Chapter 2: The Varieties of Bondage

Bondage fans are not alike in their preferences and can be divided into various groups and subgroups. For example, as far as costume preferences are concerned, there appear to be three principal groups: those who prefer regular clothing worn in an erotic manner, those who prefer leather apparel, and those who prefer items of clothing made of rubber. The importance of leather and rubber apparel to the bondage fan should not be underestimated; for many devotees of bondage, such items of apparel are essential props for all sessions. Although it might seem curious to the uninitiated, bondage fans rarely show a predilection for completely nude victims. There are exceptions, of course, but most bondage fans seem to think that a certain amount of clothing is essential. However, it should be noted that the clothing worn by the victim may be totally inappropriate as far as individual modesty is concerned. Thus, for example, it is quite a common practice for a female victim to be attired only in garter belt, nylon stockings, and high heels or boots.

Bondage fans may also be grouped according to their preferences for bondage materials. Here again, there appear to be three principal groups: those who prefer ordinary ropes, those who prefer bindings made of leather, and a dedicated minority with a preference for chains or other items made of metal. However, preferences of this type are not often clear-cut with the result that most bondage fans do considerable experimentation with the type of bondage materials they employ.

As far as bondage positions are concerned, bondage devotees appear to fall into two groups. Some bondage fans insist that the victim be bound in the same position and in the same manner each and every session. Others insist upon a variety of positions, the more the merrier. The latter group is by far the largest, and it may safely be said that most bondage fans prefer to experiment with as many positions as they can dream up. In this regard, bondage fans often show an almost unbelievably fertile imagination.

As far as accessory equipment is concerned, bondage fans fall into two groups. One group is content to use ordinary everyday items such as chairs and beds. Others have a strong predilection for bizarre and often old-fashioned equipment such as stocks, pillories, gibbets, and similar devices. Some bondage fans have large collections of devices of this type, and there are homes where a spare bedroom or basement room doubles as a bondage studio. In one case known to the author, a wealthy couple has the guest house at their estate furnished as a bondage "torture chamber."

As might be expected, most bondage activities take place indoors. However, some bondage fans have a strong predilection for outdoor scenes and perhaps others would too were it not for such problems as lack of privacy and the vagaries of weather. Among outdoor bondage fans, forests appear to be the favorite setting for their activities. Forests provide an isolated and scenic atmosphere and, in addition, trees serve as a natural prop for bondage activities. Next to forests in popularity are outdoor swimming pools where diving boards, ladders, and poolside furniture provide excellent bondage props. Since the erotic aspects of dunking are well known, it is not surprising that in such a setting the bondage victim may be subjected to a variation of old-fashioned dunking stool. Similarly, in indoor settings bathtubs and shower stalls are also favorite bondage props.

Thus far, we have examined only the external mechanics of bondage. As far as personalities and emotional requirements are concerned, bondage fans may be roughly divided into three broad groups: dominant, submissive, and those who enjoy playing at both roles. Such a grouping is only roughly accurate, for within each group there are wide ranges of individual desires and preferences. Thus, one person may be highly dominant while another is only mildly dominant. Similarly, one person may be highly submissive while another may be only mildly submissive.

According to the traditional view, the male is dominant while the female is submissive. Today, it must be said that this viewpoint is a naive oversimplification. Whether one is dominant or submissive depends on one's emotional requirements and not upon whether one happens to possess a penis or vagina. Thus, we have dominant men and submissive men, dominant women and submissive women, and men and women who can achieve emotional satisfaction playing either role.

Since one's emotional requirements depend upon that elusive creation known as the human mind and are in no way related to one's physical characteristics, the preferences of bondage fans cannot be determined by their physical appearance. Thus, it is well known that physically well-built and aggressive men often like to play the submissive role and achieve great emotional satisfaction in being put through their paces by an attractive bondage mistress. Similarly, a petite, shapely, and highly feminine woman may be quite dominant.

Although bondage activities most frequently take place within a heterosexual context, bondage activities sometimes have homosexual connotations. This is patently the case where both the aggressor and the victim are of the same sex. It is also subliminally the case in certain situations where, for example, a dominant female who requires a male victim to wear feminine clothing may be satisfying her own unconscious lesbian tendencies.

Most bondage sessions are restricted to two individuals but that is not always the case. Bondage fans frequently make contacts with others who share their interests, sometimes only to exchange correspondence but often to arrange meetings. Such meetings may involve only an inspection of bondage equipment or photographs, but may also involve a bondage demonstration or a "swap bondage" session. Wife-swapping clubs composed only of bondage fans are also known to exist. In addition, couples who are interested in bondage occasionally like to have a third party participate in their sessions. In nearly all cases, the third party is a female. In some cases, the third party serves only as a nonparticipating witness to the bondage session. To the uninitiated, this might seem quite puzzling. However, there is a logical explanation for it. Although most of us are unaware of it, we all possess some exhibitionistic tendencies. For example, an extremely modest woman can manage to wear a transparent blouse or short skirt if persuaded that the dictates of fashion require her to do so, and in so doing she will satisfy her unconscious exhibitionistic tendencies. Persons with masochistic tendencies tend to have stronger exhibitionistic desires than the average person. Thus, the humiliation of being observed in bondage by a third person serves to gratify the victim's unconscious exhibitionistic tendencies. This is confirmed by the fact that it is often the victim who suggests that a third party be present at the session.

