Erotic spanking (also known as spankophilia) is the act of spanking another person for the sexual arousal or gratification of either or both parties. Activities range from occasional sexual roleplay (such as ageplay) to domestic discipline and may involve the use of a hand or the use of a variety of spanking implements, such as a spanking paddle or cane.^[1] Erotic spanking may be administered to bare buttocks or normally dressed. Spanking can involve the use of bondage.

Many cultures describe pain as an aphrodisiac. For example, the Kama Sutra, in particular, goes into specific detail on how to properly strike a partner during sex.^[2]

The origins and scope of erotic spanking and flagellation are largely unknown. One of the earliest depictions of erotic flagellation is found in a 6th century BC Etruscan burial site named in modern times the Tomba della Fustigazione or "Tomb of Flogging" after its depictions of eroticized flagellation.

Representations of erotic spanking and flagellation make up a large portion of Victorian pornography (see 1000 Nudes by Koetzle.^[3]) Hundreds of thousands of engravings, photographs, and/or literary depictions of spanking and flagellation ("birching") fantasies circulated during the Victorian era, including erotic novellas like The Whippingham Papers, The Birchen Bouquet, Exhibition of Female Flagellants^[4][5] or the pornographic comic opera Lady Bumtickler's Revels.^[6] Many well-known people since their deaths have been discovered to enjoy spankings for erotic purposes or emotional gratification including renowned British Army officer T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia"),^[7][8] influential English theatre critic Kenneth Tynan,^[9][10] TV broadcaster Frank Bough,^[9] and English writer John Mortimer.^[9]

The film Secretary is a notable example of a film related to the theme. It is a 2002 dominant/submissive-themed romantic comedy-drama film directed by Steven Shainberg. It stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as Lee Holloway and James Spader as E. Edward Grey. The film is based on a short story from Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill.

A spanking may be carried out with the use of a bare hand, or with any of a variety of implements, including a paddle, strap, hairbrush or belt.^[11] Other popular tools are canes, riding crops, whips, switches, birches, sneakers, rolled-up newspapers, rulers or martinet. (see Category:Spanking implements).

Erotic spankings are commonly combined with other forms of sexual foreplay, such as oral sex, sexual roleplaying and/or ageplay. The most common type of erotic spanking is administered on the bare buttocks,^[11] but can also be combined with bondage, in order to heighten sexual arousal and feelings of helplessness.

A spank skirt (also called a spanking skirt) has an additional opening in back designed to expose the buttocks. While the name spank skirt suggests that the wearer could be spanked "bare bottom" without removing or repositioning the skirt, this item may be worn for reasons other than spanking (for instance, exposure).^{[citation needed]}

Considered fetish wear, spank skirts are typically tight-fitting and made of fetishistic materials (such as leather, PVC or latex).

Regardless of the gender of the wearer, spank skirts are usually considered female attire. The male gender role equivalent might be motorcycle chaps.

Other garments associated with spanking as well as humiliation are ruffled or rhumba panties, women's panties with rows of ruffles on the rear panel or outside.^{[citation needed]}

A spanking bench or spanking horse is a piece of furniture used to position a spankee on, with or without restraints. They come in many sizes and styles, the most popular of which is similar to a sawhorse with a padded top and rings for restraints.^[12]

The 19th century British dominatrix Mrs Theresa Berkley became famous for her invention of the Berkley Horse, a similar form of BDSM apparatus.^[13]

Positions which may be used to administer a spanking include:^[14]

• over the knees (OTK) or across the lap
• stooped over a chair or couch, or bench
• doggy style - on hands and knees (bed or floor)
• over the spanker's shoulder
• head-between-legs
• waist-between-legs
• kneeling on a bed or ottoman, stooped over with hands on the floor
• bent under the arm of the spanker
• lying face down
• bent over, touching toes or over a desk
• lying on back with legs raised upward and toward chest (diaper position)
• handcuffed to a bed
• tied to a doorway
• tied to a tree or pole that is in a safe area outside
• legs spread apart, almost in the splits position.

Those who are interested in the practice giving or receiving erotic spankings are sometimes referred to spankophiles.^{[citation needed]} Examples include the poet Algernon Swinburne (as implied repeatedly in his poetry) and the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as detailed in his autobiography Confessions:^[15]

... Miss Lambercier... exerted a mother's authority, even to inflicting on us... the punishment of infants... Who would believe this childish discipline, received at eight years old, from the hands of a woman of thirty, should influence my propensities, my desires, my passions, for the rest of my life... To fall at the feet of an imperious mistress, obey her mandates, or implore pardon, were for me the most exquisite enjoyments, and the more my blood was inflamed by the efforts of a lively imagination the more I acquired the appearance of a whining lover."^[16]

In some cultures, the spanking of women, by the male head of the family or by the husband (sometimes called domestic discipline) has been and sometimes continues to be a common and approved custom. In those cultures and in those times it was the belief that the husband, as head of the family, had a right and even the duty to discipline his wife and children when he saw fit. In most western countries, this practice has come to be regarded as unlawful and socially unacceptable wife-beating, domestic violence or abuse. Routine corporal punishment of women by their husbands, however, does still exist in some parts of the developing world,^[17][18][19] and still occurs in isolated cases in western countries.

Spanking can be administered in a number of spanking positions. The choice of position takes into account the spankee's (bottom) comfort in the position for long periods of time, the spanker's (top) ability to swing at the spankee at a comfortable, natural angle, complete access to the spankee's buttocks, the spanker's control of the spankee's position and ability to readjust as necessary, safety, and the amount of strength the top is able to generate from such a position. Positions can also be chosen specifically for added effects such as increased humiliation, elevation and suspension.

