Date Presented
Spring 5-15-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
First Advisor
Dr. Sharon Foreman
Second Advisor
Dr. Virginia Cylke
Third Advisor
Dr. Nichole Sanders
Abstract
In this study, the researcher uses a content analysis of popular film and television from the last 30 years depicting acts of bondage, discipline, dominance/submission, and sadomasochism (BDSM), both those committed by white people and by people of color, in an attempt to determine whether this representation is inherently positive or negative. Participation in bondage, discipline, dominance/submission, and sadomasochism (BDSM) is easily considered taboo (Jones 2020), and it is even more so when people of color (POC) are playing with white practitioners (Cruz 2015). Film representations of minority groups can impact how the general public views these groups upon viewing (Kubrak 2020), meaning that the quality of this kind of representation matters. The researcher found that overall representation of BDSM tended to be more negative, and that people of color participating in BDSM were often portrayed as 'exotic' or vulnerable in ways their white counterparts were not.
Recommended Citation
Lloyd, Katelyn, "Popular Culture Representations of BDSM and Subsequent Implications for Kinky People of Color" (2022). Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects. 245.
https://digitalshowcase.lynchburg.edu/utcp/245