bondage
1. The state of one who is bound as a slave or serf.2. A state of subjection to a force, power, or influence.3. The practice of being physically restrained, as with cords or handcuffs, as a means of attaining sexual gratification.
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.
Some couples incorporate elements of bondage into sex lives. Bedroom bondage games can be a form of foreplay.[1] Bedroom bondage is usually mild bondage, with one partner voluntarily being put into restraints by being tied up or cuffed, hogtied or spread-eagled, possibly blindfolded and gagged etc. by the other, who then sexually stimulates the tied partner at will by masturbation, oral sex, a vibrator or intercourse. Bondage can be used for purposes other than sexual foreplay. For example, it may be used in erotic tickling or for sexual teasing.
The tied partner’s satisfaction is often indicated by writhing, struggling or vocalizations etc. The free partner may derive erotic pleasure or achieve sexual arousal from being in a dominant situation, while the tied partner may achieve arousal from being in a largely “helpless” position in the hands of a trusted partner. Either way, the partners may be playing out the bondage games to act out their sexual fantasies (not necessarily the same one) and many established couples find the experience relationship-affirming, as they both require and imply a level of trust between them that is not normally found within more casual relationships.[2]
Safety rules followed by couples are trust-based as one partner is tied up. Sex takes place with the previously given consent of this partner. This could take the form of a sex game or rape fantasy enactment.
Some people regard bondage to be erotically stimulating or sexually arousing. Bondage features in some sexual fantasy scenarios. Studies of men’s 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.[citation needed] Bondage themes have been present in erotica and pornography for some time.
Bondage pornography for heterosexual men almost overwhelmingly depicts bound women, rather than bound men, despite one of the most common fantasies in both sexes being one of being bound.
Bondage fantasies often involve dressing in a role outfit. Typical outfits for the submissive person invoke common icons of passivity or sexual innocence (e.g. a shepherdess, nun or schoolgirl outfit for women, or a leather slave harness and cuffs for men). In a similar respect, the dominant person’s attire often reflect images of power, control, and extreme discipline (a Nazi officer, police or prison warden uniform).
Bondage features prominently in BDSM scenes and sexual roleplay. Bondage has a sexual appeal to people of both sexes and all sexual orientations, in either a dominant (top) or submissive (bottom) role.
There are also some common fantasy settings in which bondage may be a component. These include:
- Rape, ravishment and/or abduction: The top fictitiously seizes or abducts the consenting bottom and has complete control to do what he/she pleases.
- Dominance/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.
