The collar is a common object in the BDSM scene. Whether you like it or not, it is very interesting to know what it stands for and where the symbolism comes from. We dug into the history books and this is what we found.
History of BDSM
Before you can say something about the history of the collar, you should also know something about the history of BDSM. BDSM as a term is still quite new. It originated in 1969 by the contraction of abbreviations related to bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism.
However, this does not mean that the activities that we now refer to as BDSM did not exist before this. In fact, there is evidence that 5,000 years ago there was already sexual behaviour that we would now call BDSM. Engravings have been found that show rituals to honour the goddess Inanna (goddess of love, fertility and war – yes, these things apparently go well together). The Kama Sutra also mentions spanking. But even closer to home, among the ancient Greeks, there was a flagellation ritual for young men known as diamastigosis. In Petronius’ Satyricon, such a ritual also occurred, intended for sexual arousal.of BDSM. BDSM as a term is still quite new. It originated in 1969 by the contraction of abbreviations related to bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism.
Symbolism of collars
However, the necklace appeared in BDSM much later. Before that, there were already certain types of collars, like the extravagant collars worn by the nobility in the 16th century, or the choker we know from Anne Boleyn. During the French Revolution, women also sometimes wore a red ribbon around their neck to show their solidarity with the fallen. Similar necklaces worn tightly around a woman’s neck are also found among Native American tribes. They often consisted of bird bones and were intended to protect the wearer from harm or for other spiritual reasons.
Yet such collars had nothing to do with BDSM avant la lettre. It was in the 1950s that a fashion trend emerged in which American teenage girls started wearing dog collars to let boys know they were still available. However, they wore those collars around their ankles.
The necklace and BDSM
Just like the term BDSM, the collar and its symbolism is still quite new. In BDSM literature from the Victorian era, the collar doesn’t appear at all. Still, also in those days there was a lot of fantasizing about sex slaves and submission. In those days, (female) submissives were forced to show just a bit too much leg or breast, for example, than was usual at the time (and which would not be sensational anymore).
Until then, there were slave collars, usually made of wood or iron, with which African slaves were tied together so that they could not escape. At the time of slavery, a collar was not something erotic, but a harsh reality for slaves.
One of the first references to the collar in relation to submission and BDSM comes from the 1954 book ‘L’Histoire D’O’. The author, Anne Cécile Desclos, would have had absolutely no experience with BDSM and had to invent the symbolism herself. She came up with the leather collar as a reference to slavery. Afterwards, this symbolism was adopted by several other authors and by practitioners of BDSM.
The collar in contemporary BDSM
Over the last 40 years, the collar has taken a specific place in BDSM culture. Mostly it is a simple way of indicating that the submissive (the sub) and the dominant (the dominant) have a relationship. It is a bit like an engagement ring (or even a wedding ring for some BDSM-ers), with its rituals.
There are now different meanings given to putting on and wearing a collar, depending on how people practice their BDSM lifestyle. Sometimes this goes as far as putting on a metal collar in such a way that it can only be removed with a grinder. For others it is nothing more than a fashion statement that shows that they belong to the BDSM scene.
For many kinksters, a collar is nothing more or less than an instrument with which to tie up the submissive (as part of bondage and discipline). In that case, there is no symbolism attached to the collar.
Are you looking for a nice collar, in our BDSM shop you will find a nice selection of collars.
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