Cleaning can be the most valuable of slave duties that can be given out as a punishment. It can be repetitive and demeaning but it always gets something done that a dominatrix would never choose to do herself. The pleasure in watching someone else scrub, polish and tidy is increased by making them wear suitable clothing.

This set was intended to illustrate the “Masters and Slaves” section of my book Love Me Like You Hate Me, so I I made a special point of wearing a collar that reminded me of my slave status in the scenario. It also played against my wild, red hair and glossy, lipsticked pout. I was aware of how fetishistic the heavy, rubber gloves made even my most ordinary movements seem.

It was easy to play against the slave image and the the photographer noticed too. I was reminded of his lowly position when he took the photos as I was standing in a bathtub, above him and I felt anything but submissive in his presence. It became total role-play and I indulged myself in the moment at his expense. I’m a cleaning fetishist through and through and I adored this session despite, or because of, my naturally messy nature.

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Photos by Guy Moberly.

The hoodie fetish went mainstream on every news channel, in every country, this summer.

Between 6th and 10th August, numerous London districts and – in a series of copycat incidents – other cities and towns in England saw widespread acts of rioting, looting and arson. When I saw all those feral teenagers out shopping aggressively in high street sports shops, electrical retailers and designer boutiques I thought to myself “it must be cold over there because everyone is wearing a hoodie”.

Watching four nights of the mayhem on TV and online must have been a dream for the hoodie fetishists
among us. They didn’t need to make excuses or feel self-conscious about their obsession as all of those hoodies filled the blazing, night-time streets – their only problem was that they were spoilt for choice about which one to fantasize over next.

A hoodie is a sweatshirt with a hood and a very large pocket in front. It is capable of carrying those essential items for when you’re out on the street. Not only a symbol of street individuality, but a mark of brotherhood with friends, the hoodie has become unfairly associated with gang culture.

Modern British media prefers to view the hoodie as a piece of primitive tribal clothing commonly seen in large quantities around street corners, public toilets and McDonald’s restaurants in town centres up and down the country, and almost certainly in any recently-stolen car. Instead of being a functional piece of casual-wear, the hoodie is seen as being a form of disguise designed to shield the wearer from CCTV cameras, store detectives, and police patrols.

David Cameron, before he became the leader of the British coalition government, gave a controversial speech in which he called for more understanding of why young people commit crime. It became known as the “hug a hoodie” speech. In it, Mr Cameron insisted “We–the people in suits–often see hoodies as aggressive, the uniform of a rebel army of young gangsters.” He continued: “But hoodies are more defensive than offensive. They’re a way to stay invisible in the street. In a dangerous environment the best thing to do is keep your head down, blend in.”

As a UK ex-pat I was surprised when I discovered that the hoodie, an item of comfortable and practical clothing, had come to be associated with criminality. I read somewhere that wearing one can even exclude you from some shopping centres. Personally, I have a hoodie fetish because I love the youthful feeling they give me; I live in them when I’m not posing in photo-shoots and writing at home. Hoodies are my second skin when I have any free time, I have a real hoodie fetish. Now, knowing that they are so associated with being bad, they just get sexier and sexier every time I put one on.

As the shoot progressed-even in the bright sunlight-the coldness of the chain, as it dangled from my dog collar, sent an arousing chill through my body. I was unable and unwilling to stop my nipples hardening and pushing through the thin material of my crop-top.

In this set you can see me loitering around, up to no good and looking suspicious.

So, wouldn’t you like to know what I’m hiding in my pocket?

Featured photography by Stephan

A few years ago, when I was an English teacher, I recall giving a class called “The power of music”. It was a listening exercise in which an expert explained the link between music and emotions; for instance, the way classical music relaxes the listener. He went on to describe how Hollywood directors understand this link all too well.

Film music tells us how and what to feel and manipulates us emotionally. The saddest scene in a film is often intensified in this way by the sound of a solo violin playing. Thrillers depend a great deal on edgy, unexpected sounds and musical cues to sensitize our feelings, distracting us and failing to prepare us for the unexpected. The best example is Bernard Herrman’s minimalist score for the infamous shower scene in “Psycho”.

When I watched the new version of Love Me Like You Hate Me for the first time, I remembered the class that I taught about the power of music. The slow piano gives the opening sequence of Love Me Like You Hate Me the feel of a thriller before anything has even happened. When I push the white dress down in the water, that simple gesture is made much more erotic and meaningful because of the subtle piano music.

