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IC :
BDSM Dictionary : Top : history
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This entry is part of the BDSM Dictionary hosted
by Informed Consent.
Top
A Top may be male or female. Within a BDSM relationship the Top
is the partner who takes the role of giver in such acts as
bondage, discipline
(e.g. flogging)
orhumiliation. The Top performs acts
such as these upon the bottom.
The top is sometimes the partner who is following instructions, i.e.,
he
tops when, and in the manner, requested by the bottom. A person who
applies sensation or control to a bottom, but does so to the bottom's
explicit instruction is a "service top".
A Top who has been
given more power in general over their partner and might give orders
would usually be termed a Dom (or
Dominant) or possibly a
Master, or the gender equivalents.
In the context of human sexual behaviour, especially anal sex among gay
men, the top is the insertive partner, or a person who prefers the
insertive role. However, the activities between a top and bottom need
not include the sex act.
In order to explore BDSM, it is essential for a top to be responsive to
the needs, feelings, and limits of his or her bottom. Otherwise the
scene can be ruined, being simply painful or
inconvenient rather than erotic.
It is possible for two partners to switch roles from one encounter to
the other, or even during a single encounter, depending on mood and
preference. See switch.
In Japanese bondage and sexually-themed anime and manga (especially
yaoi), a top is referred to as seme, a term from Martial Arts.
In terms of commitment, the relationship between a Top and
bottom
varies from transitory (possibly just an encounter at a play party) to
fully permanent, including marriage.
A Top might also be a sadist but is
unlikely to be a masochist.Personal Experiences
See Also
References and further reading
- Dossie Easton, Janet W. Hardy. "The New Topping Book." Greenery
Press, 2003. ISBN 1890159360.
(This entry in the BDSM Dictionary incorporates text from the
Top
(BDSM) 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.
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