Culture & Kink

Getting off on a little “deviant” behavior may be a feeling well known by most kinksters, but what is it that makes being naughty so damn nice?

A BDSM test, fetish checklist or exhaustive list of kinks to check off or check out might sound like it takes the guesswork out of kinky play, but are the ways we connect really that basic?

Going to a Domme for your mommy issues? BDSM instead of SSRIs? And let’s not even get started on CBT… Aria Vega asks what we’re all thinking: is kink actually therapeutic?

Communication in kinky scenes is an integral safeguard against misunderstandings and uncertainty, yet intimate experiences are rarely so predictable or neatly contained by negotiation alone.

What is shibari and why do people do it? If you’re ready to start wrapping your head around the increasingly popular practice of Japanese rope bondage, keep reading...

Seiu Ito is a central figure in the history of kinbaku and shibari as we know them. Today, on his birthday, we celebrate International Kinbaku Day and pay tribute to his life, inspiration and vision.

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and whether you’re looking for gifts for your Dom or sub, or simply want to spice up date night with some BDSM flavor, we’ve got your kinky inspiration…

No Halloween outfit? No problem. These five wearable shibari bondage harnesses will add a ropey twist to anything you do - or don’t - decide to wear…

Long before you step into any sort of D/s dynamic or engage in risky types of play, vetting is one of the first steps you can take towards informed, safer and more consensual rope scenes.

After a decade of Fifty Shades of Grey, where is kink and BDSM in pop culture headed next?

J explores how disability and identity intersect in their navigation of (chronic) pain and pleasure, and non-normative ways of being, living, loving and fucking. 

A small disclaimer on Japanese language and cultural appropriation in shibari as well as why we use the words we do.

A quick look at ‘rope space’ and the science behind the psychological peaks (and comedowns) of BDSM.

Detangle fact from fiction as we pick apart some of the most common misconceptions you may encounter when learning shibari.

Because there’s more to consent in kink than ‘yes’ and ‘no’, these popular BDSM tenets offer consent frameworks for better play.

A brief explainer about the intersection of the personal and the political in terms of kink, BDSM and cultural norms.