World BDSM day was created in 2003 by Kurt Walter Fisher, owner of the Rosas Cinco Club in Barcelona. Fisher wanted to create a day devoted to BDSM so those who followed these practices could have a day to celebrate. July 24th is a nod toward the practice of 24/7 BDSM, when a submissive and dominant enter into agreement to keep their BDSM roles full-time 24/7.
Take a look at this (very) limited list. See anything that jumps out? Anything can be kinky to someone, oftentimes it just depends on the context!
What does BDSM stand for?
Bondage & Discipline
Domination & submission
Sadism & Masochism
The B & The D
Bondage is the consensual tying, binding, or restraining of your partner. Restraints can be ropes, handcuffs, belts, etc.
Discipline involves following rules and protocols or changing your behavior to suit another person. Consequences and “punishment” may be doled out for missteps.
Dominance & Submission a.k.a. D/s
Power Exchange is a term often used to describe D/s relationships. Submissive partners willingly and voluntarily give control to the dominant partners, it may be in a specific situation, for a specified period of time, or completely. This may include bondage and discipline.
Sadism & Masochism a.k.a sadomasochism
Surprise!! You don’t need to be either of these to be a dominant or a submissive! Sadists find pleasure in giving pain. Masochists find pleasure in receiving pain.
Your desires/wants/needs are not weird! What is weird to you, might be normal to another person or vice versa. Embrace it and find your people!
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Many thanks to our intern Amanda N. (she/her) for working on this topic! Graphics finalized by our social media maven Victoria (she/her).