Negotiating Self: Navigating Feminist and Submissive Identities

ABSTRACT

As women navigate the intersecting meanings of feminism and submission, some struggle to reconcile their feminist politics and submissive practice (e.g., belief in equality and desire to yield authority). Bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM) has been examined through diverse feminist lenses, including radical feminism. However, scant empirical research focuses on the intersection of feminist and submissive identities. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how women in the BDSM community who identify as feminist and submissive navigate their identity. Data were collected through interviews with 23 feminist and submissive women. Findings revealed these women shared experiences related to identity conflict, identity compartmentalization and identity coherence living as submissive feminists. Themes related to their struggles and navigation strategies are presented within the broader structure of identity configuration. This project advances discourse about feminism, sexuality, BDSM, and identity.

KEYWORDS:

• Feminism
• submission
• BDSM
• intersectionality
• sexuality
• phenomenology

Data Availability Statement:

Due to the nature of this research, participants of this study did not agree for their data to be shared publicly, so supporting data is not available.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.