If you get turned on by being told what to do in bed, obeying your partner’s commands, or being erotically humiliated, it’s possible you’re a submissive. This is the flip side of the D/s coin, or the “right side of the slash.” Whereas dominants guide the scenes and set the rules, submissives follow their lead. But, like follows in dance, submissives are responsible for maintaining their own frame and balance, making the entire D/s scene and dynamic possible.
Welcome to Part 2 of our complete guide to D/s, where we’ll be exploring all the ins and outs of being a BDSM submissive. (In Part 1, we did a deep dive into dominance.). In this post, we cover:
- What healthy submission is (and isn’t)
- How to know if you’re submissive
- Common submissive archetypes
- How to express submission
- Practical exercises to build your submissive presence
- Overcoming common submissive barriers
- Warning signs of unhealthy submissive behaviors
- Next steps and resources
