Crouching in darkness, a man with long hair perches on his fists and the balls of his feet, his hair thrown over his face, covering much of his naked body.
I don’t typically like photographs whose levels have been altered for “artistic effect,” but for some reason this red-toned picture, sent in by John Pickman, appeals to me. John noted that the photograph is by S. E. Rider, and wrote:
This photo was part of an exploration of D/s themes and ideas between my partner at the time (the photographer) and I. I like this one in particular because it seems archetypal, removed from the constraints of any one person or place. Submission isn’t something you do, it’s something you are, and we tried to capture that.
Interestingly, this image doesn’t seem to evoke submissiveness to me, but rather strength, possibly even anger. The curled, almost gorilla-like crouched pose along with the hot red and white coloring brings rebellious, not docile, thoughts to mind. Although it might seem an inappropriate thing to put on a site called “Male Submission Art,” I think it’s crucial for “submissive people” like me to acknowledge when we’re not feeling submissive.
I’m often annoyed by inappropriate expectations of docility many have of me when the only thing they know is that I use the label “submissive” to refer to my sexuality, and I find any formulation of submission that denies me agency repugnant. Articulating sexually submissive desires becomes even more challenging when the language available to discuss them fumbles so gracelessly and without distinction between fantasy and reality. It’s one thing to experience pleasure from a position of “meekness” (one of many synonyms for “submission” by Thesaurus.com), it is quite another to live meekly.