Although witnesses sometimes serve only in a nonparticipating manner, it is more common for the witness to serve as a participant. Occasionally, the witness plays the role of the victim or co-victim. More frequently, however, the witness serves in an active capacity either as the aggressor's assistant or as the sole aggressor. Thus, couples who have strongly submissive tendencies find it particularly exciting to be put through a session by an attractive bondage mistress. She can tie them together and torment them in ways that would be impossible if they were alone, and at the same time her presence will gratify their unconscious exhibitionistic tendencies.

To augment the victim's fantasies of helplessness, multi-party bondage activities are often conducted according to a simulated but highly realistic scenario. One of the most common scenarios might be called "the kidnaper fantasy." For example, one submissive couple might discreetly arrange to have themselves "kidnapped" by a dominant couple, who takes the victims to their home and subjects them to a weekend of bizarre bondage ordeals. A similar fantasy calls for the victim to be the captive of pirates or other brigands. Another and quite common fantasy scenario calls for the victim to be a political prisoner, usually at the hands of the Gestapo. In such situations, highly realistic costumes are often worn by all parties to add to the illusion of reality. Participants in such games often find that they get completely carried away by their roles and act out their parts quite convincingly.

The foregoing comments should not be construed to mean that such games are played only in multiparty situations. Many couples play similar games and use costumes suitable to the part they are playing. For example, one favorite fantasy among submissive females 'is that of being tied up and raped by an attacker. This can be accomplished quite easily by having the husband or boyfriend, masked to conceal his identity, playing the role of the attacker. A similar fantasy game calls for the female to play the role of exotic spy trapped in the coils of the secret police and subjected to various bondage ordeals to make her "confess." Or she may play the role of a victim of a white slaver. In reverse situations, the male may play the role of a naughty schoolboy being disciplined by his teacher or nurse. Or he may play the role of a pilot downed in the jungle who becomes the captive of an Amazon. Similarly, he may be a political prisoner who becomes the victim of a lady member of the Gestapo or secret police.

When the fact that the varieties of bondage are limited only by the imaginations of the participants is coupled with the realization that bondage fans possess extremely vivid and inventive imaginations, we realize that the varieties of bondage are almost limitless. In part, this helps to account for the rising popularity of bondage in recent years. The sexual revolution has meant greater awareness, more inquisitiveness about sexual matters, and a desire to experiment with all facets of sex. More than anything else, a sexual sophisticate looks for variety, and variety is one thing bondage has to offer in abundance.

The following case histories will serve to illustrate some of the varieties of bondage.

Case History No. 1

Bill and Karen J. are a young couple living in a western suburb of Chicago. Bill is thirty-two and works as a free-lance photographer, a line of work that allows him considerable leisure time. Karen is a long-legged brunette of twenty-six who worked as a secretary before her marriage two years ago. She possesses a figure suitable for modeling, and Bill has used her as a model for several pin-up layouts that he has sold to various men's magazines.

The two of them are avid bondage enthusiasts. "Bill got me hooked on it shortly after we started going together," Karen explained. "We've always been quite open with each other, and one evening after we started dating he explained his ideas about bondage and sex to me and even showed me some illustrated magazines on the subject. I'll admit I was a little shocked at first. Although I consider myself a liberal on sexual matters, I bad never really heard of bondage except in a rather vague way, and had never dreamed there was such widespread interest in the subject.

"It took Bill awhile to talk me into it, and then I agreed to go along with it only on an experimental basis. The first night, I remember, he only tied my hands together behind my back and then necked with me awhile. Although he left my clothes in place, he let his hands roam a little, and I can still remember how deliciously embarrassed and exciting it was when I realized I couldn't do a thing to stop him! For some reason, I have always been a little inhibited, and finding myself helpless like that was a terrific release for me.

"Bill had had enough experience to know not to push me too far too fast, and instead brought me along gradually. At the second session, he also tied my wrists behind my back and then tied my legs together at the ankle and just above the knees. He pulled my skirt up a little more than was necessary to do that, and, although I was wearing pantyhose, I still found myself blushing furiously and thoroughly enjoying being handled in this fashion. After that, he sort of took advantage of me with his hands and I really loved it!

