Humiliation 102: CDNS - Clothed Dominant Naked Submissive
(This is part of an ongoing series on Humiliation Play. Make sure to check out Humiliation 101: Just the Basics)
Several weeks ago DominaChase.com was proud to introduce the Humanistic BDSM Glossary. The HuBDSM glossary defines BDSM terms using language inclusive of all genders and orientations. Along the way, my team and I stumbled upon common terms that were inherently gendered. So as if there weren’t enough BDSM terms already, new HuBDSM-centric terms were added. One such entry was: Clothed Dominant Naked Submissive, CDNS.
You might be thinking “Isn’t that just CFNM (Clothed Female Naked Male)?” Well, you wouldn’t be that far off the mark. It’s dichotomous counterpart is Clothed Male Naked Female, CMNF. Based on porn and FetLife searches CFNM is by far the more popular of the two. While these are valid play, the terms inherently run counter to the inclusivity of HuBDSM as they only cater to the gender binary and our articles will use inclusive language so that all readers can identify with the information given.
So what’s so humiliating about CDNS?
If you really don’t know, then congratulations is in order because you are extraordinarily comfortable in your skin! Otherwise, people generally find being naked vulnerable. Moreover, they find being the only party naked doubly so. Even in isolation CDNS is a power shift.
Part of negotiation of humiliation play (an article I haven’t written yet but will!) is finding out what headspace you are trying to achieve. As a Dominant do you want to feel larger than your submissive or do you want them to feel small? Do you want to feel powerful or do you want them to feel powerless? This is a subtle yet very important distinction. Introducing CDNS to any play can create this power differential.
The taboo can be exponentially greater in breaking with the cis-gender and binary. This is the true strength of the term CDNS. You are create your own subtype based on your identity and the play you are seeking.
So what’s so great about CDNS? This is one of those “It depends” answers. It can include the following:
1. Clear sign of power/powerlessness
Again, in general, being naked makes people feel vulnerable. Parts of your body that you are insecure about is on display. If there was a fire you would (likely) first stop to grab something to cover yourself with before running into the street. In a scenario where seconds count you are at a disadvantage. (For the record, if this happens just run out naked if stopping to be covered risks your life. You can get over shame but you can’t come back from dead!)
2. Indulgence
There are many people who enjoy being naked and want to be “made” to be naked. It can give a sense of freedom to be told to do what they actually want to do.
3. Objectification
Objectification generally has a sexual connotation. The person being objectified might enjoy the fact that their sole usefulness in the scene is for their physical beauty. There is freedom in not having to be responsible, smart, or capable. They just have to exist.
4. Body shaming (Warning: This is often a hard limit so discuss before attempting!)
Two very common hard limits in humiliation play is intellect and body shaming. If this is something you are into, respect that the receiver or giver might be violently against it. For instance I have too many body hang ups to be comfortable body shaming another woman but I am all about a rousing dose of Small Penis Humiliation (SPH) play.
5. Sexual gratification (DUH)
Sexual acts are generally easier when at least one party is naked. Some sex acts require nudity.
6. Gender Taboo
In addition to the taboo of walking around naked in regular vanilla life, there are strong cultural taboos that can be played upon. The greatest taboo is gender.
We can harken back to CFNM. A male willingly making himself vulnerable to one or more females is very subversive to the general male dominant vanilla world. Both sides of the power dynamic can either be embarrassed or proud of this subversion.
The opposite is Clothed Male, Naked Female. This can be a taboo especially for strong females as they are playing directly into the female stereotype of being naked and barefoot. Both sides can either be embarrassed or proud of not giving a fuck about enjoying a stereotype.
The taboo can be exponentially greater in breaking with the cis-gender and binary. This is the true strength of the term CDNS. You are create your own subtype based on your identity and the play you are seeking. (There will be a lot of caveats after this section. Just remember we are talking about taboos after all.)
Your version of CDNS can be Clothed Dominant, Naked Male if the Dominant identifies as non-binary. It can be Clothed Female, Naked AFAB because the Dominant female doesn’t care about gender they just like people who have vaginas. (Caveat: You are free to enjoy what you enjoy but be careful about fetishising people if they do not consent to it. For example I don’t like people who like me solely because I’m Asian.)
By literally stripping away clothing, it is removing a very direct method of gender or non-gender expression. At birth we are assigned genders based on our external genitalia. Being naked not only removes a method of gender expression it exposes genitalia that may not be traditionally congruent with the person’s gender. Depending on the person’s relationship to their body, this can be empowering or vulnerable.
Note: CDNS does not replace CFNM or CMNF but includes them as subtypes. In HuBDSM, probably the “most accurate” way to describe would be Clothed Dominant X Naked submissive x but CDXNSX is utterly confusing.
(Thinking out loud… If we’re breaking conflation left and right then we’d have NDCS: Naked Dominant, Clothed Submissive. I’ve definitely done this and look out for the article about it!)
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CDNS is a very powerful (and fun) tool to use in humiliation. This is not an exhaustive list by any means but it’s a great start. By understanding the possible psychological play, you can begin to craft a scene that titilates mind and/or body.
What ways have you enjoyed CDNS? Feel inspired to try something new? Let me know! Comment below or join the conversation on Facebook at Humanistic BDSM - Inclusive AF Kink
Photo Credit: Censored version of original by Flickr user oldsterxxx (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://www.flickr.com/photos/39487032@N06/5822481718
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