Fashion, Media, and
Hidden Sexual Cultures
Choker necklaces are on trend again after their incredible power
swept the nation in the 90s. One point of contention with this fashion trend is
the seemingly dark undertones the necklaces seem to carry. Looking directly at
the name and the physical limitations the garment provides, the necklaces do suggest there are
some deviant connotations that follow. Chokers, in some instances, represent
far more than a cute accessory that you arbitrarily choose to wear; in some
sexual cultures they represent someone who participates in a subversive sexual relationship.
BDSM, for those who haven’t heard the sensationalized stories
all over the media in recent years, means bondage and discipline, sado-masochism,
and may entail a dominant-submissive relationship. Individuals who participate
in BDSM relationships do not have to participate in all aspects of BDSM, but
have a choice to express themselves as freely as possible with their partner without
the entanglements and social stigmas of sexual norms. Unfortunately, these
sexual relationships are ostracized because of the misconceptions that they are
violent, degrading, and unsafe. Most of the arguments against BDSM come from
people who are looking at the practices with an outsider’s perspective and
applying sexual norms of another culture to BDSM.
Fashion is linked to BDSM with the use of chokers to identify a
submissive partner. The term “collared” is used to describe someone who wholly
dedicated to their dominant and the collar is a physical marker to indicate
that the submissive is off-limits. It is not only a reminder to the dominant
and submissive that they have these set roles, but it is also a marker to
others outside the relationship. A downside to the use of the collar as a
physical marker to outsiders is the potential for ostracism and embarrassment.
BDSM culture has garnered national attention in recent years
with books, and now films, like Fifty
Shades of Grey, but not all publicity is good publicity. The books received
scathing reviews, some for the writing style, but mostly for content (do not
think the text is wholly representative of the culture). Bringing aspects of
BDSM into daily conversation has shed light on a national fear of BDSM culture
and those who participate in it. What some people don’t realize is that
participating in BDSM culture can run the risk of you losing your job, going to
jail, and can even threaten your life when you are exposed. The culture has
been vilified enough just over texts and movies, just imagine what happens when
someone is found participating in these subversive relationships.
Openly talking about BDSM is one way to normalize the concepts
and practices. Even BuzzFeed has done some research about the BDSM culture (I’ll
attach some links below). The largest issue that causes discrimination against those
who participate in BDSM culture is misunderstanding. Researching the culture
and talking to someone who has experience in BDSM (if you can find someone
willing to talk) are just a few ways to gain some understanding of the culture
and how it is a viable and normal avenue of sexual expression.
Additional
Links/Research:
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ReplyDeleteMs. Gravette made a clever observation in linking the current trend of choker necklaces to the common BDSM concept of being “collared.” Other fashion statements have been popularized that carry similar connotations. Celebrities such as the Kardashian sisters, Rihanna, and Beyoncé Knowles have made appearances in outfits made of leather, latex, and PVC, materials commonly sexualized in BDSM culture. Leather thigh-high boots, a trend which can even be seen around our campus, mimic those commonly donned by dominatrices, or dominant women. In the past couple of decades, several high fashion designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, and Versace have included themes of bondage in runway shows. These shows often include models wearing harnesses, straps, blindfolds, and carrying crops or canes such as those used for punishing a submissive. While some consider this to be a display of the hypersexualization of women in the fashion industry, others consider it a tool to normalize the culture of BDSM that is often considered sexually deviant.
ReplyDeleteThe mainstream success of the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise had the potential to be somewhat liberating to members of BDSM culture. Ideally, the popularity of the books and movies would have served as another tool to normalize a prominent subculture that is often viewed negatively by outsiders. However, I agree with Ms. Gravette that this may not have been a case of “good publicity”. As her blog mentioned, Fifty Shades is not “wholly representative of the culture” and furthermore, it is all-around pretty unrealistic. The character Anastasia Steele is whisked into a fantasy world of penthouses, helicopters, and the bottomless bank account of her new beau. I know that it is just a story, never actually claiming to be representative of BDSM culture, but its enormous success—such that turned a novel into a giant industry—suggests that a lot of people took it pretty seriously!
The discussion of BDSM in the context of our class, for me, brought up a significant historical linking. One aspect of BDSM is that “DS” in the acronym often stands for dominance/submission. As we have learned in class, sexual relationships in ancient cultures of Greece and Rome were also defined by each member's conformity to an active or passive role. In modern relationships, oftentimes the lines are blurred and neither member exactly fits into a completely active or passive role. Conversely, individuals in BDSM relationships have made a consensual choice to be sexually completely active/dominant or passive/submissive. Unlike in ancient relationships, the roles are not at all dependent on restrictions of gender or socioeconomic standing, but rather quite the opposite: conformity to these roles is liberating and an expression of modern sexual freedom. For example, a wealthy and powerful business may consciously choose to be a sexual submissive, while a meek housewife might be sexually dominant over her husband. Though the dominance/submission aspect of BDSM takes human sexuality back to its ancient roots by placing one partner in an active role and the other in a passive role, modern sexuality and BDSM culture have liberated these roles by making them available to anyone, regardless of class or gender.
http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-week/g5263/best-runway-bondage-fashion/