# The Principles of Bondage Scenes in Mainstream Movies and TV Shows

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-principles-of-bondage-scenes-in-mainstream-movies-and-tv-shows/338168>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 3, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-principles-of-bondage-scenes-in-mainstream-movies-and-tv-shows/338168 "2006-01-03T01:37:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-principles-of-bondage-scenes-in-mainstream-movies-and-tv-shows/338168/1 "2006-01-03T01:37:58Z")

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Warning: bondage content. If bondage content frightens you, angers your, or arouses strange feelings you’d just rather not deal with right now, thankyewverymuch, do not continue reading this thread. I will now proceed, with quasi-scientific seriousness, to elucidate a series of principles for bondage scenes in mainstream movies and TV shows. Some of these principles are pretty much self-evident, others may require further elucidation. I’ll leave it to you to judge which is which.

[ol]  
[li]The purpose of bondage scenes is to ramp up the drama by making the damsel appear vulnerable and helpless. Even in a comedy scene, this principle holds, the vulnerability and helplessness is just played differently for comedy.[/li][li]The more vulnerable and helpless the damsel appears to be, the more powerful and effective the scene. This is especially true if there is some imminent peril at hand.[/li][li]Bondage scenes are dramatic because while they constitute violence visited upon a person in themselves, they also generally contain the threat of far greater violence – torture, rape, or death. Consensual sexual bondage scenes, however, are outside the purview of this rule.[/li][li]The more distressed the damsel appears to be, the more effective the scene is dramatically.[/li][li]Elements of a bondage scene that make a damsel appear sexy increases the dramatic impact of a scene (making the threat of molestation seem more imminent).[/li][/ol]

From these apparently innocent principles I will proceed to deduce a series of rules for mainstream bondage scenes which will make the meek and the bluenosed flush with outrage, thus greatly increasing my chances of obtaining world domination ™ this year.

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**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-principles-of-bondage-scenes-in-mainstream-movies-and-tv-shows/338168/2 "2006-01-03T01:48:36Z")

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Oh noooooooooooooo! Bondage!

_runs away screaming_  
_pokes head back into thread_

Er, this is interesting. Can I stick around?  
😉

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-principles-of-bondage-scenes-in-mainstream-movies-and-tv-shows/338168/3 "2006-01-03T01:49:54Z")

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I find this extremely tiresome of you, **Evil Captor.** Not to say, deliberately baiting folks.

PS - I tried to send you an email, but apparently your email address is no longer valid. This is a violation of our rules. Please fix, immediately.