The Gimp Man of Essex (a county in England) has become something of a sensation walking around his local town dressed in a rubber catsuit – described by our tabloid press as, (imagine a *gruff* voice here), “a rubber bondage gimp suit” 🙂 And, he does provide a rather surreal sight wandering along his busy high street.
Gimp Man has managed to immune himself to any suspicions of his motives placing his proclivities firmly under the safe umbrella of “charity” – as he donates £1 to Mind (a mental health charity) every time someone uploads a photo of him to his Facebook page (see here). And, has so far raised over £800.
There has been a huge amount of media attention surrounding the Gimp – The Daily Mirror website had a poll following their article: Is The Gimp Man of Essex Scary ? YES ~ NO. And ridiculously, the Metro had – Gimp Man of Essex: Mysterious man in PVC gimp suit terrorising people on Britain’s streets. While Bizarre magazine just went for: Perverts in Public!
Gimp Man says he hopes his efforts will start a debate on stereotypes, while helping make the look ‘non-threatening’ and so far, most of the reaction he has received by people has been positive, (the English love an eccentric).
He does keep his identity secret and apparently his wife and children are unaware of his alter ego.
The Gimp – Action Figure
I looked up the word ‘Gimp’ in the English Dictionary – a silk fishing line or upholstery cord from English/Dutch -? so no luck there. However, in 20th century American slang it means a lame, feeble or contemptible person; so this must be today’s source.
Today this has shifted and a ‘Gimp’ now refers to a fetishist bondage submissive. Made infamous in the Pulp Fiction scene – ‘Bring out the Gimp’, which placed it firmly in the mainstream consciousness.
And here he is at work 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di8SMP2CMvo
(From the 60’s Spy Flick, Danger Diabolik)
Seriously though, he’s helping to make this sort of clothing non-threatening, which has to be a good thing.
A murder trial currently underway in Dublin (involving intense BDSM elements and including a latex body bag, chains, handcuffs, a gas mask, an apparent slave contract, a Fetlife account and what appears to have been more than a passing interest in Gorean “philosophy”) prompts me to write yet another diatribe below.
The verdict is not expected for some weeks, but the kinky details which the media have predictably and enthusiastically reported are presumably pretty relevant to the prosecution case, and unfortunately doomed to be seized upon by at least some as proof of how weird, debased/depraved, immoral and potentially dangerous the world of BDSM can be, or even routinely is.
Too many attacks on sexual freedom are taking place already in too many countries and I hope that this latest case just does not add “fuel to the fire”. So, here goes.
My reaction to the kind of comment above (“Seriously though…”) is always “So what? Why care about the average vanilla person’s opinion of BDSM/kinky activities, etc…”. And I maintain that view overall.
After all, why seek anyone’s approval about what turns me/us on if no harm is being done to anyone and it’s private, legal, safe, sane and consensual? Others into all manner of stuff that I don’t like/approve of, even if legal, don’t ask for my opinion or, in all likelihood, give a damn about it.
Furthermore, I firmly believe that no sooner does a previously controversial topic/cause become mainstream than it loses its potency, gets twisted/rewritten/watered down/devalued to the point of being irrelevant and, more often than not, becomes just another commercial product to be financially milked (deliberate pun!) to the maximum.
Look at poor old Che Guevara: he must be turning in his grave over his status as a capitalist product. Environmentalists/green issues campaigners were once sidelined as “hippy tree-huggers”. Who nowadays would not claim to have decent “green credentials” and be at least a little concerned about Mother Earth, yet global warming and hysterical levels of consumerism continue unabated? Nelson Mandela was reviled as a terrorist by many western politicians (yes, Mrs T. included… No, NOT Mistress T! -;)) who later, upon his release and desperate not to miss the “bandwagon”and a historic photo opportunity and praise, lauded his heroism, example and forgiveness.
BDSM/kink-wise, the mainstream mass media (popular music, newspapers and magazines, the advertising industry, cinema, TV…) have turned something that is so incredibly exciting, liberating, de-stressing, so private, so intimate and so personal into just another definitely and irresistibly lucrative money-making commodity (even if still too often misunderstood and presented/perceived as smutty/dirty, strange and even scary). I could go on… (“NO, don’t, slut! Quick, gag and restrain him!”).
I acknowledge at this juncture, Mistress Sidonia, what you said the other day about your vision, your desire to make this site an escape from the vanilla world that surrounds us unrelentingly (and which any sane person should want to run away from as often as possible!). How could I fail to agree with you but then, just days later, start injecting non-FemDom bits and pieces into that very same site (as above)? Well, it was only for illustrative purposes. That’s my defence, anyway. I would love to be made to justify myself in person before you, Mistress, and submit to whatever disciplinary measure you deemed necessary! (“There he goes fantasising again!”).
SO! My point? Well, Stuart, in the light of the trial that I mention, maybe your statement about making “this sort of clothing non-threatening” is not superfluous after all and more relevant than I gave it credit for.
Clearly, going by the evidence presented thus far, one can reasonably assume that the defendant and, who knows, possibly even his victim, took “things” too far and with devastating consequences. However, no reasonably broad-minded and tolerant person should draw any wrong, negative conclusions from such a tragedy, and therefore regarding kinksters in general.
Let’s hope that common sense prevails overall, but would it be a good idea all the same for the Gimp Man of Essex to place himself on standby to pop across the Irish Sea and wander around to offer individual reassurance and enlightenment, should the need arise?
Mind you, particularly in the current “Charlie Hebdo” climate, it occurs to me that his hooded head may prove to be a bit of a border security stumbling block!
You know what they say about those Essex gimps.
What? 🙂