Submission

BDSM

Woman wearing a collar with attached chain
Aspects
B&D, B/D, or BD	Bondage and discipline
D&s, D/s, or Ds	Dominance and submission
S&M, S/M, or SM	Sadism and masochism
Roles
Top/​Dominant	partner who performs or controls the activity
Bottom/​Sub­missive	partner who receives or is controlled
Switch	switches between roles

In the BDSM context, the term submission refers to the role that the sub takes on by submitting to the person named in the role play top and being obedient to them. This is probably why the sub is also called the bottom.

Submission is not gender-specific, but a state of mind. The biggest difference between a male and a female submissive partner lies in the body of the respective person and in what can be done with this body. Female and male subs often have the same desires: public exposure or submission, punishment, chastisement or humiliation by the top. From this list it is already clear that it is the actions, fantasies and desires that make a person submissive, not their gender.

1921 illustration of female submission by Georges Topfer from Le Rêve d'un flagellant ("The dream of a flagellant").

Criticism

In fact, there is no submission in the BDSM environment because in a fantasy or role-play there is no real power or control over other people or a situation. It's like theatre^[wp], except there is usually no audience. It's like a play^[wp] being performed on a very private stage, unfolding its very own drama and plot. The 'submission' in the BDSM environment is like the acted 'murder' on the theatre stage. Anything else would be to confuse fiction with reality.

See also

• Female submission
• Male submission
• Sub (BDSM)
• Dominance

External links

• The Story of My Submission - What Makes Me Submissive - Evie Lupine (May 3, 2018) (Size: 28:26 min.)
• How to Be a Better Submissive - Evie Lupine (June 17, 2018) (Size: 19:15 min.)
• Finding YOUR Submissive Style - Evie Lupine (July 4, 2018) (Size: 32:10 min.)