We’ve reblogged this illustration from Boyfriend and ExBoyfriend BDSM Gallery, one of the great sites that Tumblr killed in its purge.
This is the first in a series of illustrated guides. If you’d like to follow them, then later ones will be here.
Collar: Any symbol used to represent that a submissive or slave is Owned. Often an actual Collar, but can also be anything from a anklet to a bracelet to whatever the “couple” decides it to be.
Collared: The state of a submissive or slave who is the consensual partner of a Master or Owner, usually in a long-term relationship. Sometimes referred to as Owned.
Collaring: 1. The formal acceptance by a Dominant of a submissive’s service. 2. A ceremony celebrating such an event. May be a simple act of commitment between two people, or a formal ceremony similar to a wedding.
It is a convention among some to capitalise the term “Collar” as a form of respect for the Ownership it symbolises.
Collars usually signify committed Master/slave or Dominant/submissive relationships and are a respected symbol in the BDSM and leather communities. A boy in a bar with a collar on is a “no-go” for single Doms on the prowl, though an unlocked collar might be interpreted more as a “proceed with caution”.
play collar: 1. A collar used only in play or at BDSM events. A play collar does not signify that the submissive or slave is owned but may signify that s/he is committed for the night or session. 2. A collar used for a specific type of play, as in a dog collar or any of a number of bondage collars.
The term “velcro collar” is used in the community for collars worn only for uncommitted play, but be careful of how you use the term because it can be used in a barbed way to refer to subs with a reputation for short term relationships.
FURTHER READING
• Submissive Guide – What It Means To Be Collared
• Limits Unleashed – Collars in BDSM
• Collar And Cuffs – Collars and Meanings
can you please go into more details about a ” protection collar ” ? As an unowned boy I am under two doms protection during training and for other reasons I can’t really go into as per my Sirs wishes. What is the significance and type of collar used ?How will others know the difference ?
All of the links on here do not work or have been removed.
thank you
Hi boyMike.. Traditionally a protection collar doesn’t look any different to an ownership collar… it just has a different significance between the two people. Often it did not have a lock. In bar culture, a collar on a boy’s neck indicated to Dominants that the boy was the property of another person and should be approached accordingly. A protection collar performed the same function.