MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Over the last decade there has been a proliferation of kink and BDSM in television, print, and on the web. The influx of kink into mainstream media has resulted in, to some extent, the glorification and commodification of non-normative sex for capital gains, but is it actually OK to be kinky? Societal views and mainstream media representations of kinky sex are often distorted, misrepresented, and ambivalent, resulting in the pathologizing and stigmatization of its practitioners. Seemingly, it’s OK to be kinky in order to sell eroticism, sex, and sex-appeal, but deviation from normative sex is often considered dangerous, potentially threatening society’s moral fabric. For example, the overnight success of 50 Shades of Grey was touted as “a manual for domestic violence and the subjugation of women.” Despite these claims, not only has 50 Shades demonstrated society’s newfound interest in kink and BDSM, but also demonstrated how people have begun to embrace and appreciate it as part of a very real, normal sexuality. Further exploration of “mainstreaming kink” is important to understand better the implications of society’s relationship to non-normative sex.