BDSM is the acronym that people use to describe a whole variety of erotic practices that involve bondage, discipline, domination, sadism and masochism.
In BDSM, the word top can mean a dominance partner or a person who applies stimulation to another. Often, these roles are ambiguous.
Dominant
A dominant dom (or master slave) is a person who enjoys exploring power dynamics. This can include playing dominance in the bedroom, but it can also mean subverting societal norms and exploring control fantasies outside of the bedroom.
Dominants must be able to communicate with their submissive partners and set boundaries. They should also be able to say no to activities that they do not feel comfortable doing.
The Dominant should also be respectful of their submissive and allow them to decide what they would like to do. They should also be able to admit wrongdoing and apologize to their submissive if they make mistakes.
Being a dominant can be an extremely intimate and meaningful role. It is a very special relationship and one that must be built upon a solid foundation.
Submissive
In BDSM, there are many roles, including dominants and submissives. Dominants are often referred to as dominants or doms, while submissives are called subs.
A bdsm top is the person who performs the BDSM acts in a scene. The top may take on a bratty or lenient role, or they might be too strict, depending on the situation.
The BDSM community can be very confusing about these roles. BDSM can be very intense and it’s important to establish clear boundaries from the get-go. Having a safe word in place is also essential for both partners to feel comfortable with the experience.
Sadist
BDSM is a broad term used to describe a variety of activities, including the exercise of power and control over another person, physical and psychological restraint, and infliction of pain and humiliation.
During a BDSM scene, a dominant role called top or dominator will direct the actions of a submissive obedient role called bottom or submissive. The two participant roles are often interchangeable in BDSM, but some participants prefer to play a particular role most of the time or switch back and forth between the roles when they want.
In a healthy BDSM dynamic, tops and bottoms work together to establish negotiated limits, safe words, and aftercare. They do this through pre-scene consultation or negotiation, and both will seek informed consent from the other before performing a BDSM act.
Masochist
A masochist enjoys sexual fantasies or urges for being beaten, humiliated, bound, tortured, or otherwise made to suffer. The pleasure from these fantasies is often based on scripted and mutually agreed upon scenes.
As BDSM and kink have become more accepted as variants of normal sexual interests rather than deviant behavior, sadism and masochism are no longer seen as disorders in their own right. Instead, they are treated as part of a psychological disorder only when accompanied by other issues.
A therapist can help assess distressing behaviors, implement safety precautions, and explore shame or conflicting emotions. A therapist may also refer the individual to a specialist for medical management of masochistic behavior if it causes impairment or distress.
Service Top
A service top is the person who enjoys applying BDSM activities and techniques to their submissive partner, but in accordance with their desires. Some BDSM devotees disparage service tops for failing to maintain the traditional BDSM relationship dynamic, but this is only a matter of semantics and a mutually agreed power exchange between two consenting partners can be just as valid as one that resembles a traditional BDSM Dominant-Top.
Service Tops are responsible for monitoring and maintaining the safety of their bottom, and may decline a request by their bottom should they feel that it is unsafe or not in the bottom’s best interest. They can do this by reading body language, periodic “check ins,” and other means of gauging their bottom’s emotional, mental, and physical state.
