Our brunch topic for the week was photographic depictions of spankings and related activities. As you can see, we had a tremendous turnout. Here are your thoughts.
Anon #1: For me, photos are mostly a turn-on, though it depends. Some very explicit photos (that border on violence to me) are certainly a turn-off. But a picture of a man giving his gal a spanking? I don't mind a bit!
MP & RPT: We like looking at spanking pictures, provided they are not too harsh! The Lupus stuff is WAAAY too much for our delicate minds.
However, a nicely reddened bottom or some stripes from a cane are fine.
Then there are the pictures we take of ourselves, but perhaps that's for another brunch?
You bet! That’s an excellent topic. Thanks!
Greenwoman: I think that spanking images are a form of porn for me. They’re sometimes art, but mostly, they are porn. If I'd want to be the bottom in the image, then I get aroused.
I personally have no interest in seeing an anus on anyone. I don't really care much for seeing a woman's vulva most of the time either. I am not attracted to images where the bottom is covered in bruises. I like to see a pretty bottom that is pink cheeked and sexy looking. I enjoy seeing panties slid down off the bottom quite a lot. I like seeing hands giving the spanking and ones that I'd want on me, fondling my bottom. I don't care for photos with the woman all dressed in leather or latex. I don't like to see an open legged crotch shot. There’s nothing wrong with them. It’s just not my thing. If I want to see a woman with her legs spread, I'll pop in a porn movie.
For the most part, I am more aroused by artsy shibari bondage images than by spanking images.
I am more aroused by spanking art than by photos actually. I love Patty's work and other work like it. It is incredibly arousing to me. I could look at it and ooze day after day. But photos really don't melt my butter nearly that much. It’s mostly because I don't care much about what other people are doing when it comes to imagery. I prefer doing to looking. Art, on the other hand, really turns me on.
As far as a photo being explicit about sex between bottom and top? I don't care to view anal sex, but I enjoy an explicit image very much if its artsy.
Daisy: They make me jealous! I don't like to see all a woman’s bits on show. But to see a bottom about to be spanked or one all freshly pink from a spanking... Mmmm... If only it were me!
Sherryl: It's a turn-on when I see a man being spanked. There are not enough pictures of men being spanked.
I like to see women being spanked too, but like I said, it is especially a turn-on seeing a man being spanked no matter the position.
Thomas: For the most part, spanking images are a turn-on for me, though it largely depends on the content. Pre-spanking images really don't do it for me. I like to see a freshly spanked bottom showing clear evidence of color or marking. To some degree, severity is a greater turn-on, as I prefer images from Realspankings or Lupus to an image of a bottom that's barely pink. Another contributing factor is whether the spankee appeals to me. An image will do little for me if I don't readily fantasize that I'm the one doing the spanking.
Stacy: Most of them turn me on completely.
I enjoy viewing them (and sometimes wishing I was the one getting the spanking!) and they help my boyfriend and me think up scenarios for our next adventure (heheh, school girl spanking shots! He loves those white panties).
And pre-spanking images do it for me, as long as they are well done.
It is only a huge turn off when the people are dressed in leather or the bottom is bruised in the picture or so red you can find them in a dark room. I prefer to see the bottoms with pink bottoms and big smiles.
Mike: I prefer to see a woman rather than a man being spanked because women's figures and bottoms are more visually pleasing to look at. Bruises and blood are definite turn-offs.
However, I post drawings and pictures of men being spanked because they display the strong self-assured woman correcting the faults of the man being spanked. Also, pictures of a determined woman holding a spanking implement please many of my readers. Due to the fact that Lynn will only agree to spank, but not be spanked herself, I have grown to enjoy being spanked, and looking at men being spanked.
PK: Before I found blogs, I mostly looked for pictures. I find them a real turn-on, but only if they look real. Leather, whips, and boots are not real to me. I like seeing a husband or boyfriend spanking a wife or girlfriend. I also find that the ones I like most show the woman's face. I want to see her reaction. I almost resent the fakey pictures of a supposed spanking where the woman is looks bored or totally unaffected. If you are going to go to the trouble of taking a picture, try and make it look real anyway! Even for those of us who love spanking, we don’t have a silly grin or a blank expression on our face when it is happening!
Lucy: I've never been a big fan of explicit photos. I really prefer not to look at strangers’ genitalia be they male or female. I do like more modest spanking photos and artsy bondage photos. The other thing I have discovered is that I'm not a fan of hardcore bondage photos. I've clicked onto a site only to quickly click the back button on my browser because the picture at the top of the page was something that I couldn't stomach.
