Male submission

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A submissive man bound to a bedframe

Male submission describes BDSM and other sexual activities in which the submissive partner is male. It generally refers to sexual activities and desires in which a male-identified person, such as a man, plays a subservient role to a dominant partner. The term "male submissive" and its abbreviation malesub are widely used in BDSM subcultures to refer to such a person. The female dominant counterpart is abbreviated femdom, while the male dominant counterpart is abbreviated maledom.

Variations of submissive expression

The particular activities considered submissive for men vary widely depending on local and cultural custom as well as the context for a particular encounter. For people whose sexuality is strongly heteronormative and "vanilla", merely breaking from traditional sexual positions such as having sexual intercourse with the female-bodied partner "on top" may be considered a form of male submission. Within the context of sexual or romantic power-exchange (D/s) relationships, male submission may take a number of other forms, including sadomasochistic sex or non-sexual servitude.

Use of attributes

Often several attributes may be used to show that a man is submissive within an BDSM-play. Of a high symbolic meaning is the wearing of a leather or even steel slavecollar, whereas being locked up in a chastitybelt makes clear that a submissive has handed over the say about his own sexuality to the dominant. Muzzles, gags and headmasks may attribute further to demonstrate the unequal relationship existing between sub and top, which may also be enhanced by a lot of rules about behaviour as a kind of SM-etiquette.

A submissive man in an appropriate position, sitting on his knees, hands behind his head, and wearing the characteristic attributes of a heavy stainless steel chastity belt and a leather muzzle gag


Impact on feminism

The existence, motivations, and effects of men who wish to personally submit themselves to the authority of a woman is a topic of debate among sex negative [1] radical feminists, and hyper-masculine frat culture, as they both subscribe to the exact same patriarchal world view, disagreeing only over whether to fight for or against. Sex positive feminism, meanwhile, has actually dominated a few submissive men, and may have different opinions [2] regarding binary sex roles.

However, the existence and arguable prevalence of submissive men [3] threatens the common belief in masculinity as inherently dominant. To counter this seeming setback, it has been argued by anti-pornography feminists that male submission may be even more evidence of men's patriarchal oppression over women, since many venues for submissive men feature the buying of a fantasy from a professional dominatrix, activities that are seen as inherently degrading to women.[citation needed] Even if it's mostly women earning up to triple dollar amounts per hour to degrade submissive men and women, and some of them seem really enthusiastic about it, especially when compared to minimum wage jobs in the service industry, the question remains - how often is a professional Domme simply obeying orders? And, further, does she need protection from that experience?

These views have been criticized by sex-positive feminists as silencing or excluding the voice of sex workers from feminist discourse surrounding submissive male sexuality.[4]

It also, quite obviously, silences or excludes the perspectives of submissive men, feminist or otherwise.

It's telling that many of those who claim male submissives don't exist, such as Robin Morgan, view male submission in sexual role play purely as an expression of "envy" of "what they think women experience", regardless of the man's sexual orientation. In Against Sadomasochism: A Radical Feminist Analysis, Morgan writes, "If they grovel to a male master they are mimicking (for fun) an experience all women in patriarchy are in some way or another forced to endure in reality. If they cower before a female 'dominatrix,' they are superficially reversing, and thereafter trivializing, real women's real oppression."

A dominant FTM, meanwhile, would very rarely be accused of trivializing the male experience; thus alluding to the hypocritical, phallocentric sexism that radical feminism is often accused of. [5]

Although, to be fair, the kind of radical feminism Robin Morgan represents, really sets the bar low for what defines male oppression of women.[6]

Relationship to chivalry

Some interpretations of male submission draw analogies to chivalry, in both positive and negative contexts. While some people believe that cultural incentives to promote traditionally chivalrous actions promote negative stereotypes of men,[7] others base their concept of male submission around the perceived strength of "the knight in shining armor."

It's almost like their partners, sexual, romantic, or otherwise, are completely an afterthought in these interpretations.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Male submission.

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Uebel, Michael. "Masochism in America". AMERICAN LITERARY HISTORY. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS. Retrieved 7 July 2012. 
  4. ↑ Highleyman, Liz. "Professional Dominance: Power, Money and Identity." Whores and Other Feminists. Edited by Jill Nagle. (Routledge, 1997), p146
  5. ↑ Morgan, Robin. "The Politics Of Sado-Masochistic Fantasies." Against Sadomasochism: A Radical Feminist Analysis. Edited by Robin Ruth Linden, et al. (San Francisco: Frog in the Well, 1982), 117.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ Ranat, Why I Revile the Memory of Arthur Pendragon 
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