90s Shibari

Let’s make something clear from the beginning: there was no such thing as 90s Shibari in the US. Bondage, like most of BDSM, was an underground practice. There were no websites or tutorials devoted to it. And even the places where it was practiced, were not openly devoted to it. The prejudice against the whole kinky lifestyle was still very strong. And if you ever met it, it was by chance, mistake, or luck.

I don’t know which of the three it was, but if you ask me, I will say it was luck. When I saw Rising Sun with my girlfriend, I had my first glimpse of what bondage would mean to me. In that movie, you know, the one with Connery and Wesley Snipes, they mention Japanese bondage. They didn’t show it, of course. Hollywood would have never accepted a movie with on-screen bondage back then. However, his mere mention of the practice aroused me in such a way that I tied my girlfriend’s wrists on our next date.

Now, one thing was mainstream Hollywood, and another very different the realm of video in the 90s. The erotic genre was at its heyday; there were dozens of B-movie stars, and producers and directors were eager to try risky stuff.

So, it’s no wonder that the first scene of true Shibari I saw in my life was in a 90s B-movie. It starred one of those wonderfully shaped stars. The plot was ludicrous, and the production was cheap, but I would never forget how the protagonist was tied with a chest harness, and then… well, you know what those movies were all about.

Things have changed now, of course. And I am waiting for Hollywood to acknowledge the fact that millions of people in this country share a kinky lifestyle, and start giving us representation on screen. But, until then, I can always return to my beloved movies of the past.

This is my Shibari story.