"Please him! He wants me to please him! I think my mouth drops open. Please Christian Grey. And I realize, in that moment, that yes, that’s exactly what I want to do. I want him to be damned delighted with me. It’s a revelation."
Have you experimented with BDSM this year? You are not alone. According to LELO’s survey, 47% of women have tried bondage, 43% have played with whips, 55% know their partner likes to be dominated, and 76% tell their partner what they want during sex. But that’s not all; according to the survey, we are having sex more often this year. Now, three times a week is the new norm. It lasts longer too, reportedly fifteen minutes longer per session than last year. Also, this year women reported having sex in three positions per session up from one in 2011.
Another thing the survey revealed, couples are moving out of the bedroom and into the great outdoors for their playtime. Seventy-three percent say they have had sex in the car and 36% have had sex in a public park. In addition, 22% admit to having sex in the office and 11% say they have had sex during their commute to work. The survey also showed that women are more sexually explicit this year. Seventy-three percent enjoy phone sex and 71% engage in sexting with their partner. It does not stop there. Now 49% allow videotaping of their sexual encounters.
Not only in the bedroom, BDSM is also finding its way into mainstream media. Tyra Banks recently stepped out in a bondage inspired photo shoot with WestEast. In the layout, she dons fetish wear and does her trademark "smize" wearing a bondage inspired face-mask. She even tweeted during the shoot “Where’s my whip?” Rihanna and Kate Moss didn’t forget their whip when posing for V Magazine this year. Their daring lesbian bondage style photo shoot is complete with sexy lingerie, crotch-less leather chaps, and whips. These celebs are not alone in their bold statements. Posing in submissive fashion, Aubrey flaunts her kink for her debut solo album cover. During the shoot, she tweeted a photo of herself dressed in bondage wear complete with a neck harness and ropes. Similarly this year, KarmaLoop.com ran a "50 Shades of Grey" parody for their Black Friday marketing campaign. The trendy online clothing retailer’s ad was in satire fashion and included dominatrixes with whips.
Kink has also become a marketing wonder this year. From an entire line of "50 Shades of Grey" items to LELO’s own inspired line, kink is selling. According to DailyMail, one of the UK’s top sex toy retailer reports that bondage items are out selling personal vibrators for the first time ever. They are not alone. LELO also reports a 400% increase in sales this year. Even main stream news outlets have reported on the phenomena. CBS New York recently ran a news story reporting that women are flocking to hardware stores to buy rope. One shop keeper reported a tenfold increase in rope sales. According to the New York Post, it does not end there. There is also an increase in sales of “handcuffs, riding crops and the signature silver-grey tie worn by the book’s male protagonist, Christian Grey, are flying off shelves.”
Hotels are also getting in on the frenzy, by offering sexy weekend "50 Shades of Grey" inspired packages. The Accor Hotel in Brisbane California location offers a "50 Shades of Stay" package which includes a bottle of sparkling wine, strawberries with chocolate dipping sauce, lip balm (lip biting remedy), a satin blindfold and room service breakfast for two. Also in Seattle, where a lot of the series is set, Edgewater Hotel offers a "50 Shades of Romance" package which includes a helicopter ride, a demo drive in a University Audi and a sailing excursion in Puget Sound. Also, your excursion would not be complete without a bottle of Bollinger Grande Annee Rose and a copy of the book in your night stand. These hotels are not
It does not end there. For those who are curious about bondage but have nowhere to turn, Kink.com is now offering classes complete with live demonstrations. Kink, a leader in fetish pornography, has expanded their empire to include sex workshops that are selling out week after week. As people from all walks of life are becoming curious about BDSM, the company has stumbled upon an empire. They have recently caught the attention of film maker James Franco, whose documentary “Kink” was selected to premier at the Sundance Film Festival. Kink is an up-close and personal look at the world’s largest producer of fetish porn that is sure to leave the viewer with a whole new view of BDSM and how kinky porn is made.
It seems that "50 Shades of Grey" has sparked more than the author could have ever imagined. No longer is kink a dirty little word. No longer are people ostracized for their sexual desires. It is apparent that BDSM has exploded in many areas of society.
As women step into the deep end and grasp sexual exploration, could it be that we stand on the brink of the world’s next great sexual revolution? Are you ready to jump in? Grab a blindfold and some rope, pull on your boots and give your partner the surprise of their life. You never know how far down the rabbit hole you may go.