IC :
BDSM Dictionary : Dominatrix: history
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
This entry is part of the BDSM Dictionary hosted by Informed Consent.
This is the version from 15 Mar 05, 2:17 PM. The full history of this entry will show any more recent versions.
A dominatrix is a woman who takes the dominant role in sado-masochistic sexual practices. The male equivalent is a dominant or master.
Although most dominatrices are not, necessarily, professional dominants ("pro dommes"), and only dominate people that they are in a relationship with, most professional dominants are dominatrixes (i.e. female). This may be related to the stigma associated with male submissives, and the difficulty of some male submissives in finding compatible female partners. A dominatrix who is NOT a pro domme is known as a lifestyle dominatrix.
Note that a dominatrix does not necessarily dominate a male partner; a dominatrix may well have a female submissive.
The term "domme" is a coined 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". It appears that more BDSM authorities prefer the first pronunciation (identical to "dom"), by analogy to one-syllable French-derived words like "femme" or "blonde". http://mistressmatisse.blogspot.com/2004/05/bdsm... http://www.fhp-inc.com/writings/essential_domme.... http://www.sensuoussadie.com/sadiescolumns/writi... http://www.soulshaven.f2s.com/intro_terms.php3
Most "famous" dominatrices are professional dominants, since most other people's sex lives remain private.
Notable dominatrices:
(This entry in the BDSM Dictionary incorporates text from the Dominatrix article in Wipipedia.)
This entry is published under the terms of the GFDL. People with profiles on Informed Consent can improve this entry: see the BDSM Dictionary help page for details.
