Male submission
Encyclopedia
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.
", 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 power-exchange (D/s) relationships, male submission may take a number of other forms, including sadomasochistic sex.
to be evidence of a reification of men's patriarchal oppression over women since many venues for submissive men feature the buying of sexual fantasy from a professional dominatrix
, activities that are seen as inherently degrading to women. These views have been criticized by sex-positive feminists
as silencing or excluding the voice of sex worker
s from feminist discourse surrounding submissive male sexuality.
Some feminists, such as Robin Morgan
, view male submission 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."
Both dominant women who are not professional dominatrices as well as submissive men have largely abstained from engaging in the debate.
, in both positive and negative contexts. While some people believe that cultural incentives to promote traditionally chivalrous actions promote negative stereotypes of men, others base their concept of male submission around the perceived strength of "the knight in shining armor."
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
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
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
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 "vanillaVanilla sex
Vanilla sex is a description of what a culture regards as standard or conventional sexual behaviour. Different cultures, subcultures and individuals have different ideas about what constitutes this type of sex...
", 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 power-exchange (D/s) relationships, male submission may take a number of other forms, including sadomasochistic sex.
Impact on feminism
The existence, motivations, and effects of men who wish to be sexually submissive to women is a topic of debate among feminists. often challenge the dominant paradigm of masculinity as inherently dominant. At the same time, it has been argued by anti-pornography feministsAnti-pornography movement
The term anti-pornography movement is used to describe those who argue that pornography has a variety of harmful effects, such as encouragement of human trafficking, desensitization, pedophilia, dehumanization, sexual exploitation, sexual dysfunction, and inability to maintain healthy sexual...
to be evidence of a reification of men's patriarchal oppression over women since many venues for submissive men feature the buying of sexual fantasy from a professional dominatrix
Dominatrix
Dominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
, activities that are seen as inherently degrading to women. These views have been criticized by sex-positive feminists
Sex-positive feminism
Sex-positive feminism, also known as pro-sex feminism, sex-radical feminism, or sexually liberal feminism is a movement that began in the early 1980s...
as silencing or excluding the voice of sex worker
Sex worker
A sex worker is a person who works in the sex industry. The term is usually used in reference to those in the sex industry that actually provide such sexual services, as opposed to management and staff of such industries...
s from feminist discourse surrounding submissive male sexuality.
Some feminists, such as Robin Morgan
Robin Morgan
Robin Morgan is a former child actor turned American radical feminist activist, writer, poet, and editor of Sisterhood is Powerful and Ms. Magazine....
, view male submission as an expression of "envy" of "what they think women experience", regardless of the man's sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
. 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."
Both dominant women who are not professional dominatrices as well as submissive men have largely abstained from engaging in the debate.
Relationship to chivalry
Some interpretations of male submission draw analogies to chivalryChivalry
Chivalry is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood which has an aristocratic military origin of individual training and service to others. Chivalry was also the term used to refer to a group of mounted men-at-arms as well as to martial valour...
, in both positive and negative contexts. While some people believe that cultural incentives to promote traditionally chivalrous actions promote negative stereotypes of men, others base their concept of male submission around the perceived strength of "the knight in shining armor."
See also
- Dominance and submission (BDSM)
- Male dominance (BDSM)
- Female dominanceFemale dominanceFemale dominance is those BDSM relationships and BDSM scenes in which the dominant partner is female. Often a dominant woman, she may prefer to be called a Domme , Femdomme, Domina, or Dominatrix, depending on context or personal preference...
- Female submissionFemale submissionFemale submission describes a relationship in which a female submits to the will of another person. The submission can be voluntary and consensual or may be obtained as a result of duress. The dominant partner is usually a man, but sometimes it is another woman, or more than one person, or...
- Pegging (sexual practice)Pegging (sexual practice)Pegging is a sexual practice in which a woman penetrates a man's anus with a strap-on dildo. The neologism "pegging" was popularized when it became the winning entry in a contest in Dan Savage's Savage Love sex advice column, held after an observation was made that there was no common name for the...