fetishistic interest in the mechanics of bondage, with particular interest in the equipment and restraints used. Some of these people are interested in the look, feel, and aroma of leather and rubber restraints. Others are fascinated by the relationship between the geometry of the tie, the degrees of freedom remaining and the feelings elicited.
As an adjunct to other BDSM activities
Like hang gliding or mountaineering, some feel that bondage allows them to do something potentially dangerous in a safe way.
In the wide range of human sexual experience, there are probably a few others.
People who enjoy tying other people up are motivated by a variety of reasons, including:
Taking pleasure in the erotic submission of their partner
The feeling of trust which comes from another person placing their physical freedom in their hands
Wishing to please their partner, and the stimulation engendered by their partner's pleasure in it
Fetishistic interest in the elegance of bondage, with particular interest in the geometric patterns and symmetry (or artistic asymmetry) of the restraint
Using bondage as an adjunct to other BDSM activities
Enjoyment of the power and control one has over a restrained partner; people for whom this is a principal motivation may have trouble making it much fun for the other person.
Bondage Philosophy
Perhaps the most interesting and ardent "bondage philosopher" was Michel Foucault. While it is believed Foucault had only a limited personal involvement in the practice of bondage, he wrote a number of intellectual explorations of BDSM culture. He was particularly interested in the power relations that bondage brought to the surface, and how these relations reflected upon a larger societal discourse. Of further interest was the notion of a "Limit Experience", wherein the participant attempted to navigate the line between the most intense pleasure and nearly unbearable pain. While some have derided "Limit Experience" as a perverse manifestation of the Freudian "death instinct", Focault believed bondage could provide a safe and telling environment for studying this concept.
Bondage and relationships
The mechanics of bondage are trivial compared to the relationship issues.
Start with a committed relationship with a lot of trust and plenty of sexual activity together.
Talk things through first.
Start slow and easy.
Take turns being the one being tied up.
Take the simple safety precautions listed above.
Some members of the BDSM subculture take another route and seek out partners who share their interest in bondage. Many act out their bondage fantasies within the confines of private "play" parties where overt genital contact is not allowed between participants.
Some bondage practitioners go through a process often called "negotiation" with potential partners, be they long time partners or more casual relationships. Negotiation is essentially a conversation conducted well before any sexual activity has begun in which each party frankly outlines what they are interested in and what their boundaries are, and out of that shared information comes to a mutual agreement about potential bondage play in upcoming sexual activity. Although some people may find this embarrassing at first, this frank and forthright exchange allows both parties to feel confident about bondage activity and to understand their partner's needs. Due to the vast range of activities and intensities that are possible in bondage play and fetish sex, negotiation is an excellent technique to make sure both parties have realistic expectations and that the anticipated acts will be enjoyable to all involved.
Depictions of bondage in popular culture
Bondage received a positive (if brief) treatment in The Joy of Sex, a mainstream sex manual popular in the 1970s. The publication of Madonna's book, Sex, which included photographs of bound nudes, did a great deal to improve public awareness and acceptance of bondage.
By the 1990s, references to bondage could be found in mainstream prime-time television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where equipment such as handcuffs or collars and concepts such as the safeword were included as a matter of course.
Movies
Bondage is also featured in the following movies (among others):
9 1/2 Weeks
Basic Instinct
Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino
Secretary
Se7en
Euro Trip
The Notorious Bettie Page
Video games
Video games have also featured dominatrices, such as one of the characters for the fighting game, Soul Calibur II(Ivy), for PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. True Crime: Streets of LA also featured an entire mission based around this practice. On one mission on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the player has to obtain a keycard for a rival casino from one of the employees. The player ends up following her to a sex shop, where she dresses up in bondage clothing. The player then has to dress in a gimp suit to disguise himself as the man she has ordered for sex with her in order to obtain the keycard. Postal² features a gimp in the game, and at some point Postal Dude is taken hostage by some rednecks and forced to wear a gimp suit.
Bondage magazines return
Dedicated bondage magazines again became popular in America in the 1970s. Publishers of bondage magazines included Harmony Concepts, Inc. and the House of Milan, and Lyndon Distributors Limited. House of Milan have since been purchased by Lyndon Distributors Limited.
These magazines were not generally available through mainstream distributors, and were sold either in sex shops or by mail order. They contained little advertising content, and were therefore entirely supported by the cover price.
Typically, each magazine consisted of several multi-page pictorials of tied-up women, often with a fictional narrative attached, and one fictional story of three or four pages in length. Sometimes pictorials were replaced by artwork by a fetish artist.
Another type of magazine was the "compendium magazine", usually consisting of a large number of individual photographs drawn from previous magazines, without any linking story.
