Don't wonder if something is "too kinky." The only question is, do you like it?
Common myths misunderstand and even demonize kinky sex and BDSM in particular.
People who like kinky sex are just as mentally healthy as their non-kinky peers.
BDSM should always be practiced safely and consensually.
What is kinky sex? There’s actually no exact definition of kink, so anyone can say that what they do is or isn’t kinky.
Does it even matter? On the one hand, it doesn’t; your sexuality is an experience, not a category. Shakespeare had it right—a rose smells the same no matter what you call it.
On the other hand, you might be more willing to smell something if I told you it was a flower rather than a skunk. And so some people stay away from exploring sexual behaviors they might enjoy just because they think the activities are “kinky”—and,” they emphasize, “I’m not a kinky person.”
It’s like going shopping, seeing a pretty red dress, and saying, “I like it, but I won’t buy it because I’m not the kind of person who wears red dresses.” That’s a shame. Because no one is a “kind of a person”—we’re each an actual person who creates meaning out of the world around us every single day. If you like how you look in that red dress, it shouldn’t matter what kind of person you are.
Of course, no one should be doing sexual things they don’t want to do. But why would someone be attached to their self-image as not a kinky person? After all, almost everyone is kinky to someone else. Sex with the lights on? Sex completely undressed? Talking during sex about what you like? Making noise when you climax? Depending on whom you ask, these could be considered kinky. Yes, every one of those is unfamiliar and rather odd to someone.
So what’s meant by kink, anyway? Often, kinky sex is defined as:
Sex that people think is unusual (and often isn’t)
Sex that involves imagination (“Imagine we’re being watched while making love tonight…”)
Sex that involves equipment (like blindfolds)
Sex in which people deliberately increase the intensity, often via pain (like hair-pulling)
Sex that involves role-playing (“What if I just met you at the supermarket today, and now we…?”)
Sex that involves teasing (“You better not plan on kissing me tonight…”)
Sex that doesn’t make traditional or common assumptions about arousal, genital focus, orgasm, or maybe even monogamy.
If you’re thinking "Wait a minute, I’m involved with some of that stuff!" you can decide you’re kinky, or that your sex is kinky, or that kink isn’t what you imagined it is. None of those ideas has to change what you do.
Indeed, a large number of couples enjoy bedroom games that could be considered kinky, but they just don’t think of it that way. They may hold down their partner, physically tease their partner, or deliberately do something that’s slightly physically uncomfortable. If more people talked about this, maybe “kink” wouldn’t seem like something that only others (or crazy others) do.
Unfortunately, Many Psychologists Lack Training
In a perfect world, psychologists would know all about this, and they’d be educating patients, TV producers, and policymakers about kink. However, unfortunately, most therapists receive no training on this subject at all. In fact, you can become a licensed marriage counselor without ever hearing the word "vibrator" in your training. Handcuffs or dildoes? Many therapists-in-training would rather be ignorant about such things.
So let’s list some myths about kinky sex that many people (including therapists) believe, which undermine both sexual enjoyment and effective therapy.
Myths About Kinky Sex
Wanting to submit during sex shows childhood trauma.
Wanting nonmonogamy shows a fear of intimacy.
A desire for things like spanking and hair-pulling shows low self-esteem.
In BDSM, one person objectifies another, so it can’t be healthy.
“Non-kinky” sex is the most mature sex.
BDSM is all about inflicting or enduring pain.
No healthy person would want to experience pain or domination during sex.
No healthy person would enjoy exhibitionism (that is, safely being seen or watched during sex).
People who like kinky sex have no boundaries, can’t enjoy non-kinky sex, and their preferences intensify over time until they only want extreme experiences.
None of these is true. No data shows that people who enjoy kinky sex come from more troubled backgrounds, are less emotionally healthy, or are less self-regulated than everyone else. Of course, some kinky people are wounded personalities, but that’s true in every group of people, regardless of how they like sex (or whether they like sex at all).
When anyone—therapist or civilian—says that people who like kinky sex are unhealthy or are overcompensating for childhood abuse, what they’re really saying is “I disapprove of people having sex like that.” This is fine, of course, but people—especially psychologists with large followings—should be honest about their disapproval, rather than claiming they know something about the mental health of a large and heterogeneous group like people who enjoy kinky sex.