Dominatrix
A Dominatrix or Mistress is a woman who takes the dominant role in bondage and discipline, domination and submission or Sado-masochistic sexual practices, which are commonly abbreviated as BDSM. The male equivalent is Master. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "Mistress" or "Ma'am".
- (Note that a dominatrix does not necessarily dominate a male partner; a dominatrix may well have female submissives.)
The term "Domme" was coined as a pseudo-French female variation of the slang Dom (short for dominant). There is confusion on its pronunciation, with some pronouncing it identically to Dom and some pronouncing the final e as a second syllable, e.g. saying dom-MAY or DOM-may. The correct pronunciation is identical to Dom, by analogy to one-syllable French-derived words like femme or blonde. Older woman-younger man relationships are much more common in female dominant relationships than among vanilla couples.
Professional versus Lifestyle Dominatrices
The term dominatrix is most commonly used to describe a professional dominant woman (or pro-dom) who charges money to engage in fantasy play with submissive clients, but in reality most dominatrices are not professionals, but lifestyle dominants. A lifestyle dominant is a person who is assertive and in control of their relationships both inside and outside the bedroom.
Women who engage in female domination recreationally are known as Dommes, Dominatrices, or simply Dominants, though they are rarely referred to as Dominatrices. A high percentage of dominatrices are lifestyle dominants, but some simply play the dominatrix role because it is a high-paying profession.
It is common for professional dominatrices who are also lifestyle Dommes to have both paying clients and a "personal slave" or slaves, who are not paying clients. A personal slave will typically perform a Domme's housework and run errands for her. A personal slave may or may not live with his or her Domme. Most Doms engage in sexual activity with personal slaves, but this is not always the case. Some Dommes limit the sexual activity to the slave performing oral sex on them, while others engage in the full gamut of sexual activities.
Most famous dominatrices (with a few notable exceptions) are professional dominants, since most other people's sex lives remain private.
The stereotyped image of a dominatrix is of a woman wearing a leather catsuit and thigh-length boots with high heels. Many professional dominatrices do indeed wear similar outfits for their work in order to meet client expectations. However, for non-professional dominatrices, the question "What does a dominatrix wear?" is best answered "Whatever she likes!"
Notable Dominatrices
- The 19th-century, British dominatrix Mrs Theresa Berkley, inventor of the Berkley Horse.
- The American author, sex therapist, and counsellor Gloria Brame, is also a lifestyle dominant.
- The French professional dominatrix Maîtresse Françoise (real name Annick Foucault) has written a book about her experiences as a dominatrix
- Ilsa Strix is a Los Angeles based professional dominatrix who has appeared in female domination videos and has been romantically linked to The Matrix creator Larry Wachowski.
- Professional dominatrix Mistress Matisse is also a columnist for the Seattle weekly alternative newspaper The Stranger and a noted blogger.
- Professional dominatrix Mistress Yvette From Sioux Falls, South Dakota is an active XXX adult actress and model, internationally known woman motorcyclist and writer.
- Professional dominatrix Mistress Rattan From Toronto, Ontario, Canada is an active dominatrix and has been featured in various news releases, interviews and publications.
Fictional Dominatrices
- The novel Venus in Furs, by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, deals with a man who is so besotted with a woman he becomes her sex slave. Also, the song of the same name by the Velvet Underground deals with the same subject matter.
- The film Preaching to the Perverted, starring Guinevere Turner, depicts a dominatrix.
- The television drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has featured a recurring professional dominatrix character, Lady Heather, who is depicted in a sympathetic manner.
- The film Eating Raoul features Doris the Dominatrix, who, when off the job, is a married mother.
- The film Maîtresse, starring Gérard Depardieu and Bulle Ogier, depicted a professional dominant.
- The 1999 film Payback, features Lucy Liu as the dominatrix named Pearl.
- Several of the stories in the comic book series Sin City feature the character of Gail, a prostitute and dominatrix whose speciality is knot-tying. She is one of the authority figures in Old Town, a part of the city run by female prostitutes. In the movie adaptation, she is played by Rosario Dawson.
- The popular DC comic books character Catwoman bears a strong dominatrix motif: her stylized mask, the skintight outfit and the whip, in combination with her strong-willed and at the same time sultry personality are the most striking of these characteristics.
- In the 1993 film Love and Human Remains, Mia Kirshner received a Genie nomination for her role as the dominatrix and psychic Benita.
- In the film EuroTrip, Cooper Harris has an encounter with a dominatrix during the night when the group visits Amsterdam.
- The television drama "House (TV Series)" has a woman who is referred to as a dominatrix
- In the MMORPG Ragnarok Online, the Zealotus monster appears in the Underprison levels of the Glast Heim dungeon. She wears a mask that covers half of her face, sports a whip, and can summon several 'Injustice' monsters to attack players.
- In the Soul Calibur fighting games, the character of Ivy Valentine is thought of by players as a dominatrix with her bondage clothing, whip-like weapon, and some suggestive attack names (Spiral Dominance, Pleasure Change, and Punishment Change).
See also
External links
- The Dominatrix in Print and Other Media - detailed bibliography
- It's a living: Dominatrix - professional domme article
- The Dominatrix Story Interview with a Mistress
- "I Was a Teenage Dominatrix" - professional domme article from Salon about award-winning author Shawna Kenney, who put herself through college in D.C. working as a dominatrix
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