The BDSM Emblem and BDSM History

The BDSM community is perhaps the most rich and diverse sexual subculture in the world. It is populated by people from all different walks of life, sexual orientations, practices, and preferences. Besides a common interest in all things kinky, there is little else that defines the community as a cohesive group. In fact, the modern BDSM community has stemmed from a marriage of two separate sexual subcultures: the gay leather bar community and the swingers sex scene. While the former had a heavy emphasis on power dynamics and protocol, the latter was all about the sensuality of a physical experience, sexual or otherwise.

After the groups came together, there was more cohesion within the community, but to this day there is still a lot of debate surrounding what is “safe” or “sane” to do. The only thing the community seems to be in whole-hearted agreement on is that consent is important in every encounter, regardless of what “role” one chooses to assume.

The BDSM Emblem, in a sense, is a summation of the similarities that most (if not all) members of the community share with each other. The three separate sections of the Emblem represent the triad of basic rules most kinksters subscribe too, “Safe, Sane, Consensual.” The arms that divide these sections are also thought to be representative of a whip in motion. Impact play (and type of activity that involves the impact of an object on a person) is one of the most popular and easily recognizable forms of kinky play. The color of the sections, black, is meant to symbolize the “dark” nature of the activity. Not only do most kinksters prefer to dress in black, but a lot of kink activity can address very personal, private issues and thus the darkness can be seen as a more of an aspect of introversion, rather than evil or deviance. Finally, the holes that are present in each of the sections recognize that there is always room for improvement. Many people who practice kink as part of their daily life are likely to believe that one can always learn more about their practice or that knowledge can never be complete.

All these images together portray the general feeling of what it means to be part of the BDSM community and perhaps what it strives to be. Due to the great desire for anonymity within and outside the community, there is sometimes a limitation on the kinship that can form. As freer communication becomes more and more accessible, however, these barrios fall and a more complete community forms.

Sources:

http://emblemproject.sagcs.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bdsm#Origins