thumb|324x324px|[[Bettie Page is tied and spanked in an image from the magazine Bizarre (1940s–1950s)]]

Erotic spanking is the act of spanking another person for the sexual arousal or gratification of either or both parties. The intensity of the act can vary in both its duration and severity, and may include the use of one or more spanking implements (such as the wooden spoon or cane). Activities range from a spontaneous smack on bare buttocks during sexual activity to sexual roleplaying, such as ageplay or domestic discipline. Erotic spanking is often found within and associated with BDSM, but the activity is not exclusive to it. The term spankee is commonly used within erotic spanking to refer to the individual receiving a spanking.

History

thumb|left|[[Fresco inside the Etruscan Tomb of the Whipping, where two men are portrayed spanking a woman in an erotic situation]]

Pre 19th century

One of the earliest depictions of erotic spanking is found in the Etruscan Tomb of the Whipping from the fifth century BC.

Early sex manuals such as the Indian Kama Sutra (circa 400 BC), Indian Koka Shastra (ca. 1150 AD) and Arabic The Perfumed Garden (ca. 1400 AD) have among their recommendations the use of spanking to enhance sexual arousal.

This period also saw an important development in both the production and consumer accessibility of erotic spanking films. Whilst recordings of erotic spanking had been produced as early as the 1920s, until the 1980s technology limited the quality of their recording and the ability for consumers to easily watch them. In addition to changes in censorship laws, the introduction of the videocassette recorder enabled creators to produce and distribute erotic spanking films that were far easier for consumers to both obtain and watch.

Practice

Implements

Whilst a spanking may be simply given with the palm of the hand, the use of spanking implements is common within erotic spanking. Spanking implements which are commonly used within erotic spanking are a reflection of the traditional spanking implements that were/are used in corporal punishment more broadly. Common and traditional spanking implements include those which have been specifically manufactured for such purpose (e.g., the cane, spanking paddle, strap/tawse, and martinet) and those which have been adapted/improvised from available items (e.g., the plimsoll, carpet slipper, wooden spoon, hairbrush, bath brush, carpet beater, leather belt, riding crop, switch, and birch). Other less common and atypical spanking implements include the (handle of a) feather duster (common, however, in China), fly swatter, flip-flop, wooden ruler, wooden yardstick, ping-pong paddle, hardcover book, and stinging nettles.

Some spanking implements can be characterised as being either 'stingy' or 'thuddy'. Stingy implements (such as a rattan cane) produce a sharp and quick burning sensation which is mostly felt on the skin. Thuddy implements (such as a wooden paddle), in contrast, whilst not producing a stinging sensation penetrate deeper into tissue of the buttocks. As a general rule, the heavier a spanking implement is the greater thud it will produce. A person receiving an erotic spanking may have a preference for either a stingy or thuddy sensation.

Safety

Due to obvious risks involved, experts have recommended that, during a spanking, particularly with spanking implements, great care be taken to avoid striking the tailbone and hipbones.

Apparatuses

Erotic spanking can include the use of apparatuses, both those which are adapted/improvised and those which are specifically created for such use.

The use of adapted/improvised apparatuses within erotic spanking derives from how such apparatuses were used in non-erotic spanking. The gymnastic vaulting buck (which sees the receiver of the spanking bent-over it) was often employed during non-erotic school slipperings and canings; consequently erotic spanking, particularly that which involves school roleplay, may incorporate use of a vaulting buck.thumb|A spanking bench

A spanking bench or spanking horse is a piece of erotic furniture explicitly created for erotic spanking. It is used to position a spankee on, with or without restraints. They come in many sizes and styles, the most popular design of which is similar to a sawhorse (used in woodworking) with a padded top and rings for restraints. The 19th-century British dominatrix Mrs. Theresa Berkley became famous for her invention of the Berkley Horse, a similar form of BDSM apparatus.

Fetish wear

Often erotic spanking will be combined with sexual roleplay which may see one or more parties dress-up in certain clothing, for example a female spankee wearing a schoolgirl uniform in a Teacher–Student scenario.

A spank skirt or spanking skirt is a skirt that has an additional opening in back designed to expose the buttocks. While the name spank skirt suggests the intention that the wearer be spanked without removing or repositioning the skirt, this item may be worn for reasons other than spanking (for instance, exhibitionism). Considered fetish wear, these kinds of skirts are typically tight-fitting and made of fetishistic materials (such as leather, PVC or latex). Regardless of the gender of the wearer, spank skirts are usually considered female attire.

thumb|A person wearing a spanking skirt, with a ruler for spanking laid across their buttocks.

Self-spanking

Self-spanking is the practice in which the individual spanks themselves, thus making the spankee and the spanker one and the same. This can occur for a number of reasons: the individual is experimenting with spanking; the individual may lack someone (who is willing and the spankee is comfortable with doing so) to give them a spanking; the individual spanks themselves during masturbation; the individual is a submissive in a BDSM relationship and is self-spanking on orders of the dominant partner.

Psychology and prevalence

A number of explanations have been put forward to account why an individual may enjoy erotic spanking, although there is almost certainly no universal explanation. Interest and gratification in spanking varies per the individual: an individual may gain gratification in spanking another and gain no gratification in being spanked themself; an individual may gain gratification in being spanked and gain no gratification in spanking another; an individual may gain gratification in both spanking another and being spanked themself.

A scientific survey of 152 people who claimed to practice sadomasochism — of which spanking is a subset — categorised the origin of such interest to be either extrinsic (i.e. the interest originating from a source external to the person) or intrinsic (i.e. emerged naturally). 22% of those surveyed reported origins that were categorised by researchers as extrinsic, such as parental discipline or being introduced to sadomasochism in adulthood by another. In contrast, 78% reported intrinsically having such an interest. Most commonly an intrinsic interest was reported to have emerged in either childhood or adolescence (though at such age the interest was not necessarily sexualised); a small sub-group reported that only in adulthood did they accept or acknowledge what they now recognise to be an intrinsic interest. The majority of those that reported an intrinsic interest were unable to explain the origin of such interest. which should not be considered a mental illness. Whilst there has been an increasing ability to talk openly about erotic spanking within mainstream society, individuals may still find it difficult to express that they have an interest in erotic spanking.

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

  • Koetzle, Michael. 1000 Nudes: A History of Erotic Photography from 1839–1939. Taschen, 2005.
  • Lady Green, The Compleat Spanker. Greenery Press, 2000. .
  • Marcus, Steven. The Other Victorians. Basic Books, 1966.
  • Swinburne, Charles Algernon. The Works of Charles Algernon Swinburne. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions, 1995.
  • The Spanking Art Wiki – relaunched
  • Spanking Artworks
  • Biblio Curiosa Wiki
  • Basics of Erotic Spanking