Examiner.com interviewed Yes, Sir editor Rachel Kramer Bussel about the connection between feminism and BDSM, especially related to female submissives and male tops:
“To me, it’s important to remember that we do bring feminism into the bedroom, but there isn’t a single “feminist” way to have sex. One way isn’t better than another and it’s very easy to sit in judgment of other people, especially when they’re doing something you don’t understand or that unnerves you, which I think is especially the case with female submissives/male tops. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t investigate and question and explore our erotic inclinations through a feminist lens, but that it’s complicated and personal.”
Indeed, as the forces of sexual acceptance continue to open up doors previously held shut, erotica literature expands its horizons to accommodate. When asked what she looks for in her anthologies, Bussel says she appreciates “stories that are, firstly, hot, but that also give us some insight into the mind of, say, someone who’s submissive, or dominant.”
As for that dicey combo of feminism and kinky sex, she is quick to point to our changing gender roles. “If feminism is going to be relevant to sexuality, we need to also look at what it’s like for male submissives, for female dominants, for those who aren’t male or female, and for anyone who doesn’t fit into the married heterosexual missionary position so-called ‘norm.’ We can’t police our fantasies; or rather, we can, but then we miss out on so, so much.”
Tags: bdsm, feminism, kink, kinky, Rachel Kramer Bussel, submission, submissive
