Celebrities Doing Shibari
Take the challenge. You won’t find pictures or videos of celebrities doing Shibari. And it’s not like we’re in the 50s and celebrities live up to—or at least pretend to live up to—an elevated moral standard. Not at all. Celebrities have contributed to the normalization of tattoos, piercings, and non-binary sexuality. So, how come they show themselves so prudish when it comes to bondage? The answer is not simple.
First, we must acknowledge that the media tend to pretend to be more conservative than they truly are. Every so often, a scandal surfaces about celebrities acting immorally, even for today’s open-minded and tolerant standards. But, in general, Hollywood takes good care of keeping the dirt under the carpet.
Another factor is that Shibari is not a practice of American origin. Let’s face it. If we have accepted cheerleaders and cowgirls as sex symbols, it is because they scream “America” to the world. Shibari, on the other hand, has its roots in Japanese culture. And it is impossible to ignore that fact.
There’s a huge misunderstanding about bondage. For many people, seeing a person tied up is humiliating and degrading. They don’t understand the complex power dynamic between partners, or the subtleties of submission. They just see someone tied and get upset. And if the bottom happens to be a woman, it gets worse. They immediately claim abuse, without understanding that nothing happens in a scene that hasn’t been previously consented to.
So, can we hope to see celebrities doing Shibari in the future? Yes, but not soon. Kinky sexuality is gaining momentum, and the younger generations seem to understand the key concepts involved in alternative practices. Moreover, psychologists have recently accepted that kinky practices are not a sign of a mental disorder. These things are encouraging for bondage enthusiasts.
But cultural changes take time. And it makes no sense trying to rush them. So, we have to be patient. One of these days, we’ll see in a magazine a picture of a famous actress doing bondage, just as we now see a press note about her new tattoo.
