‘A certain evolution’: a phenomenological study of 24/7 BDSM and negotiating consent

ABSTRACT

BDSM as a full-time lifestyle is stigmatised and underexamined as a phenomenon. Previous studies have investigated 24/7 sadomasochism (SM), 24/7 dominance and submission (D/s), or total power exchange (TPE), yet 24/7 BDSM remains under researched. Using a social constructionist and sexual diversity framework, we used insider knowledge to recruit four participants: a female slave/masochist, a male sadist, a female submissive, and a male dominant/protector. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed four superordinate and 10 subordinate themes: routes towards the fundamentals (sexually explicit resources, kink-related experiences), full-on lifestyle (self-in-role, flexible rules, shades of play, polyamory), dynamic consent (honesty, contextual communication), and practicalities (challenges, benefits). Our findings suggested that 24/7 BDSM is a socially constructed, consensual, full-time adherence to kink-related roles and behaviours untethered to time-limited scenes, woven into other life domains, and operating as an umbrella term to encompass other perpetual power dynamics. The themes contribute to the debate of kink as a sexual identity or serious leisure. We concluded that the centrality of self-in-role coupled with leisure features support 24/7 BDSM as an erotic lifestyle. Implications for sexual diversity, sex education, clinical guidelines, and social justice are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• 24/7 BDSM
• kink
• qualitative
• sexual identity
• serious leisure

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicting interests.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cory J. Cascalheira

Cory J. Cascalheira is a graduate student in the Department of Counseling & Educational Psychology at New Mexico State University. His research interests include experiences of oppression, resistance, and resilience among marginalised populations, especially sexual and gender minorities and people with diverse sexualities, and how these experiences impact identity, well-being, and mental health outcomes.

Amy Thomson

Amy Thomson was a student at Bournemouth University reading for a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Amy is interested in conceptualisations of BDSM and how theories of leisure can be used to understand BDSM participation.

Liam Wignall

Dr Liam Wignall is a lecturer in psychology at Bournemouth University who qualitatively explores the identities and experiences of non-heterosexual individuals related to: kink, BDSM, and fetishes; pornography consumption; non-exclusive sexualities; and sexual consent using theories from psychology, sociology and cultural studies, focusing on the impact of the internet and the role of community participation for these individuals. He serves on the British Psychological Society’s Psychology of Sexualities committee and is a research affiliate for the Center of Positive Sexuality.