The BDSM practice is called female dominance , or femdom. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation , but this does not necessarily limit the genders of her submissive partners.
Dominatrices are popularly known for inflicting physical pain on their submissive subjects, but this is not done in every case. In some instances erotic humiliation is used, such as verbal humiliation or the assignment of humiliating tasks. Dominatrices also make use of other forms of servitude. Practices of domination common to many BDSM and other various sexual relationships are also prevalent.
A dominatrix is typically a paid professional pro-domme as the term dominatrix is little-used within the non-professional BDSM scene. Dominatrix is the feminine form of the Latin dominator , a ruler or lord, and was originally used in a non-sexual sense. Its use in English dates back to at least Its earliest recorded use in the prevalent modern sense, as a female dominant in sadomasochism , dates to The term domme is likely a coined pseudo-French feminine inflection of the slang dom short for dominant.
The use of domme , dominatrix , dom , or dominant by any woman in a dominant role is chosen mostly by personal preference and the conventions of the local BDSM scene. Female dominance also known as female domination or femdom is a BDSM activity in which the dominant partner is female. However, while the term mistress is often used in the media, members of the BDSM community often avoid it, as it can be confused with mistress in the sense of a woman who has an illicit relationship with a married man, a term which has the negative implication of cheating on a partner.
Since there is a large overlap between the BDSM and polyamory communities, where ethical conduct is a prime concern, any such relationship is a source of disapproval. Although the term dominatrix was not used, the classic example in literature of the female dominant-male submissive relationship is portrayed in the novella Venus in Furs by Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. The term masochism was later derived from the author's name by Richard von Krafft-Ebing in the latter's forensic study Psychopathia Sexualis.