Several of the previous comments mentioned a distaste for photographs involving leather. I have to say that I adore leather and even though not all photos featuring leather are my taste, it has to be one of the best "fabrics" hands down. I do like to see people in leather as long as they are fully clothed. I have nothing against nudity, but I don't go hunting for it on Google.
Dr. Ken: I enjoy spanking photos. I have many as wallpaper or screen savers. I prefer spanking photos that are OTK, ones – as mentioned in another reply – where I can see the lady's face, and one that is being done by hand or hairbrush, or something that seems normal and realistic, anyway. (I remember a photo set from the 60's or 70's where the man doing the spanking had a different implement in every shot – including a golf club! It all seemed rather unlikely to me...)
I like the photos to be tasteful. Explicit photos don't interest me, and I try not to use them on my blog. The camera-as-gynecologist (or proctologist, for that matter) does nothing for me. So photographers, keep the zoom lenses in your camera bags!
Anon #2: Photographs are generally a turn-on, but such a small number of photos are really convincing. So many look posed or artificial. I think a really good drawing is much better, and Paula Russell of Februs comes to my mind as the all time great. She seems to get every part of it right, perhaps because she has been on the receiving end herself!
I agree with other comments. I prefer no bloody, bruised bottoms, just red cheeks or moderate cane stripes. They can leave out the glimpses or often full exposures of the ladies' intimate parts. Make sure she is bent over in a provocative but practical way, and a little simple bondage to hold her there does not come amiss.
Hermione: Pictures are just not my thing. I am very much a word person, and will choose words over pictures any day. Give me a well-written description of a spanking and I will create a series of pictures in my mind that are tailored to my own specific preferences. I can still remember and visualize passages that I read over 30 years ago in books that are long gone. But I forget pictures almost immediately.
I am turned off by nudity, and especially by explicit pictures that include genitalia. I know they're there; I just don't care to look at them. A bare bottom is enough. I also don't want to see any extreme form of punishment like whipping or beating, or anything that draws blood or causes visible damage.
The exception seems to be videos. I have seen some short clips that I found very appealing and exciting. That does seem to contradict my preference for words, and I can only assume the reason is that the brain processes movies differently than stills. The videos that I have found to be a turn-on are ones I can relate to personally in some way. It might be a position or an implement – or both – that I would enjoy. Often there is some sort of physical resemblance between the victim and me that makes it easy to put myself in the spankee's place. These video images also persist in my memory and I can call them up at a later time, just as I can with the images created from written passages.
Skye: As someone who didn't realize any of this was available until this April, I am still getting used to the variety that I find. I am quickly deciding what I like and don't like, however. Photos don't really do much for me, especially the explicit ones. Some of the ones that are OTK and tasteful, maybe I'll look at twice, maybe. Drawings and art, (again, not explicit) I do like. I don't know why there is a difference in my mind, but there is. I'd much prefer a story. I like to create my own mental images.
Jane: I'm not really interested in looking at photos of spanking, but similarly to what Hermione said, I don't mind videos or reading. The only other image that I would like to see is John being commanding. Maybe it's partly a female trait of addressing the emotional rather than the visual. (?)
Paul: I agree with many of your commenters. I love a nicely presented butt that has been properly spanked, nicely reddened ,or with well-placed stripes. I don't like pretend spankings where the model looks as if she is going to fall asleep.
Brutal turns me off, and while I know that in certain positions the vagina and anus will be visible, gynecological shots turn me off.
I also love to see erotic spankings, something that Mel and I did a great deal. The thought of people enjoying it is the biggest turn on.
Hapzoid: I enjoy "caught being naughty" pictures. These include bad grades, naughty at school, skinny-dipping, late for curfew, sassing, dent in car, wanking, etc. While Lupus is a bit severe, it's the kind of spanking I imagine even when receiving a mild erotic spanking. I like mother/son/daughter, Aunty, Father/son/daughter, domestic, old time woodshed, etc. The spankee/spanker can be naked or partially clad. Happy spanking!
Fanny: I've been a lurker at several spanking blogs for quite a while and decided to finally stop by and say Hi to everyone!
I'm with Hermione on this one. Give me words any day. However, I have seen many drawings on-line that I find very erotic. There is something about the artwork that just seems to capture the emotions of the scene. I just don't get the same feeling from photos. Could it be a case of fantasy vs. reality?
Welcome, Fanny. I’m glad you joined us!
