Story code: Humiliation

[Ranai]

In the BDSM Library's excellent and very handy list of story codes, there is one item called 'humiliation'. It's not an enormous favourite of mine or anything, but I have a question about its classification. Both in the advanced search and in the story codes humiliation is listed under the heading Level of Consent.
This left me scratching my head and idly wondering...

Why on earth is humiliation a level of consent?

The other items listed under Level of Consent are:
romantic, consensual, reluctant, mc: mind control, blackmail, torture, nc: non-consensual.

Does the fact that there is humiliation in a story say anything about its level of consent?
Not to my mind.
As far as I can see, humiliation can turn up in a text under any of those levels of consent?

Perhaps it would fit in better under the heading Fetish?
Any ideas from the able writers and avid readers?

[ProjectEuropa]

Perhaps it would fit in better under the heading Fetish?
Any ideas from the able writers and avid readers?

Humiliation is definitely a fetish in its own right. One only has to read these pages to see that there are people (mainly women) where sexual humiliation is definitely a turn on.

I think many a man has been surprised to find that many women, even women that are very feminist inclined in their daily lives, weaken at the knees when they are sexually humiliated in the safety of loving relationship. One assumes that there is some inate yearning for this domination or subjugation and that they are responding to some primal urge.

Certainly the women I know that yearn for this humiliation are quite strident in their daily lives and not the sort to kow tow to the idea that a woman should know her place!

[Robin Lane]

I understand your confusion, Raini. To me, humiliation is not a level of consent at all. It is a technique used by a dominant (myself, for instance) to control a submissive and heighten and intensify the sub's experience, both in an individual scene and in the overall D/s relationship. Used judiciously, with proper restraint as per the level of intimacy and the Domme's understanding of the submissive's feelings and motivations, humiliation can bring a submissive to great heights of erotic pleasure, deepen her adoration of and devotion to her dominant partner, and increase her desire and enthusiasm to serve and please her Master/Mistress.

In erotica - that is to say, sex stories - the pupose of humiliation can be expanded, as it is not always consensual nor conducted to bring pleasure to the sub. Still, I believe the author must employ erotic humiliation in the story for a REASON... not just to violate the target, regardless of the scenes eroticism. The author must ask "What am I trying to achieve in this scene, and with these charactors?" The answer may show erotic humiliation to be the best tool to achieve that end, or show some other technique or literary device to be a better choice.

In real life or in fiction, humiliation used at the wrong time, used the wrong way, and imposed on the wrong person, will simply make that person feel violated, and have no erotic context at all. And remember, in any kind of fiction including erotic fiction, the readers feel what the charactors feel. If the subject of the humiliation doesn't draw erotic feelings and/or sense in herself a need to respond sexually, neither will the reader. They'll just feel frustrated in dissatisfied, and will put the story down and look for satisfaction elswhere... in someone else's story.

Robin Lane

"Girls... God's gift to women."