I am so glad people over the years have taken the time to document “alternative lifestyles.” So many people will talk about Sadism or Masochism or any of their particular variations/expressions as if they are something to be hidden, repressed. Or look at homosexuality; think about how many fear it, avoid those who are homosexual as though it was some dread disease they could catch! But it is ignorance, a refusal to look at it from the other sides’ view that breeds their fear.
Sex is a simple, natural biological function. That doesn’t mean that any changes to the original version are ‘unnatural.’ Quite the opposite! For many, pleasure is interwoven with pain; they cannot feel true pleasure without a sting. There are entire communities devoted to providing the safest, most comfortable environments for those who wish to experience that but any lifestyle that doesn’t fit the ‘norm’ is always a matter for controversy, debate, misconceptions, and disgust.
Robert Mapplethorpe’s Lisa Lyon is one image that I really feel shows the contrasts of pain and pleasure, as well as the public’s antagonism towards alternative lifestyles: The model’s face is veiled, hiding her identity, keeping her safe in anonymity and equality. With one wrist grasping the other, it makes you imagine restraints, a clear representation of restricted actions, but also a restriction on emotions. What most people don’t understand is that when the subject is helpless, forced to give over their will to a controller, he or she can find safety and shelter in the care of their subjugator. The shared bond from the trust given and accepted is more satisfying than any pleasure derived from a momentary pain.
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