A Brief History of Fetish Play as We Know It
A Brief History of BDSM and Fetish Play:
As controversial as fetish and BDSM play still seems to be, you might be surprised to know that it's been around longer than any of us can really fathom. The history of fetishism and BDSM play travels a long evolutionary road encountering various distinct cultures and meanings along the way. Instances of fetish and BDSM play date back millenniums, prompting the curious inquiry of whether questionable sexual play is something inherent and engraved within us all. Why do we see so many distinct instances of fetishism and BDSM play at different times in different cultures throughout history if it were not at least part of our psychological design? To explore this question, we will begin with the first emergence of fetish themes in history.
The Emergence of Power Play and Worship: Goddess Worship
Our journey begins in early Mesopotamia, where subjects worshipped a Goddess deity who went by the name of ‘Inanna’. Goddess Inanna is the first documented Deity that has character traits similar to the modern Dominatrix, and even had her subjects worship her by offering physical and sexual tributes. Ancient Hymns dating back to 2285-2250 BCE., depict that Goddess Inanna greatly influenced sexual appetite, attraction, health, and military power at the time. Worshipping Her promoted things like well-being, creation, reproduction and the development of civilization. An ancient artifact recovered from this region depicts offerings of food and other goods brought as tributes by naked men to the Goddess.
The necessity of providing tribute promoted the creation of irrigation and sexuality through reproduction. Anne O. Nomis, author of The History and Arts of the Dominatrix, describes ancient Hymns that depict the Goddess Inanna was celebrated for her ‘holy vulva’ and liberal sexuality; if Inanna descended into the underworld, it was believed all sexual activity ceased on earth and all vigor lost. In other hymns, it’s stated that she uses her sacred vulva to seduce and manipulate the God of Wisdom to bestow upon her all his powers, which she used to force “Men and mountains to bow down to her in submission” (Nomis, 2013) The sacred rituals of Inanna parallel practices of the modern day dominatrix, including gender transformation, pain, punishment, bliss, and altered states of consciousness, states Nomis. Her reign over society created an erotic allure that drove civilized development and constant adoration. This region, known as the ‘fertile crescent’ cradled early hallmarks of civilization like writing, administration systems, architecture and irrigation – hallmarks that were motivated by the worship of a Goddess Deity. Did early Mesopotamians fetishize and submit to their Goddess Deity in similar ways that a submissive bows down to and worships a Dominant? Much in the same, yes.
Secular BDSM and Fetish Play:
Throughout the decades, we find historical accounts of ritual flagellation and whipping performed on men in honor of Goddess Deities from Sparta to Pompeii. Most ancient depictions of Goddess Deities resulted from non-secular practices; it’s not until the 17th and 18th centuries that we begin to see BDSM and fetish play activities and encounter Dominatrices without a religious or spiritual context. In 1725, flogging was first administered by women on men who had trouble reaching sexual arousal; ritual flagellation promoted blood flow to the genitals. These men were referred to as ‘cullies’ which was a term used to tease men who sought out women to fulfill their discipline-themed fantasies.
Another such instance was the rise of flagellation (flogging) largely coined by the ‘Birch Disciplinarians’ in the late 1700’s. The Birch Disciplinarians were a group of women who offered the unique services of mother, stepmother, governess, ladies maid, kept-mistress, housekeeper, etc. to men in the aristocracy. They kept their services clandestine, advertising them as lectures or theatrical plays, but their roles were similar to the modern day dominatrix; they were paid by men who came into their home to receive canings, floggings, role-play and even the occasional pony play. In the mid 1800’s, infatuation for flagellation spread across London, motivating the creation of the ‘Houses of Discipline’. The HOD was a set of establishments that rested entirely on the practice of domination by way of flogging and whipping, relatively similar to the modern day Dungeon.
Infatuation for BDSM and fetish play grew through time. The 1920’s and 30’s birthed the intrigue of fetish photography, which often depicted stern Dominatrices of that age flogging their subjects, adorned with hosiery and corsets. Other fetish photography sets from that era depict the beginning of pony play, where the submissive subject is given headgear and attached to a chariot, expected to cart their Mistress around. In the 1940’s and 1950’s, bondage was incorporated into fetish photography, which helped create the modern image of the Dominatrix. The term ‘Dominatrix’ wasn’t actually coined until the late 1960’s, which developed through underground literature like Bruce Rodgers’ ‘The Bizarre Lovemakers’ and Michael Leigh’s ‘The Velvet Underground’. The popularity of these books and other books like these soared – marking the rise and emergence of BDSM and Fetish play in mainstream media.
In the 1940s and 1950’s, another male Dominated BDSM and Fetish themed subculture surfaced – the leather subculture. Largely stemming from the WWII Biker Culture, the Gay Leather culture that developed in San Francisco is mostly associated with BDSM power exchange activities, Domination and submission – and of course a love for leather. The dynamics of the Gay Leather Culture were one example of the beginning of the Male Dominant in BDSM and fetish play culture.
Overcoming Controversy:
From the 1950s to the 1980s, the modern idea of the Dominatrix we know today really started to form. Famous Dominatrices who practiced during these years in New York and New Jersey made history for challenging the status quo. Because of the conservative nature of the era, Dominatrices making themselves known during these years faced systemized rejection, scrutinized viciously for breaking obscenity laws, according to the police. Ironically enough, Fetish and BDSM play of the modern era are still subject to scrutiny of obscenity laws – something that hasn’t changed much in over 40 years.
Despite the continuous push back from the public and police, the service of the Dominatrix continued to grow and eventually became so popular in the 1980’s that an international directory was dedicated entirely to listing direct ads for Dominatrices and their unique services. In the 1990s and early 2000’s, the Dominatrix and her services were favorable and popular, inspiring and motivating other vanilla women to take up the profession and learn the way of the Dominatrix. Bondage play became more intricate and intense, new and unconventional fetish play started to develop, precautions like safe words were taken into account, and various Dominatrix schools took root all around the world.
New Era Dominatrices: Webcam Dominatrix
The development of the internet and virtual communication provided a new create medium for Dominatrices to offer their services – webcam chat. The number of available Dominatrices soared, and the demand for Male Dominants also grew. Connecting people from opposite ends of the globe, the internet made it convenient for Dominatrices and Male Dominants to offer their services internationally, without even having to step foot out their door. This opened the BDSM and fetish door for thousands of people who wouldn’t otherwise have been exposed to such sexuality, because of one limitation or another. People all across the world have found sexual liberation through online fetish webcam chat, finally finding and achieving the sweet release they’ve been missing for so long. Dominatrices and Male Dominants form long lasting meaningful relationships with clients on cam, satiating the desires of men and women alike. Webcam chat also provides a safe and risk free place to meet with a client, significantly reducing the risk of meeting in a Dungeon or private play space.
The availability of adult webcam chat and furthermore Fetish webcam chat made it possible for many women and men to pursue their Dominant energy and learn to use it for service. This resulted in the BDSM and Fetish play community booming with new Dominatrices and Male Dominants, diversifying the services Dominants offer greatly, transforming the community into the rich, vivacious community it is today.
