When I was in middle school, I remember a lot of commotion about the TV adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover. The book, written by D.H. Lawrence was banned from print for a time and caused quite a scandal.
It’s steamy adaptation on the small screen caused quite a stir (even though everyone still watched it) and launched the career of one Sean Bean.
By today’s standards. It’s pretty tame. There’s more sex in an episode of Game of Thrones than in the entirety of Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
As society has become more open-minded, we’ve seen all kinds of sexual preferences and activities creep into mainstream film and TV, and not in a negative sense either. While there was a period where BDSM practices were solely the kink of the bad guy, that’s now no longer the case.
When Fifty Shades of Grey entered the mainstream, sales of duct tape and cable ties went up, as people decided to indulge their curiosity for BDSM. In fact, there are a number of websites, BDSM app, and many other ways to connect with the BDSM community.
TV is now at the forefront of breaking down sexual taboos where BDSM is concerned. Even CSI, that legendary procedural, had its main character, Gil Grissom, visit a mistress. Even though this was a blink and you’ll miss it character detail in the 300+ episodes, it was an important inclusion none the less.
More recently, the BBC incarnation of Sherlock, also saw him fall in love for the first time with Irene Adler, a mistress, and dominatrix. The US version of Sherlock Holmes also liked to indulge in BDSM in order to get his sexual release. Maybe there’s just something about the Holmes character that they just know where to find a mistress.
One of the most high profile depictions of BDSM on TV at the moment is Billions. Lead character Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) and his wife Wendy practice BDSM. Though his sexual preferences are not the focus of the show, they aren’t used in a titillating or judgemental way but are a deeper look into his psyche. In fact (spoilers), when a political opponent threatens to let the public know about his sexual preferences, he decides to come clean during a press conference and let the world know exactly what he and his consenting wife like to get up to, and the public love him for it, and he is elected to office. There’s a lot of comedy to be had as his father creatively misunderstands what BDSM is and his friends occasionally joke with him about it, a sign that they accept this part of his life.
Film and TV are making great strides in how they portray sexuality, gender, and equality on the screen. While there is certainly a long way to go before it reflects society accurately, it is improving all of the time. BDSM, in particular, has undergone a total 180 with regards to how the characters who practice it are written.
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