Yafe wrote:
Recently, on several occasions, I came across an interesting dilemma with a sub I have been training and interacting with.
While instructing her to perform a set of acts, she commented that she is the sub, and I am the dom thus my requests are contradictory to our roles.
Generally, the terms Dom and sub refer to their relative roles in a RELATIONSHIPS. And usually, or commonly, Topping and bottoming refer to relative roles in ACTIVITIES.
When two people are fucking, there is usually one person who is active and one who is receptive. In BDSM activities, one person is doing unto, and one is being done unto. The active person is the top, the receptive person is the bottom.
Many people come into the lifestyle thinking that anyone who does unto, is dominant. Anyone who receives, is submissive.
That's not always true! And the purpose of this writing is to challenge this statement; Not all tops are doms. Likewise, not all bottoms are subs.
I would like to suggest that any role is NOT solid or permanent. There is a lot of fluidity in most people. Needs and desires change and mutate at in instant, or over a lifetime, within a relationship, for any reason or none. And motives, methods, preferences can be mixed together.
I can definitely suggest and give a 1st hand experience and advocate that Doms at their choosing can be bottoms and subs when directed can serve as great Tops.
So:
Is that a Taboo?? I would love to hear your opinion.
If you agree or disagree and would like to get further information and explanation let me know and I will be happy to elaborate!
i skimmed through this entire thread (i.e., i confess i didn't read absolutely every word). After doing that, i think the OP did a decent job analyzing their query. i also think the multitude of responses (mine included), underlines the notion that the terms we use are subject to (dependent on?) discussion and interpretation.
"Generally," up is up and down is down. If one is on the space station, however, the meaning can get altered by perspective, so it makes sense to me in any discussion of kink to determine where each is in space and time.
i rarely use the word "sub" without a ton of (my) qualifiers and definition attached, often i leave it out of a profile or initial label altogether. i use "total bottom" to try and attract the general type Guy i want/need, but it's sorta like throwing garbage at the wall to determine what will stick. Mostly i just get a wall covered with garbage. But every once in awhile, what i throw out gets me a gold.
i submit that the bottom line is our labels are just a starting place and only open listening and hearing will result in an accurate understanding of what that person means by the label they use.