According to research from the Kinsey Institute, in 1990, around 5 percent to 10 percent of Americans are into some form or another of BDSM. There are no similar studies for Taiwan but common sense suggests the figures would be much the same. As society becomes more accepting of differences people open up about their preferences and indulge them.
After all, homosexuality used to be a crime or regarded as a mental illness in many countries, but this is the case now only under the most repressive or backward regimes. In fact you could argue that a society's tolerance to its minorities is a marker of its maturity and "progress."
Currently in Taiwan there are a few Internet SM-themed chat rooms, bulletin boards and the occasional low-pressure event, which is called a "munch." BDSM Company is leading the way, hence the Tie Me Up Tonight event tonight, which Iinda said allowed "normal" or "vanilla" people a window on BDSM without feeling weird. "In the theater, the mood is different," she said.
For Iinda these performances are a socially acceptable way of inserting BDSM into the mainstream. Asked to explain why, as a human-rights campaigner, she would encourage people to deny or waive rights in a sexual-power situation, her answer was illuminating.
"This is my SMer paradox. As a teenage woman I was a feminist, so it may seem strange for me now to push for something that may involve female submissiveness. Even so, I would say I have a right to pain," Iinda said, adding the analogy of a feminist wearing pretty clothes was similar. Wanting to look good doesn't mean there should be inequality.
At the BDSM gathering last weekend, held at a quaint teashop near National Taiwan University (國立台灣大學), there were intense discussions about the pornographic aspects of performances and why it was that guys were generally administering pain to a pretty, young woman and not vice versa. It was obvious BDSM attracted people for different reasons.
Epicure said he got into BDSM as a student in England where, incidentally, he met his Japanese wife and SM partner Akaneko. He equated love of pain with the enjoyment of spicy food. "Some like it hot."
He said he spent six months under a BDSM master in Japan learning the arts of bondage and the special knots that are used. He emphasized that safety was paramount.
As for Akaneko, she explained that from the age of five or six she dreamed of being bound, whipped and imprisoned. She speculated that it might have been due to the influence of manga comics or television.
"It is not so important to me now. I can live without it," she admitted after Epicure left the discussion. ""He likes it a lot so I want to please him. I only like spicy food occasionally."
What: Artistic bondage, sadomasochistic and fetish performances
Where: Huashan Culture Park (華山文化園區) at 1 Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市八德路一段1號)
When: Tonight from 8pm to 10pm, tomorrow and Sunday with performances from 3pm to 5pm and 8pm to 10pm.
Tickets: NT$600 available through NTCH ticketing or at the door
Further information: Visit www.bdsm.com.tw/nawatsuya, or call BDSM Company on 0920-354-201 or Critical Point Theater Phenomenon on 0912-560-593
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