Information about BDSM

Facts and explanations of terms within BDSM.

BDSM
is an acronym of the acronyms B&D, D/s and SM.

B&D (B/D, BD)
stands for binding or bondage and discipline or dominance.

D/s (Ds, D&s)
stands for dominance and submission.

SM (S/M, S&M)
stands for sadism and masochism or sadomasochism.

Binding usually means different methods to physically restrain a person.

Bondage originally meant slavery or serfdom but now usually is used as a synonym for binding.

Discipline usually means different methods to make a person obey or act in certain ways.

Dominance usually means to control another person.

Submission usually means to leave precedence or control of self to another person.

Sadism usually means finding satisfaction in another person's physical or mental discomfort or suffering.

Masochism usually means finding satisfaction in own physical or mental discomfort or suffering.

Sadomasochism means finding satisfaction in physical or mental discomfort or suffering, or the interaction between a sadist and a masochist.

BDSM usually means practices involving one or more of the above activities. Sometimes also affections for attributes associated with such practices are included, such as whips, cuffs or certain clothes. BDSM is often but not necessarily practiced in a sexual context. There is no generally accepted definition of how many or to what extent such activities or attributes must be involved for the practices to qualify as BDSM.

BDSM was originally created as a common acronym for those often related practices mentioned above, to avoid the problem of defining exactly what practices one was interested or participating in, and thereby doing an often meaningless division of the practitioners into different groups. There are however still attempts made by some to claim that only those who involve in certain practices of the above, and to a certain degree, qualify as "real" BDSM practitioners.

However, most people do agree on that consensus between the persons participating in BDSM practices is necessary for the act to qualify as BDSM. If such consensus does not exist, it is a matter of illegal abuse, harassment, rape and torture instead of BDSM. The acronyms D/s and SM also hint of the consensus and mutuality in BDSM, where both the dominant and submissive, sadistic and masochistic participants find a mutual satisfaction in the practice.