Gender equal BDSM practice – a Swedish paradox?

Carlström, Charlotta

doi:10.1080/19419899.2017.1383302

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…During the consent process, the submissive partner may negotiate autonomy over specific duties (Kaldera, 2010;Rinella, 2005), which scholars contend do not necessarily disrupt the hierarchy of control (Dancer et al, 2006;Green, 2007). Feminist scholars have paid special attention to the hierarchies of 24/7 power dynamics (Bauer, 2008;Carlström, 2017), arguing that feminist ideals were sustained in 24/7 BDSM relationships when women freely entered into the arrangement (Ritchie & Barker, 2005). Therefore, consent may be a particularly salient feature of this phenomenon, but empirical evidence is limited.…”

Section: /7 Bdsmmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘A certain evolution’: a phenomenological study of 24/7 BDSM and negotiating consent

Cascalheira

Thomson

Wignall

2021

Psychology & Sexuality

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BDSM as a full-time lifestyle is stigmatized and underexamined as a phenomenon. Previous studies have investigated 24/7 sadomasochism (SM), 24/7 dominance and submission (D/s), or total power exchange (TPE), yet 24/7 BDSM remains under researched. Using a social constructionist and sexual diversity framework, we used insider knowledge to recruit four participants: a female slave/masochist, a male sadist, a female submissive, and a male dominant/protector. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed four superordinate and 10 subordinate themes: routes toward the fundamentals (i.e., sexually explicit resources, kink-related experiences), full-on lifestyle (i.e., self-in-role, flexible rules, shades of play, polyamory), dynamic consent (i.e., honesty, contextual communication), and practicalities (i.e., challenges, benefits). Our findings suggested that 24/7 BDSM is a socially constructed, consensual, full-time adherence to kink-related roles and behaviors untethered to time-limited scenes, woven into other life domains, and operating as an umbrella term to encompass other perpetual power dynamics. The themes contribute to the debate of kink as a sexual identity or serious leisure. We concluded that the centrality of self-in-role coupled with leisure features support 24/7 BDSM as an erotic lifestyle. Implications for sexual diversity, sex education, clinical guidelines, and social justice are discussed.

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Section: /7 Bdsmmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘A certain evolution’: a phenomenological study of 24/7 BDSM and negotiating consent

Cascalheira

Thomson

Wignall

2021

Psychology & Sexuality

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“…The informants describe welcoming attitudes toward newcomers and a learning process in which they assimilate techniques, rules and norms of the community, as well as a social responsibility where the participants are taught a moral and ethical behaviour (see also Beckmann, 2009). Several studies indicate that by highlighting the significant role of consent in the practices, practitioners can position themselves against the discourse of BDSM as violence (Barker, 2013; Bauer, 2014; Carlström, 2017; Cruz, 2016).…”

Section: What Is Bdsm?mentioning

confidence: 99%

BDSM – the antithesis of good Swedish sex?

Carlström

2018

Sexualities

Self Cite

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In this article, based on ethnographic fieldwork, and interviews with 29 self-defined BDSM practitioners, I explore the incorporation process of BDSM (Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism) in Swedish society. I argue that the so-called ‘good sexuality’ described by Gayle Rubin (2011) and Don Kulick (2005) is still alive as a normative principle in this context. Drawing on Foucault’s concept ‘biopower’ (1976), I show that to gain acceptance and to fit into a society characterized by ‘good sexuality’, BDSM has to be normalized. This normalization process is closely connected to a middle-class hegemony and results in limitations that in various ways affect the practitioners, as well as impacting the transgressive core of BDSM.

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“…Due to the stigma, there is an underlying fear of being found out which may result in hiding one's sexuality and remaining in the closet. Kink may not be acceptable in our society, although it is desirable as it allows individuals to explore the forbidden and experience strong affects (Carlström 2017). Thus, my research interest is in how stigma and normativity can be seen in the context of kink and identity formation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Secrecy to Pride

Pohtinen

2019

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In this article, I discuss how the kink identity is constructed in a society where kink is defined as non-normative and stigmatised. I do this through an af- fective reading of my research material: autobiographical writings by kinky identified individuals. By looking at the affects, I have been able to recognize those elements that are integral to the kink experience. Affective states, such as fear of being found out, frustration, loneliness, hope, and excitement were expressed in the writings. Kink is negotiated with regard to normativity and stigma through mechanisms which may produce behaviour such as staying in the closet and secrecy about the individual’s kinky desires. Due to the stigma, people may even denounce their own preferences as wrong and unacceptable, and accepting one’s kinkiness may be described as a journey requiring cour- age. Kink communities function as safer spaces for the kinky, where the neg- ative experiences and affects may even turn into kinky pride. Furthermore, the secrecy and the fear of being found out may also function as the very fas- cinations of kink. To further highlight the affective states regarding kink, I employ a method of ethnographic fiction that is based on my own embodied and affective knowledge of kink.

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Gender equal BDSM practice – a Swedish paradox?

Cited by 14 publications

References 34 publications

‘A certain evolution’: a phenomenological study of 24/7 BDSM and negotiating consent

‘A certain evolution’: a phenomenological study of 24/7 BDSM and negotiating consent

BDSM – the antithesis of good Swedish sex?

From Secrecy to Pride

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