Contrary to popular belief, it didn’t take E.L. James’ 50 Shades of Grey to spark widespread interest in BDSM, an acronym for which there are 68 million Google search results as of this writing (for reference, “orgasm” returns roughly 55 million results). According to the 2005 Durex Global Sex Survey (PDF), 36 percent of U.S. adults have had sex using masks, blindfolds, or other forms of bondage (compared to 20 percent worldwide). And 65 percent of university students interviewed for a 1999 study published by the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality reported entertaining sexual fantasies about being tied up. As far back as 1953, a study conducted by the Kinsey Institute found that 55 percent of females and 50 percent of males had experienced an erotic response to being bitten.
-Pacific Standard