"By this time, I was really interested in the subject and anxious to experiment with the more far-out things. The third session was really my initiation as a bondagette. Allowing me at my insistence to remain fully dressed, Bill tied me to a wooden armchair with a number of clothesline ropes. And I mean tied! After tying my wrists and arms securely to the arms of the chair, he tied me to the chair at the waist. To my embarrassment, he also tied me to the chair with two ropes, one around my torso just above my breasts and the other just below. By this time, I was beginning to feel as helpless as a trussed-up chicken!

"Next, he tied my ankles very securely to the front legs of the chair. When he had me like this, he took advantage of me by pulling my dress up all the way! I'm basically very modest and I'm afraid I just screamed and begged him not to embarrass me that way. That evening I had worn regular-length black nylons and he didn't stop until my stocking tops, garters, bare thighs, and even part of my panties were on view. Trussed-up as I was, there was nothing I could do except sit there and blush.

"By protesting a little too much, I got myself introduced to a gag. That was a completely new experience for me, and at first I didn't think I could stand it. Bill used a rubber ball strung on a rope, and that ball really pried my jaws and teeth apart. Although I could moan and make animal-type noises through the gag, there was no way I could effectively communicate with him. Feeling really helpless and a little scared, I knew I just had to sit there and submit to whatever he had in mind.

"Without even bothering to ask my permission, he proceeded to take some snapshots of me sitting there showing everything like that! Although I laugh about it today, I nearly died with embarrassment at the time. We still have some of those shots and perhaps you'd like to see them."

Reaching into a small drawer, she brought out some glossy 8x10 photographs. The snapshots showed Karen shackled to the chair and gagged in the manner she had described. She was fully dressed in a form-fitting knit dress but, as she had described, her dress had been pulled up to reveal long, shapely legs, dark stocking tops, white thighs traversed by dark garter belt supporters, and a glimpse of her black panties. Her pretty face showed considerable strain and distress from the effects of the red rubber ball shoved between her teeth and tied tightly in place by the rope on which it was strung. The entire effect of the photos, taken at different angles, was highly erotic and appealing.

"After getting it all recorded on camera," Karen continued, blushing slightly, "Bill began fondling me with his hands--not too roughly but very firmly as if to emphasize his complete control over me. Of course, I couldn't do a thing to stop him! I just had to sit there squirming and getting hotter by the minute. If I could have talked, I would have been just begging him to put it to me any way he wanted.

"When he saw how worked up I was, he untied me from the chair but made me leave the gag in place. He then led me into the bedroom and undressed me completely, deliberately taking his time about it in a manner that I found quite maddening. He then had me stretch out supine on the bed, and he tied my wrists to the bedposts in a spread-eagle position. Tied and gagged like that, I had no choice but to lie there squirming while he proceeded to disrobe. As might be expected, he was thoroughly aroused.

"I was expecting him to jump right on top of me, but it was even wilder than that. Grasping my ankles with his hands, he pulled my legs apart and knelt on the bed between them. He then began pulling my legs back until my knees were nearly touching my breasts and my calves were resting on his shoulders."

As Karen, who was blushing prettily by this time, paused to light a cigarette, it was easy to imagine those beautiful long legs of hers being drawn back in the manner she had described. "Well, to go on," she continued. "While I let my legs dangle down his back, he used his fingers to gently pull the lips of my vulva apart and then proceeded to bury his face right in it!

"I was already hot anyway, and that really did it! When he worked his tongue around inside of me, flicking my clitoris from time to time, only that gag prevented me from screaming with excitement. I was really pumping my hips and of course I was about as wet as a girl can get. Being tied up and totally helpless to stop him from tormenting me like that made it all the more exciting.

"Finally, he stretched out on top of me and I felt my vaginal canal expanding as he inserted that rock-hard lance of his. Kissing my gagged mouth all over, he began pumping back and forth with a very rhythmic motion. Despite all that had happened, he had amazing self-control and really knew how to time himself. For my part, I was nearly going insane. Fighting against the bonds and wriggling around under him in a manner that I would previously have thought completely shameless, I found myself experiencing my first multiple orgasm by the time he had reached his climax.

"He left me tied up like that for a few minutes afterward, apparently to give me a little time to think about my new status as his helpless bondagette. He then untied me and we took a long hot shower together. Although that first real taste of erotic, really sexual bondage had left me emotionally drained, the shower refreshed me considerably and I found myself ready for some more bizarre sex as soon as we had dried ourselves off.

"Bill was as delighted as he was surprised when I boldly told him that I was ready for some more whenever he was. After thinking a moment, he told me to get dressed up in garter belt, hose, high heels, and my kid gloves while he waited in the living room. I had never dressed fetish-style before, and I'm afraid I blushed scarlet and felt thoroughly brazen when I appeared in the living room a few minutes later wearing only my elbow-length black kid gloves, black garter belt, very sheer black nylons, and what were then my highest heels--a pair of patent leather pumps with slim three-inch heels.