Dominatrix

A dominatrix (from the Latin dominatrix, meaning a female ruler or mistress) or mistress is a woman who takes the dominant role in bondage and discipline, domination and submission or sado-masochistic sexual practices, which are commonly abbreviated as BDSM. The male equivalent is master. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "Mistress", "Ma'am" or "Maîtresse". Note that a dominatrix does not necessarily dominate a male partner; a dominatrix may well have a female submissive.

The term "Domme" (IPA:dɒm) 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. The correct pronunciation is identical to Dom, by analogy to one-syllable French-derived words like femme or blonde. [1] [2] [3] [4].

Older woman-younger man relationships are much more common in female dominant relationships than among vanilla couples.

Professional versus lifestyle dominatrices

The term dominatrix is often used to describe a professional dominant woman (or pro-domme) who charges money to engage in fantasy play with submissive clients. 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.

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

It is common for professional dominatrices who are also lifestyle Dommes to have both paying clients and a "personal slave" or slaves, who are not paying clients. A personal slave will typically perform a Domme's housework and run errands for her. A personal slave may or may not live with his or her Domme. Professional dominants most frequently do not engage in any form of sexual contact with their paying customers, as this can be construed as a form of prostitution in some places. Outside of their life as a pro-domme, they may engage in sexual behavior with a devoted slave, or not, as they choose. A common form of domination involves chastity where a dominant controls her slaves sexual access, sometimes keeping them locked in a chastity device except for rare occasions.

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 in order to meet client expectations. However, for non-professional dominatrices, the question "What does a dominatrix wear?" is best answered "Whatever she likes!"

Dominatrices of Popular Culture

• The 19th-century British dominatrix Mrs Theresa Berkley, inventor of the Berkley Horse.
• The American author, sex therapist, and counselor 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
• Ilsa Strix is a Los Angeles based professional dominatrix who has appeared in female domination videos and has been romantically linked to The Matrix creator Larry Wachowski.
• Professional dominatrix Mistress Matisse is also a columnist for the Seattle weekly alternative

Fictional dominatrices

• 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 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 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, features Lucy Liu as the dominatrix Pearl.
• Several of the stories in the comic book series Sin City feature the character of Gail, a prostitute and dominatrix whose speciality is knot-tying. She is one of the authority figures in Old Town, a part of the city run by female prostitutes. In the movie adaptation, she is played by Rosario Dawson.
• The popular DC comic books character Catwoman bears a strong dominatrix motif: her stylized mask, the skintight outfit and the whip, in combination with her strong-willed and at the same time sultry personality are the most striking of these characteristics.
• In the 1993 film Love and Human Remains, Mia Kirshner received a Genie nomination for her role as the dominatrix and psychic Benita.
• In the film EuroTrip, Cooper Harris has an encounter with a dominatrix during the night when the group visits Amsterdam.
• The television drama "House (TV Series)" has a woman who is referred to as a dominatrix in the Season 1 episode entitled "Love Hurts."
• In the MMORPG Ragnarok Online, the Zealotus monster appears in the Underprison levels of the Glast Heim dungeon. She wears a mask that covers half of her face, sports a whip, and can summon several 'Injustice' monsters to attack players.
• In the Soul Calibur fighting games, the character of Ivy Valentine is thought of by players as a dominatrix with her bondage clothing, whip-like weapon, and some suggestive attack names (Spiral Dominance, Pleasure Change, and Punishment Change).
• In Addams Family Values Morticia brings up many dominatrix attributes.
• The White Witch Jadis in The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis has many characteristics of a dominatrix.
• Angelina Jolie plays a dominatrix in a scene of Mr and Mrs Smith in which, to her customer's delight, she reveals a stunning PVC outfit.
• The novel Ulysses by James Joyce includes a dominatrix, of whom the character Leopold Bloom suffers from in the chapter Circe.
• In the short story Valtiatar Artemis (Mistress Artemis) there is a dominatrix who has come from space. Valtiatar Artemis is included in Athena-Artemis.
• Also in the poem Isabella (written by Seppo Telenius) there is a mistress who has come from space. Isabella is included in Poetry and other texts (translated from Finnish into English by Joop Wassenaar and Tatjana Aaljoki) and in Reflections (edited by Seppo Sakari Telenius and Mary Vol).
• The real-time strategy game Dungeon Keeper 2 features the Mistress as a minion that you as the Dungeon Keeper can recruit - visually, they are portrayed as dominatrices in black leather with a whip.

Dominatrices in Music

• Touch, Peel and Stand by Days of the New
• EDNA by Strapped
• Blood, Sex and Booze by Green Day
• S&M Airlines by NOFX
• Cruel and Unusual Punishment by NOFX

See also

• Female domination
• Professional dominant
• Fetishes (documentary)
• Humiliatrix

External links

• The Dominatrix in Print and Other Media — detailed bibliography
• It's a living: Dominatrix — professional domme article
• The Dominatrix Story Interview with a Mistress and with Guides on How to be a Dominatrix.
• "I Was a Teenage Dominatrix" — professional domme article from Salon about award-winning author Shawna Kenney, who put herself through American University working as a dominatrix
• SceneandHeard.ca Vol 06 Issue 06 Spank or be Spanked — Interview with Mistress Rattan by Leanne Minichilla