Dominatrix

A dominatrix or mistress is a woman who takes the dominant role in sado-masochistic sexual practices. The male equivalent is a dominant or master.

Related Topics:
Dominant - Sado-masochistic

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The term dominatrix is most commonly used to describe professional dominant women who charge money to engage in fantasy play with submissive clients, but in reality most dominatrices are not professionals, but lifestyle dominants. A lifestyle dominant is a person who is assertive and in control of their relationships both inside and outside the bedroom.

Related Topics:
Submissive - Lifestyle dominant

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Women who engage in female domination recreationally are known as Dommes, Dominatrices, or simply Dominants, but are rarely referred to as Dominatrixes.A high percentage of dominatrixes are lifestyle dominants, but some simply play the dominatrix role because it is a high-paying profession.

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Note that a dominatrix does not necessarily dominate a male partner; a dominatrix may well have a female submissive.

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The term domme is a coined pseudo-French female variation of the slang dom (short for dominant). There is confusion on its pronunciation, with some pronouncing it identically to dom and some pronouncing the final e as a second syllable, e.g. saying dom-MAY or DOM-may. It appears that more BDSM authorities prefer the first pronunciation (identical to dom), by analogy to one-syllable French-derived words like femme or blonde. http://mistressmatisse.blogspot.com/2004/05/bdsm-word-of-day-domme.html http://www.fhp-inc.com/writings/essential_domme.html http://www.sensuoussadie.com/sadiescolumns/writing/internetwriting.htm http://www.soulshaven.f2s.com/intro_terms.php3.

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A "pro-domme" is a female professional dominant. Most famous dominatrices (with a few notable exceptions) are professional dominants, since most other people's sex lives remain private.

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The stereotyped image of a dominatrix is of a woman wearing a rubber catsuit and thigh-length boots with high heels. Many professional dominatrices do indeed wear similar outfits for their work. However, for non-professional dominatrices, the question "what does a dominatrix wear" is best answered "whatever they like".

Related Topics:
Catsuit - Thigh-length boots

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Notable dominatrices:

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• The 19th-century British dominatrix Mrs Theresa Berkley, inventor of the Berkley Horse.
• The American author, sex therapist, and counsellor Gloria Brame is also a lifestyle dominant.
• The French professional dominatrix Maîtresse Françoise (real name Annick Foucault) has written a book about her experiences as a dominatrix

Fictional dominatrices:

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• The novel Venus in Furs, by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, deals with a man who is so besotted with a woman he becomes her sex slave. Also, the song of the same name by the Velvet Underground deals with the same subject matter.
• The film Preaching to the Perverted, starring Guinevere Turner, depicts a dominatrix.
• The television drama ' has featured a recurring professional dominatrix character, Lady Heather, who is depicted in a sympathetic manner.
• The film Eating Raoul features Doris the Dominatrix, who, when off the job, is a married mother.
• The film Maîtresse, starring Gérard Depardieu and Bulle Ogier, depicted a professional dominant.
• The 1999 film Payback, with Lucy Liu as the dominatrix Pearl.
 
Dominatrix: See also ►