Ruteawakening: I rather enjoy looking at spanking pictures, and in all honesty, I probably look at them too much. I definitely would prefer to act them out more. :)
I don't care for pictures that are too severe and depict cuts and really bad bruises. I also find that leather and/or dungeon scenes do not appeal to me very much. I prefer "pure" spanking pictures without rough bondage, gag toys, etc. My favorite pictures involve scenes where somebody is in trouble for a myriad of possible offenses. The scenes that depict school spankings are the most erotic for me. That could be because I feared them so much while growing up. Now, I love to act them out (talk about irony). :) Oh yeah, I am the one who would be in trouble. This is a most impressive blog. Y'all have a good day.
Thank you, and welcome to you as well, Rute.
Mary: For me, Greenwoman described it well. If I find myself wishing I was the bottom being spanked then I am aroused.
Cane stripes and strappings are nice, but deep bruises or cut skin turn me off. I like the panties pulled down rather than off, something about that is arousing to me.
Brat V: Like so many others on here, I love a good spanking picture, but don't care for anything explicit or too brutal. A nicely brightened bottom is a big turn on. Blood, severe bruising and welts that have broken or almost broken the skin do nothing for me.
Have I bruised from a spanking? Of course. Have I bled? Actually, yes, I have (just a tiny bit), but the spanking stopped immediately because J doesn't like that either.
Show me a cute girl with a pink/red bottom or some nice cane marks any day! Those are the pictures that leave me longing for a nice long trip over J's lap. :-)
Prefectdt: Here’s another comment that will be made in two parts (er, and a bit).
- M/f or F/f material – Having developed a little "spankosexualty" over the years, I no longer see female bottoms/subs as women so much as fellow spankees. Although I can still appreciate their looks, I find no sexual turn on from looking at female spankees. Material featuring female spankees is where I look for ideas and inspiration, without that thing in my pants taking over the thinking process.
- F/m or F/f material – The sight of a hot top in action can give me a bit of a buzz, but for some reason that I cannot work out, they are far hotter if appropriately dressed rather than in a state of semi or entire nudity.
As to photographs where sexual organs are on display, sometimes it is just inevitable in a bare bottom scene. If people don't like how the human body looks, they should complain to the manufacturer. Some photos do deliberately emphasize sexual organs. I'm not against this for people who want to view such material. but it is not my kind of thing.
Anon #3: I find all such pictures – both photographic and otherwise – a huge turnoff. I prefer my poison in written form, and feel dirty and gross when I am obligated to see "buttporn" in order to get to online stories and articles.
Elle: I prefer suggestive pictures and videos that HINT at a spanking to the explicit material showing every last stroke and every last bruise. Visually, the idea that someone might get spanked turns me on far, far more than actually seeing it happen.
On the other hand, if I must watch porn, I do prefer there to be some element of kink in it. Regular porn can be so boring...
Curtis: Photographs of spanking – male spanking female, female spanking male, and female spanking female – are all potential turn-ons for me. I'm probably most turned on by female spanking female because I love the female body as being sexy. Because I'm a switch, I can see myself in either position.
I don't like certain types of pictures, particularly those which depict severe punishment, pictures of bottoms that are deeply bruised or welted, and pictures of women crying or screaming in pain. My interest in spanking is for play, fun, sensuality and, with the right person, erotic as sexual stimulation in and of itself or as prelude to, during, and after sex. It's the pictures that seem to reflect these elements that most turn me on.
Bonnie: Randy and I have a running disagreement about whether fondness for erotic photographs tends to differ by gender. He loves them. I land somewhere between mildly interested and indifferent. He thinks that my position can be explained by the fact that I am a writer and therefore more text-oriented. Our brunch results neither confirm nor refute either position. So the discussion goes on.
I don’t go out of my way to find spanking pictures, but I can appreciate them when I encounter them, especially if they are tastefully presented. As many others have said, I don’t want to see wounds that warrant a trip to the emergency room. I can also skip the illustrations from a gynecological textbook. Ditto anything that suggests participation by a child. My preference is depictions of loving couples where there is (or was) an actual spanking. Obviously posed pictures are just dumb. Why would anyone fake a spanking?
Photographs and other visual depictions certainly have their place, but as Hermione said, I usually prefer to read the words and develop my own pictures.
Maryann: I have looked at several spanked bottoms online (male and female) and find I'm mostly interested in comparison. Since we are so new to spanking, I wonder if what I get is comparable to what is described in stories. "A hard spanking" isn't very precise. The redness and bruises tell the tale. Now that I have done my research, I'm really not interested any more.
I guess that's it for this week. Thank you all for coming and sharing your unique perspectives. I hope you'll join us again next Sunday.
