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BDSM Dictionary : Slave: history
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This entry is part of the BDSM Dictionary hosted by Informed Consent.
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The term slave is gender-independent: slaves can be male or
female and of any sexual orientation.
In English, if a slave's gender must be indicated, use a phrase like
"female slave" or "male slave", or the common compound terms
slave-girl or
slave-boy. Some male slaves are 'sissified' -
i.e., they prefer to be treated in a traditionally feminine manner.Being Owned
Slave is a term often used to connote a submissive or servile partner in a Mistress/Master-Slave relationship. Such a person could also be a masochist or "bottom" but this is not always the case.
The slave has usually given the right for their owner to exercise authority over them in some sense, within a relationship that may extend to a full time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Connotatively it refers to a person who has surrendered their personal property and freedoms and become the property or chattel of their owner or Master. Strictly speaking, to be a slave, one must be owned but many people searching for an owner will call themselves "slave" as an indication of the position they are hoping to eventually have.
It should be noted that the relationship is strictly
consensual, and whether purely symbolic
or due to a
state of psychological Enslavement, no legal
ownership is involved.Casual Usage and Variation
Some people in a relationship enjoy the psychological impact of calling their partner "slave" or having their partner call them "slave". Such usage is not by itself an indication that they are a slave any more than calling a partner 'bitch' indicates that they are a female dog.
Many matchmaking web sites will encourage the usage of the term 'slave' for someone who is currently single and looking for a partner. Strictly speaking, this is an indication that the person has the orientation of a slave and is interested in being enslaved, or in acting the role of slave and is not an indication that they are currently owned.
The term "slave" is widely used, as it has a certain self-affirming
weight. The difference between submissive and slave is the degree of
submission. There is considerable debate over the exact definition of
""slave"".Contracts
Some people draw up "slave contracts" that define the relationship, but these usually have no legal weight and are not intended to be used in court.
After signing a slave contract, many people celebrate the commitment
with a "collaring ceremony", which can be simple
or elaborate and friends are usually invited. The slave then wears a
"collar", which symbolizes their status. The
collar may be an actual piece of neckwear, or may be a bracelet or other
piece of jewelry that symbolizes their slavery. Some collars are not
removed until the relationship is disolved, although some slaves have a
"formal" and a "subdued" collar for work and
vanilla situations.External Links
(This entry in the BDSM Dictionary incorporates text from the Slave 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.
