Women Friendly Shibari

BDSM in general and bondage in particular carry the weight of an unfortunate misconception. Many people think that they are hostile to women. In their view, this kind of practices objectify and humiliate women. This, of course, is a gross misunderstanding. And it is upheld mostly by people who have never practiced any kind of alternative sexuality. Having said that, it is important to make things clear. There is such a thing as women friendly Shibari. And deviant doesn’t mean harmful.

First of all, Shibari is friendly toward women because it doesn’t demand a perfect body from them. All kinds of women, short and tall, young and mature, thin and fat, can go through a bondage scene and enjoy the experience. There is no such thing as the perfect body for Shibari.

Additionally, Shibari, like all other BDSM practices, demands previous consent. We have said it before, and we’ll repeat it: everything that happens in a scene has been previously agreed upon. This is not always the case in vanilla relationships. So, ironically, it turns out that bondage does more for the protection of women than a regular vanilla relationship.

Nudity is not mandatory for a Shibari scene. However, many people find the experience of a nude scene empowering. Instead of hiding their bodies in the dark and feeling guilty about its imperfections, many women proudly present their bodies, just as they are, during a bondage scene. Needless to say, comfort in nudity is a process. And nobody who knows anything about Shibari would recommend to just jumping naked into the scene. But, feeling at ease with their own bodies is one of Shibari’s greatest benefits for some participants, especially females.

So, when somebody accuses Shibari of being hostile toward women, invite those people to discuss these points. More importantly, invite them to watch or participate in a scene, so that they know what they’re talking about.