Deviation Actions
First off,
made front page! How cool is that? Thanks to everyone for the well wishes ^^
But, of course, with popularity comes QUESTIONS! Is this sexist? How can I make BDSM art AND be Feminist? This spurred a really great note conversation I had with a fellow deviant-arter. With her permission, I'm reposting part of the convo below.
Q: I would consider myself a feminist as well. I do have a question, though. I understand that what happens between consenting adults is up to them and there is no shame in sexual exploration or what some would consider a "kinky" sexual lifestyle, but some of your art doesn't strike me as consensual. I see bound and sexualized characters who are not getting pleasure from their situation. Some even look desperate for freedom. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
A: Lets take sex and table it for a second. I want to talk a little about catharsis.
From a young, young age I found the damsel in distress archetype fascinating. Not from a pov of objectifying women, but rather, that it resonated with me. I looked at the archetype and saw myself in it.
Without going into detail, I grew up in a kind family, but everyone has there faults and sometimes circumstances make things difficult. I felt like I was trapped and unable to talk to the people I trusted the most.
I can't explain exactly why this is, but drawing damsels in distress are like drawing reflections of myself, and in a way help me to explore these wounds. The reality is, oftentimes I am bitter, resentful, and full of rage about the circumstances of my life. Drawing a girl who was happy with being trapped would not be an honest reflection of how I feel about the situation, and I'd be repulsed at it as an exploration of my self.
Now back to sex. Oftentimes shame and guilt, or taboo, ends up fetishizing aspects of life. For myself, it's not surprising to me that power play, especially non-consensual power play, is a big turn on. I'm not ashamed to say I have rape fantasies, but I must emphasize: a fantasy is not reality. I do not want to be raped in real life. There's a difference.
As for whether or not depicting this kind of imagery for others who could misconstrue what I'm talking about as some sort of, pro-rape message... well, it's something I've thought about a lot. I've had long conversations with my lady friends about it, and they think that it's actually important that I continue. As a girl, it's important that I be a part of the production of sexual paraphinalia. Better than having all men making all the sexual art, with no input from the (often) object of the art.
In all my art I consider the damsel as an extension of myself, and I treat her with care. She's not an empty vessel for male gratification. She has desires, and wants, and thoughts all her own. At least, that's what I try to convey. It's why I emphasize stories in my art, the narrative is important.
I hope that helps. If you want to talk about this more, or have any questions, I'm happy to discuss further. It's a subject I take seriously.
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I really do hope that helps. If you have a thought on the issue, please comment below! Would love to expand the conversation. Just please be respectful ^_^
-Heart
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Long-winded reply warning: This is a really well-thought out piece. Thank you so much for sharing, and it's something I've even wondered about myself as being the reason why I am so into DiD, even though I'm a guy. Which, speaking of, I am also a firm feminist myself, and the fact that I'm a feminist guy into this stuff and as a Dom-leaning switch, it has caused me a lot of anxiety and self-consciousness about whether I'm a good man, or just exploiting the idea of power over a woman. I'm gonna share why I got into this, as a feminist man. I originally thought I was a sub bc I was so kind and nice to people, that I would never be able to Dom bc I could never be able to be mean. Even though I had such a curiosity for it, I was, for many years, afraid of it due to the fact that I was so feminist. Becoming a bad person is my greatest fear, so I didn't want to do something to hurt women. In fact, I used to be big into Femdom as a sub, as a way of subverting societal expectations. I came to the realization that I was a Dom-leaning switch through my first girlfriend, who was bi, and into kink, and I discovered that I'm just naturally good at Domming. I've been exploring a lot since then. I've come to realize that the reason I like to and choose to Dom women so much, is because I now realize that there are many women who love being sub, and when they are sub in such a patriarchal world, it must be so rough. So I do my best to be a respectful and safe Dom for them. But recently I've also been getting these feelings and anxieties - "What if the only reason so many women like being sub is bc they are subconsciously conditioned by societal norms? And what if it's the same for men and Domming? If I'm a male Dom or even just a guy who enjoys DiD and women in bondage, does that mean I'm just feeding into that?" - it is for this reason that whenever possible, I always prefer DiD, or women in bondage where the characters and their desires, and arcs, and feelings and thoughts are all given proper representation and respect in the scene when they are due. And the issue you raise here about it being better that women get to write DiD and bondage about themselves rather than it just being men all the time is something that I couldn't agree more with. I love your work, it is the best DiD work I've yet come across, and it has shown me the real value there is in letting the women who have the fantasy write or create the fantasy. Your work, to me, raises the bar on what DiD scenarios can be, and what they can involve.