Female dominance

Femdom, or female dominance, refers to BDSM activities where the dominant partner is female. A female dominant is sometimes called a domme (pronounced "dom"), femdomme or domina. In the English speaking world, "Mistress" is by far the most common dominatrix title, while in most of continental Europe, the most common title is "Maitresse" or "Domina." The most common dominatrix title in the Spanish speaking world is "Ama." The equivalent Japanese term is 女王様 (josama, or queen.)

Naturally, femdom activities may draw on all areas of BDSM, but there tends to be an association with radical feminism, whether seriously or fantastically. This can lead to apparent paradoxes, such as the humiliation of men by feminization, though it is readily resolved by seeing this as disclaiming traditional gender associations, and transference of coded images of weakness onto men. Strap-on dildo play plays a significant part in this as well. The inverse of this is of course to glorify the feminine, for example in panty fetishism and boot worship.

Similarly, erotic humiliation can focus on the inadequacy of a male sub's penis (small penis humiliation), demoting it to a plaything for the dominatrix, over which the male has no real control. Related femme domme activities include ballbusting, cock and ball torture (CBT), verbal humiliation, forced chastity, and orgasm denial or orgasm control. Many participants in this lifestyle conform to the Safe, sane and consensual model prevalent in the BDSM Community.

Light female domination scenarios may involve ageplay, erotic spanking, and body worship, especially foot worship and ass worship.

More intense and heavier female domination scenarios may involve facesitting or smothering, which tend to focus on the sub giving the dominant female oral pleasure, or the dominant female performing anal sex on the sub using a strap-on dildo. Other forms of more intense female domination can include face slapping, hair pulling, caning, heavy torture, dripping hot wax on the genitals and heavy whipping. For these purposes, note the issue of legal consent which may or may not represent a defence to criminal liability for any injuries caused.

In extreme scenarios, there is a focus on exchange of bodily fluids and total forfeit of rights from the slave, acts may involve spitting domination, watersports a.k.a golden shower.

A fairly common variation on this is a rape fantasy in which the female is the dominant partner, or wrestling/fighting in which the female is stronger than the male. These carry a similarity to forced feminization, where the sexual fantasy takes on an intellectual/emotional component, with men either trying to, or pretending to try to, take control, but failing.

Femdom art is also implemented, showing the female as the domme and the male as the sub. One such artist is Namio Harukawa. His paintings usually show plump Asian and European women implement facesitting, smothering, oral sex, whipping, human furniture, scat and piss eating.

References and further reading

 * Lorelei, The Mistress Manual: The Good Girl's Guide to Female Dominance. Greenery Press, 2000. ISBN 1890159190.


 * Claudia Varrin, Cynthia Lechan, The Art of Sensual Female Dominance: A Guide for Women. Citadel Press, 2000. ISBN 0806520892.


 * Elise Sutton, Female Domination. Lulu.com, 2003. ISBN 1411603257.


 * Elise Sutton's Female Superiority site, (http://www.elisesutton.com)


 * Georgeann Cross, Sexual Power for Women, 1997


 * Christina Abernathy, Miss Abernathy's Concise Slave Training Manual, Greenery Press, 1996. ISBN 9-9639763-9-7