Because of their relatively small circulation, compared with mainstream pornography, most bondage magazines were printed in black and white, except for the cover and centerfold. In the 1980s and 1990s, experiments were made with adding more color content, but most magazine content remained black and white.
The attitude of some the early magazines could be regarded as misogynistic, in spite of editorial disclaimers that the magazines represented only fantasies. However, in the 1990s magazine publishers started to produce femdom material depicting men in bondage, as well as portraying female models as participants in mutually satisfying bondage games.
Bondage websites and bondage imagery in mainstream pornography
As of 2003, specialist bondage magazines have been mostly displaced by the availability of bondage material on the World Wide Web, and the presence of bondage imagery in mainstream pornographic magazines such as Nugget and Hustler's Taboo magazine.
However, the tradition of bondage magazines continues in the form of "art books" of bondage photographs, published by mainstream publishers such as Taschen.
Japanese bondage:
Shibari (しばり, Shibari?) is a Japanese verb that literally means "to tie" or "to bind" it is used in Japan to describe the artful use of twine to tie objects or packages. Kinbaku (緊縛, Kinbaku?) is the word for "bondage" or Kinbaku-bi which means "beautiful bondage". Kinbaku (also Sokubaku) is a Japanese style of sexual bondage or BDSM which involves tying up the bottom (or uke) simple yet visually intricate patterns, usually with several pieces of thin rope (generally 6mm or 8mm). The word Shibari came in to common use in the west at some point in the 1990s to describe the bondage art Kinbaku.
Japanese Bondage is said to differ from Western bondage in that, instead of just immobilizing or restraining the bottom, the bottom gains pleasure from being under the pressure and strain of the ropes, squeezing the breasts or genitals—though there are examples of Western bondages enthusiasts such as John Willie. The main difference is that Western full-body bonage uses long lengths of rope (early on cotton rope, later in the 1980s or 1990s nylon become popular, later still—around 2000—polypropylene became the material of choice) as opposed to Japanese bondage which uses multiple pieces of rope of 7 meters. Japanese bondage as practiced in Japan also uses relatively simple knots (requiring only about two to five types of knots), while western bondage enthusiasts tend to favor more complex knots.
The aesthetics of the bound person's position are also important: in particular, Japanese bondage is notorious for its use of asymmetric positions to heighten the psychological impact of bondage.
History
Although some of the techniques of Japanese sexual bondage originated with the military restraint technique of Hojojutsu, sexual bondage techniques are far gentler, and great care is taken to avoid injury.
Many rope artists have derived their own flavor of Japanese-inspired bondage which often mixes some Shibari techniques with other forms of bondage.
Kinbaku is greatly influenced by the Sengoku period of Japan. One of Japan's darkest historical eras of torture and execution, it is still remembered for cruel means and methods that include the use of fire, knives, tattoos, rocks, boiling water, divining blocks and rocking horses[citation needed], etc.
Eventually (in 1742) the Tokugawa government created a foundation of crime laws, which included the seven different types of punishment (Labour, slavery, exile, death, etc) and the four kinds of torture (whip, pressing stone, constriction by rope, and hanging by rope).
According to several sources, bondage as a sexual activity first came to notice in Japan in the late Edo period. Generally recognized as "father of Kinbaku" is Ito Seiu, who started studying and researching Hojojutsu in 1908 and turned it into an art form. Kinbaku became widely popular in the 1950s in magazine form (some sources to some extent credit influence from John Willie with popularizing Kinbaku). In the 1960s, a tradition of bondage as a form of performance art developed in Japan.
In recent years Japanese style ropework has become popular in the western BDSM scene.
Technique
Traditional Kinbaku is based on fairly specific rope patterns, most of them derived from Hojojutsu ties. Of particular importance are the Takate Kote (a type of arm box tie), which forms the basis of most Kinbaku ties, and the Ebi, or "Shrimp", which was originally designed as a torture tie but today makes the bottom vulnerable for more pleasant forms of play.
Generally, traditional Kinbaku is practiced with ropes of 7 meters (23 feet) in length. Due to the generally different physique of Western bottoms, 8 meter (26 feet) ropes are commonly used in the West. The rope material is usually hemp or jute (neither sisal nor manila hemp are usually useful), prepared according to specific techniques to achieve a pleasantly soft yet sturdy rope. Other materials are also sometimes used, although most synthetic ropes tend to be too slippery for Shibari techniques.
For historic reasons, Kinbaku uses very few knots, sometimes none at all, or only a lark's head or an overhand knot. This requires rope with high friction.
Glossary
kinbaku (緊縛, kinbaku?): (noun) bondage
shibari (縛り, shibari?): (noun) to tie or bind
nawa shibari (縄縛り, nawa shibari?): (noun) rope tying
nawashi (縄師, nawashi?): (noun) a professional rope bondage performer in Japan
constraction from From Wikipedia.