BDSM MEDIA NEWS!!!!
September 2, 2012
Sydney women paying men to spank, dominate
Source: news.ninemsn.com.au. - 9msn - Australia
AUSTRALIA - SYDNEY - The number of Sydney women and couples paying to be spanked, whipped and dominated has surged since cult erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey hit shelves in March, according to male sex workers specialising in bondage and discipline.
And a rising number of women are taking the newfound interest a step further and learning to become BDSM professionals themselves, according to a mistress who owns a Sydney fetish dungeon.
BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism) professionals have revealed to ninemsn the impact the best-selling book by E L James, which explore themes of bondage and discipline, appears to have had on demand for their services.
Master Aaron King, a BDSM escort based in inner-Sydney, said the number of single women and couples using his services had increased by about 50 percent in recent months.
"I didn't link the increase [to Fifty Shades of Grey ] until fairly recently, when someone mentioned the book," he said.
"The new clients are different to my usual clientele so there may be some influence. Single female clients and couples are usually very shy. Maybe something in this book has sparked an interest to find out more."
Staff at Salon Kitty's BDSM fetish dungeon have also noticed an increase in demand for their services in the past six months.
And it's not just women showing more interest in the scene.
Mistress Amanda Dwyer, the owner of Salon Kitty's, said she had received twice as many requests from men wanting to be trained as "masters" than this time last year and twice as many couples seeking out private BDSM tuition.
Three times as many women wanted to be trained as "obedient submissives".
The number of women hoping to work at Salon Kitty's as "pro dommes" (professional dominatrices) had also doubled.
"However, they mostly turn out to be inappropriate, lasting one shift or only a few weeks," Mistress Amanda said.
"This didn't occur previously so I wonder if the book has inspired some young ladies who find fantasy and reality don't quite mix when they walk in our doors."
Salon Kitty's Master Conrad said he also noticed a "significant" increase in the number of women visiting him in the past six months.
But he did not like the idea Fifty Shades of Grey was behind the growing interest in the BDSM scene.
"You should not need a book to explore your sexuality," he said.
Sex shops have reportedly seen an increase in sales of bondage toys since Fifty Shades of Grey was released, but Master Aaron said he had some safety concerns about people inexperienced in BDSM trying scenarios featured in the book at home.
"I don't recommend people jump into whips and riding crops straight away," he said.
However, it was good to see the book had given people the opportunity to openly discuss BDSM, he added.
Master Aaron has been involved in the BDSM scene for many years but launched his business five years ago after noticing there were virtually no professional male dominants in Australia.
He provides services to men, women and couples and the vast majority of his clients are highly-educated people, often with high-stress or high-powered jobs, for example CEOs, doctors, accountants, lawyers.
"The age groups differ widely, although most tend to be middle-aged or higher, but that may only be restricted to whether the person can afford to come to me or not," he said.
The requests also vary widely. Some people want to be tied up with rope, some want to be spanked, others want to be disciplined with riding crops and floggers.
Fifty Shades of Grey features each of these particular scenarios as protagonists Christian Grey, a rich and powerful businessman, and Anastasia Steele, a young, virginal university graduate, explore various BDSM fantasies.
Master Aaron said the book was a very "stereotypical" representation of BDSM.
"Maybe that is why it is so popular with people who may have always fantasised but never tried it," he said.
"BDSM is much more complex and diverse than Fifty Shades of Grey."
Sources: Master Aaron King, Master Conrad,
Mistress Amanda Dwyer. Author: Fiona Willan, Approving editor: Emily O'Keefe
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