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Wheldrake -> RE: Feminism and the Strap-on (philosophical) (9/10/2008 12:38:38 PM)
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A slightly rambling discourse…
Let’s take it for granted that women who use strap-ons are not harbouring a secret desire to become men, or adopting the penis as a symbol of power in itself. In the context of female dominance, penis power really doesn’t make sense.
One thing about a strap-on, used by a woman on a male submissive, is that it puts him in the role of a passive receiver. So to the extent that being the active partner and taking the initiative is a form of dominance in itself, a strap-on can be an implement of domination. Words like “penetrate” and “invade” have at least a mild connotation of dominance, too. On the other hand, a woman can also reduce a male submissive to passivity by tying him down and “riding” his cock – another word that implies dominance to my mind. Perhaps, then, the strap-on doesn’t add all that much.
But looking a bit deeper, the two situations aren’t quite equivalent. Cock-riding requires the male submissive to be more or less erect, so his passivity isn’t complete. He has to be “with the program” at least to the extent of being sexually aroused. But if he’s bent over waiting to receive a strap-on, it doesn’t really matter if he’s with the program or not, as long as he isn’t about to run away. He can be “taken” in this manner regardless of whether he finds it arousing, frightening, humiliating, uncomfortable, or just plain dull.
From this perspective, the strap-on gives the dominant a way to use her submissive as a sex object without the cooperation of his genitals, and might therefore be seen as empowering. But if she just wants to stick something up his ass and watch him squirm, she can use a hand-held dildo just as easily. Does having the instrument of penetration strapped to her crotch really add anything, from her point of view? I suppose hip-thrusting might be more powerful and in some sense more natural than hand-thrusting, but is this really a big deal? I think the critical question is whether or not the woman can get some physical pleasure out of using the strap-on, presumably because of the pressure against her vulva. If that’s the case, then strap-on play really is a uniquely empowering way for a woman to “take” direct sexual pleasure from a male submissive, without his having to get aroused or do anything other than assume the position (which is, of course, equivalent to what male dominants can do with submissives of either sex). Unfortunately, I’m not equipped to take this line of reasoning to a conclusion, since I have no idea what it feels like to be a woman using a strap-on to penetrate a lucky male submissive. Would any experienced ladies who have actually made it this far care to, er, take a stab?
(Disclaimer: the above is entirely theoretical, since I’ve never experienced strap-on play in any form. But this IS supposed to be a philosophical discussion.)
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