The film, as a whole, is made much more obsessive and crueller by the intelligent use of music, even though the shoot itself was nothing but fun. If you want to watch the new version of Love Me Like You Hate Me, watch the video below.

Title image: Kristyan Geyr Images

“LOVE ME LIKE YOU HATE ME”is written and directed by Erika Lust, ( LUST FILMS 2010). The 6 minute long film tells the enigmatic story of Venus and her multiple personalities: an evil dominatrix and her submissive slave who doesn’t hesitate to tie her up when she misbehaves; a strict French teacher and her disobedient student who gets spanked when she isn’t able to learn her lesson; an unpleasant housewife and her exploited housekeeper, who is sick of cleaning up after her boss.

This short film features wet clothes, gloves, punishment, ball-gag, bondage and much more.

In BDSM a bottom or submissive is the partner in a BDSM relationship or a BDSM scene who takes the passive, receiving, or obedient role, to that of the top or the dominant.

Many submissives are high-flying professional males seeking escape from their almost overwhelming responsibilities and their power to determine the fates of their employees in public. They do this by assuming their subordinate role in private and by enjoying the fantasy of having no personal authority; by being controlled and dominated themselves.

In reality, submissives tend to be people with profound intellectual and emotional depth whose sensitivities are beyond the ability of modern media or popular culture to accommodate or value.They find satisfaction by submitting themselves to someone else whose intelligence and honesty they trust above all others; someone they believe to be worthy of their worship.

For some, submission means being able to recognise the greatness of a dominant by kneeling before them. In the case of male subsmissives, the act of worshipping a strong woman is contrary to religious tradition, education and nature. In the case of a female submissive, her enjoyment in complying to the whims of a dominant male seems to contradict the hard-won achievements of feminism. In reality, however, neither individual is betraying their respective genders but are, instead, choosing to dismantle their own social programming in private to define their own identity and power more fully.

There are three defining principles to the submissives vital connection to his or her dominant:

Firstly, there are types of worship that they need to display in addition to their formal BDSM relationship. They can take the form of foot worship, constant verbal reminders to the dominant of their superiority and providing regular and significant gifts to them.

Secondly, there could be tasks to be performed by the submissive outside of the controlled and controlling environment of their BDSM relationship that enhance the connection.The dominant gives the submissive permission to break his or her daily routines by acting in counter-intuitive ways in front of friends, family and work colleagues while keeping his dominant in mind at all times.

Lastly, the submissive lives for those moments when his or her efforts to please their dominant are acknowledged. They dream of a reward for their successful work but a harsh penalty for their failure to impress can be equally significant and just as pleasurable for them. Whether they are praised or criticised becomes irrelevant as long as the potency of a constant connection with, and the attention of, their dominant is maintained.

There is a theory that a submissive, in thought and action, is really nothing of the kind. It is always in their power to either collaborate with the designs and desires of their dominant or not. A dominant shouldn’t take the unthinking devotions of their submissive for granted and should never withhold acknowledgement of their efforts or act indifferently towards them. If a submissive senses that their treasured connection to their dominant is under threat they can misbehave tactically by provoking a disconnection themselves that will force the dominant to reaffirm the submissive’s importance to them and the necessity of their continued association.

Photography by JokerBcn from Love Me Like You Hate Me – Lessons in Pleasure and Pain. Written by Venus O’Hara and Erika Lust

I’ve started to develop deep hatred towards ties, or rather tie-wearers. After working in an office full of them, I am annoyed by the status they try to transmit when in actual fact they are nothing behind that tie. I worked in luxury real estate for two years and I was the number one agent. Nobody could touch me, I was responsible for over 90% of the agency’s operations during the time I was there. One day my boss, who was in a tie of course, looked at my attire of the day, jeans and a smart shirt. He eyed me up and down and asked me if I thought I was dressed appropriately for selling luxury apartments. He really was shooting himself in the foot by asking such a question. It was easy, I just answered back “how many apartments have you sold in your tie?”. I felt great, but the tie thing still annoys me. The perception that people think that the man in a tie is always going to me more professional than a woman when often it’s the other way around.

In this luxury real estate world I got to deal with many millionaires, entrepreneurs and VIPs. And I have to say the real movers and shakers I’ve come across do not find it necessary to wear a tie to work.

However, I do absolutely love retro ties. They can look really cool as they do on a woman.

Here is a set of me in a tie worn backwards almost like a noose and with men’s shoes on my hands. This is a dedication to all those tie-wearers who have felt emasculated by my abilities and balls.

Enjoy!

Venus O’Hara

Photography by Andrew O’Hara.