Illuminations: Gagged

Gags are a very popular piece of equipment in many BDSM toy chests. Dominants and submissives like gags for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the representation gags have in the dynamics of power exchange. For some it makes the feelings of helplessness stronger, and others feel gags are a tool for inducing humiliation. Many simply like the sounds that come from a gagged mouth or the way they look.

There are dozens of different gags out there. Gags are made of hard materials such as metal, plastic and still others made of rubber and latex. Leather is a popular gag material and the gags are fashioned to do many different things. Some gags, just by nature of their construction are safer than others to wear.

One of the most popular gags is the ring gag. These gags are fashioned into a circle and made to fit between the submissives lips or teeth. They can be metal or rubber and are considered to be an advanced gag and not one that a new submissive would enjoy being subjected to. In this category are also 'jaw hooks'. These are metal tools made for dentists to use to keep the mouth open during dental procedures. Jaw hooks or ring gags promote drooling, which for those into humiliation play is desirable. These gags are used also to hold the mouth open so that something else can be put in...More than one Master has described how he enjoys shooting his cum into his submissives helplessly open mouth. Others use these gags in piss play and forced feeding as well.

Cleave gags are gags made to simply fit between the teeth and tie around the face at the back of the head. Thin strips of leather, as well as scarves and rope can be used for this sort of gag. This sort of gag in my opinion is the most comfortable gag in that it doesn't fill the mouth or interfere with the airway or the ability to swallow. The biggest hazard this gag presents is potentially irritating the corners of the mouth.

The bit gag is probably the most mild. Bit gags fit between the teeth and are held into place usually by a harness that fastens around the head. Since the bit fits between the teeth the last thing you want to use is metal. Rubber bits should be used because they are easier on the teeth... metal can ruin the teeth, and it is painful bumping against them. Small bit gags are often used in gag training just to get the submissive used to having something in her mouth.

Another very popular kind of gag is the ball gag. These gags have a ball that fits between the teeth with straps that fasten around the head to hold the ball in place. The ball usually does not go into the mouth, but because of the position it holds the mouth in it can make swallowing difficult. However, if you like the way a gagged submissive looks, you will most likely find these appealing. Some subs like them and some don't claiming ball gags are uncomfortable.

Inflatable gags are made of rubber, leather, or latex and fit into the mouth and are held into place with a hood or a strap around the head. These gags come with a pump for inflation. When the inflatable gag is inserted and inflated in the mouth it can potentially obstruct the airway if the mouthpiece is too big. A submissive with an inflatable gag in her mouth needs to be closely monitored for safety. Penis gags also fill the mouth, and may or may not be an inflatable gag. However, more often than not these gags are too big and bulky for safety or comfort. Just like the inflatable gags, a submissive wearing a penis gag needs to be monitored closely for potential choking on her saliva, and airway obstruction.

Last but not least is the gag mask. These gags are the most severe, and of the most controversial tool or toy in BDSM because of their potential danger. They can be made to cover half of the face or the entire head. The half gag masks leave the nose free for breathing while the mask fits snugly against the lower part of the face holding the gag in the mouth and is strapped around the head. These can be made of leather or rubber. Since the saliva pools in the mask the leather ones will wear out quickly. Full masks completely cover the head and fill the mouth. There are usually little nostril holes for breathing. A submissive wearing either of these masks must be within sight at all times. The site of a submissive in bondage in these masks is always an arousing one, yet at the same time frightening.

For submissives gags hold a variety of meaning. Some enjoy the helplessness brought on by a gag being placed as it takes the ability to verbally communicate... something we all take for granted until the time comes that we are unable to talk. Being unable to talk can be highly arousing. One submissive said that when she was gagged it was like she was being forced to internalize all she felt because she didn't have the release of sound, moans, screams or cries. From the stimulation of pain to direct sexual stimulation she said it was like the gag plugged up the outlet to release the energy from what happened to her and so she was forced to internalize it until she was so full of tension that it exploded from her in the form of an earth shattering orgasm. She said she loved being gagged because at no other time in play did she feel the kind of sexual tension brought on by not having the outlet of verbal communication. Another submissive reported that being gagged during sessions with her Master allowed her to stop feeling the need to talk to him in the scene because she couldn't. This submissive said she felt obligated to verbally respond to her Master to encourage him so that he didn't get frustrated. She said because of the need to keep talking to him, instead of relaxing and just feeling the sensations he gave her to feel distracted her from getting the most from his touch and caresses... A gag liberated her from this self-imposed obligation and she gained more benefit from everything her Master allowed her to feel. The sound that comes from a gagged mouth is a powerful turn on as well for gagging fetishists. Men and women, dominant and submissive alike have said that they think the garbled mangled sounds that come from a gagged mouth is extremely sexy, and those who indulge in humiliation play contend that the forced change in attempted communication induces humiliation.

A gagged mouth has visual appeal too. One dominant said it like this, "A gag is like ice cream on pie--completes the picture---bondage seems naked without it". For him, and others like him it is almost unthinkable to take the time putting a submissive in bondage without taking the time to gag her mouth. Another dominant described to me how tying his submissive down tightly and sitting back to simply watch her move in her restraints, and hear the muffled sounds of pleasure coming from her red lips stretched tightly around a ball gag pleased him... He said the lips stretched tightly around a ball gag moved like delicate muscles to milk the ball with each and every sound she made. He described how watching her lips moving around the ball aroused him as he imagined his cock there in place of the ball which was sure to happen after a few hours of such visual pleasure.

For some submissives being gagged is a hard limit for them because it frightens them. More often than not this fear is based on a bad experience with gagging and a close call with choking on her saliva, or being unable to get enough air and feeling as though she is going to suffocate. My first experience with gagging was not a good one. I had a pair of panties put in my mouth as I lay on my back in tight bondage and a rope tied between my teeth and around my head to keep me from spitting them out. In this instance the panties became soaked with my saliva and began to pool in the back of my throat... it was impossible to swallow, and every time I took a breath it felt like it was going to suck the saliva down my wind pipe. The person I was with did not watch me very closely and there were some rough minutes there of sheer total panic. Thank god he finally took note of what was going on and got my airway clear. Needless to say it was a good many years before another gag of any kind was placed in my mouth and it remained to be a very very hard limit for me.

In reintroducing me to gagging my Dominant has gone very slow. The time I have spent with him wearing gags has been very short and the gags have been mild. I tend to do better with gags that do not fill my mouth, ball gags make me feel panicky. It is bit or cleave gags that I handle best at this point, though I have briefly had jaw hooks as well as ring gags in my mouth. With the cleave or bit gags, I can easily swallow, and while my lips may hold something in them, there is nothing filling my mouth therefore nothing interfering with my ability to breath. He has never forced me to wear it longer than I wanted to. There was always an alternate form of communication set up between us so that I could signal him if I started panicking and needed it to stop... Once he put a golf ball in my hand and told me to drop it when it was time to take the gag off. This alternate way of communicating with him gave me the courage to take the gag and enjoy that time with him... He took the gag off me before I dropped the ball. With him I almost look forward to wearing it again...Almost (smile). Gags can be a safe addition to play as long as gag safety is observed. The best policy is to always keep the submissive in sight while he or she is gagged.