In the over-the-knee position, the most common spanking position, the spankee is bent over the spanker's knee.^[20] Assuming right-handed spankers the spankee will be bent over facing the spanker's left hand side, with their bottom positioned over the spanker's left knee.^[20] When done correctly the spankee's full weight will be resting on the spanker's left knee which is slightly elevated in order raise the spankee's bottom in order to expose it further and prevent clenching.^[20] In order to reach this position the spankee's back typically slightly arches which in the case of a woman fully exposes her vulva.^[20] Some spankees may try to move into a more modest position by flattening out resulting in a less bent-over posture as well as a less exposed bottom.^[20] Before beginning a spanking the spanker typically uses their left arm to firmly grasp the spankee's waist and hold them down to prevent their squirming out of position; they then use their left elbow to press down on the spankee's back in between the shoulder blades to prevent them from lifting up their head and shoulders and flattening out.^[20] The spanker's right leg can then be used to control the spankee's legs.^[20]

The spankee's hands can be either on the floor, or grasping the legs of the chair (if in a chair) for support, but can also be in mid air if high enough.^[20] The spankee's right arm is normally pinned to the small of their back by the spanker's left hand if the spankee begins to swing their right arm around.^[20] If it is a woman spanking a male then she will typically pay attention to make sure his penis is planted firmly against her right thigh facing to the left.^[20] The spanker can achieve a more comfortable position for swinging their arm by turning their upper body to the right, this will also allow for a stronger swing.^[20]

• Almost identical to over-the-lap where the spankee is positioned over both of the spanker's knees instead of just one.

In the lying position, the spankee lies face-down on a bed, couch or floor. The lying position was used in judicial corporal punishment, for examples see birching table and gonjang.

A cushion, pile of cushions, pillow, bolster, or rolled-up blanket can be placed under the spankee's pelvis to make the spankee's buttocks stick up higher for a better spanking.

The lying position offers a number of possibilities for placing the spankee's hands. If a pad is used, the spankee can also be ordered to put his/her hands under this pad to keep them out of the way, and lift the spankee's bottom up even higher.

The spankee's legs can be kept together or he/she can be positioned spread-eagle. The position can be enforced either through verbal instruction or by physical restraints, such as rope, straps, cuffs, or spreader bars.

All lying positions are suited for using a whipping or any other spanking implement.

• The spanker can first sit down in the center of a couch or the side of bed (further back than when spanking over-the-knee), and then place the spankee sideways over his/her lap. This is similar to the over-the-knee position, but with the spankee in a horizontal position, upper body and legs resting on the bed/couch. This can be more comfortable for both the spankee and the spanker, as it takes much of the spankee's weight from the spanker's lap and from the spankee's stomach.
• The tucked-under-the-arm position is similar, but here the spanker sits at an angle and the spankee is tucked under the spanker's arm so that his/her waist-up is behind the spanker.

In the head-between-legs position the spankee's head is locked between the spanker's legs, to restrain the spankee, but also adds to the humiliation of the spankee due to the embarrassment of having one's head locked helplessly between another person's legs.

This can be done in the following positions:

• in the bent-over position
• in the kneeling position
• in the on-all-fours position

The spanker will typically make sure his or her leg pressure is not too high to make it uncomfortable for the spankee's skull and ears, and make sure he or she does not apply pressure to the spankee's neck where it could do serious harm.

For lightweight spankees it is also possible for the spanker to take the spankee's head between his legs and then pick up the spankee with one hand by the waistband of his pants or shorts, so that the delinquent is elevated in suspense during his spanking. A 19th century author, narrating his school days, described this method as being used by one of his teachers for canings or switchings.

• In the waist-between-legs position, the spankee is locked between the spanker's legs by his or her waist.

In the waist-between-legs position the spankee is in the doggie position and is locked by his/her waist between the spanker's legs. The spanker and spankee are facing opposite directions. The spanker will be standing or kneeling (the latter requires that the spanker is taller than the spankee) and can spank the spankee's buttocks from above. The spanker can additionally use his/her non-spanking hand to keep the spankee's bottom in a good spanking position, or to pull the spankee's clothing tight over the buttocks, or clear out of the way for a bare bottom spanking.

If the spanker is standing and the spankee is small it is also possible for him/her to be not on all fours, but off the floor while locked between the spanker's legs; either in front (hands off the floor), in rear (feet off the floor), or both.

• The spankee is not locked by his/her waist, but by his/her head, see head-between-legs position.
• The spankee is lying on the floor or on a bed (see lying position), and the spanker is kneeling and straddling over the spankee (preferably with most of his/her weight on his/her knees, rather than his/her posterior, so the spankee's breathing is not made difficult).
• The spankee is kneeling and bending over an object (e.g. a low stool, see kneeling position) and is additionally secured in place by being taken between the spanker's legs.
• The bongo position, where the spanker is seated and takes the spankee between his legs, but upside-down and with the spankee's legs spread and to either side of the spanker.

• Berkley Horse
• Spanking bench
• Flagellation
• Dippoldism
• Algolagnia

• Koetzle, Michael. 1000 Nudes: A History of Erotic Photography from 1839-1939. Taschen, 2005.
• Lady Green, The Compleat Spanker. Greenery Press, 2000. ISBN 1-890159-00-X.
• Marcus, Steven. The Other Victorians. Basic Books, 1966.
• Rousseau, Jean-Jaques. The Confessions of Jean-Jaques Rousseau. London: Penguin Books, 1953.
• Swinburne, Charles Algernon. The Works of Charles Algernon Swinburne. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions, 1995.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spanking.

Listen to this article
(2 parts, 6 minutes)

2. Part 2

These audio files were created from a revision of this article dated

Error: no date provided

, and do not reflect subsequent edits.

(Audio help · More spoken articles)

• The Spanking Art Wiki
• Biblio Curiosa Wiki
• Basics of Erotic Spanking