A No-BS List Of Vegan-Friendly Skincare Brands

100% Pure Cosmetics

Abra Therapeutics

Alamo Organics

Alba Botanica

All Terrain

Alvin Connor

Aubrey Organics, Inc.

Arbonne

Aveda

Bare Bones Body Care

Beauty Without Cruelty

Billy Jealousy

Body Crystal of California

Bonne Bell

Bronzo Sensualé

California North

Dermalogica

DermOrganic

Desert Essence
Devita

Earth Mama Angel Baby

Earth Science Naturals

Freeman

Gaia Creams

Hugo Naturals

Hylunia

Kiss My Face
Le Labo

Lush

Murad

Nature's Gate

Ocean Potion

Pacifica

Per-fékt Beauty

Raven's Creek Natural

Relogy

Sibu Beauty

Skyn ICELAND

SIRCUIT Cosmeceuticals, Inc.

SW Basics

Christiansplaining | Fifty Shades of Grey Is Not A "Representation" of the BDSM Community & Discrediting Common Myths

I don’t really think that it is fair for the BDSM community (or anyone, for that matter) to discredit “Fifty Shades of Grey” as “not being a good representation of the BDSM community”. I don’t think that it was meant to be a representation of the BDSM community, and I also don’t perceive it as such. Christian Grey may be involved in BDSM, yet he is only one person in that community, and therefore should not be used as an "example". Everyone is different, so we cannot expect a single person to be a “good representation” of a whole community, which, by the way, has MANY different facets and sub-categories (D/s, DD/lg, M/s, etc.)! We also cannot expect that everyone will take part in the same aspects or activities as one person or another person. He may have been introduced to BDSM in a different way, he be taking part in it for a different reason, and he may even be taking part in different aspects of the dynamic, but that doesn’t discredit his story or his experience with it. Everyone has a different story and a different experience. We like and/or dislike things for different reasons; we become interested and/or disinterested in things for different reasons. The question of whether his reasons were good or bad , healthy or unhealthy, has a subjective answer. Anastasia Steele may have like or disliked certain aspects of the dynamic, yet it was still consensual. He never crossed her boundaries. In the end, it’s just a story. In the end, it’s just his story. In the end, it's just her story. Everyone has a different story, and everyone is entitled to that. Lastly, I'd like to end this post by discrediting a few common myths. BDSM is not abuse, nor is it comprised of -or defined by- "violent" acts. It is an interaction between consenting adults who usually come up with a negotiation and/or a contract. There are [soft and hard] limits that are discussed beforehand (and usually written into the contract), and there also safe-words -or safe-gestures, in the case of not being able to utilize a safe-word- that are to indicate that the current activity is to slow down or completely stop. If the safe-word or the safe-gesture is purposely ignored, then that is RAPE. BDSM is also not always sexual. Not everyone in the BDSM community identifies with the "Dominant/submissive" dynamic, or the "Master/slave" dynamic. Just research the "Caregiver/little" or "Caretaker/little" dynamic! Many people involved in the D/s or Cg/l dynamics actually have much stronger, healthier relationships than some people do in normal (also called "vanilla") relationships. BDSM is not rare, a fad or phase, nor is everyone within the community exactly the same. Not everyone will fit the "checklist" of what one person or another person likes and/or dislikes, or what one person thinks is "kinky" or "vanilla". There is no one "perfect description" of what anyone involved in a specific dynamic should or shouldn't be like. They may or may not look "the part". It doesn't matter, because "the part" is just based on misconceptions and assumptions. Not. Everyone. Is. The. Same. That is the overall theme of this article, if you haven't guessed. You can be big or small, short or tall, boy or girl, trans or cis. You can have different interests and preferences. There is no perfect checklist of "who you need to be" before or in able to do what you do and like what you like. It's BDSM; there is no "binary", "primary", or "default". In keeping with the main theme of this post: EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT! Be your true self! (By the way ... yes, I am a Christian. How sad is it that even a Christian knows more about some of these dynamics than some other people do?)