What Is It?

It involves sexual arousal from restraining, or being restrained by, a partner. There are many different forms of bondage and restraint and while some practitioners merely dabble in a subtle form of bondage, others take it much more seriously, incorporating elaborate role-play and accessories into their sexual excursions.

Indeed, bondage, or at least elements of standard bondage attire, has entered the mainstream. Recall the unforgettable and momentously funny-slash-disturbing scene of The Gimp in Pulp Fiction for example. Even Wikipedia, the sober online encyclopedia, has extensive notations on bondage imagery and references in comics, photography (from Man Ray to Mapplethorpe), film and other conventional media.

For those keeping score, a person who derives greater enjoyment from restraining a partner is called a "top." A person who enjoys being restrained is called a "bottom." A person who enjoys both situations is called a "switch."

It's important to note that bondage is a consensual practice. Trust is a key ingredient to bondage and partners usually agree on a "safeword" to use if they are uncomfortable with a situation. The safeword is never a word like "stop" or "no" because those words are often used by a practitioner in their role as a submissive. Rather, something left-field and unmistakable such as "apple" or "snowman" is preferred.

Required Equipment:

At the basic level, you don't need any equipment at all since you can restrain someone with your hands. However, as one becomes more involved with bondage, options become staggering. Silk scarves, handcuffs, rope, leather, chains, thumbcuffs, straitjackets, harnesses, muzzles, and gag-balls are just the beginning of a very long list of equipment you can use. Virtually every adult novelty shop has a department devoted to bondage gear.

Insider Quote:

"As a bottom I let go of control and go with my body. I enjoy my body. I'm completely there in it. As a top I control the universe. I control the room, the lighting, every level of input for the bottom. As a top my favorite scene is putting the bottom through a physical ordeal at the end of which he emerges stronger, emotionally purer, and more sure of himself." -- Mistress Kira, Professional Dominatrix.

Fun Fact:

Leland Elliot's book, Sex on Campus: The 'Details' Guide to the Real Sex Lives of College Students states that 26 per cent of female and 27 per cent of male college students had at some time involved bondage in their sex lives.

To Learn More:

http://www.sexuality.org/l/bdsm/bdsmfaq.html