At its best, BDSM is a way to help partners connect, communicate their desires, and live their fantasies. It comes as no surprise, then, that some research shows that practicing BDSM is associated with greater relationship satisfaction. But what about BDSM’s effect on sex? A May 2023 study compared the sexual function of people practicing D/s and those who don’t and uncovered interesting findings—some perhaps predictable and some concerning.
(more…)Research Recap: Do Kinky College Students Value Consent?
It’s an understatement to say that consent is a big deal among people in the BDSM community. Whether online, at a big event, or in a class at the local BDSM dungeon, teachers and event leaders never go near the sexy stuff until they’ve covered consent and risk awareness. There have been lots of studies demonstrating that BDSM community members have good consent practices relative to the general population, but what about all the kinksters who haven’t yet entered the scene? How common is kink in the general public, and do they behave like BDSM community members with respect to consent-seeking behavior and safety? Caroline C. Boyd-Rogers and her fellow researchers conducted a study called “BDSM Proclivity Among College Students” to find out. The results were published in Springer Nature in 2022.
(more…)Research Recap: How Racist Is the BDSM Community?
If you’ve ever been to a kink event, you probably know that the BDSM community isn’t winning any medals for BIPOC representation. A 2021 study attempts to explore some of the issues at the intersection of race and kink, particularly racial discrimination, fetishization, and inclusivity in the BDSM community. Here’s what you need to know.
(more…)Research Recap: Does BDSM Lead to Better Sex and Relationships?
Research Recap: Is BDSM Just about Sex?
Conventional wisdom and scientific assumptions about BDSM hold that it’s entirely about sexual desire. In a new study, a BDSM insider hypothesizes that this is partly a myth and studies the sexual habits of people in the public BDSM scene to get a clearer picture. Here’s what you need to know.
(more…)Research Recap: Is Bad BDSM Letting Men Get Away with Murder?
Is the normalization of BDSM in the media connected to the use of the “sex games gone wrong” defense in murder trials of men who have killed women? New research attempts to answer this question. Here’s what you need to know.
(more…)Research Recap: Are Leathermen Misogynists?
Research Recap: Is BDSM a Sexual Orientation?
Research Recap: How Do BDSM Roles Impact Sexual Satisfaction?
BDSM Movie Review & Recap: Sanctuary
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases made via one of the links below (at no additional cost to you).
Sanctuary (2022), a taut psychological BDSM drama directed by Zachary Wigon, tells the story of Hal (Christopher Abbott), a wealthy hotel scion who attempts to call off his long-standing arrangement with his pro dom Rebecca (Margaret Qualley). But Rebecca isn’t willing to give him up without a fight, and emotional and physical chaos ensue.
As the latest entry into the BDSM film catalog, there’s a lot to appreciate about Sanctuary. It’s clear the filmmakers did their research and portrayed some authentic aspects of a kinky dynamic, even though it’s pushed over the top for the sake of the drama. Perhaps predictably, this is not the film to watch if you want pointers on how to conduct a healthy BDSM dynamic, but it does a number of things quite well if you view it through the lens of fantasy.
(more…)