What is submission and what is slavery? What are their similarities and differences? Are the two one in the same - or far different than one another? Both are acts of submitting and giving up control in a power exchange situation, but what exactly do they mean? Here, I’ll do my best to explain my interpretation of the two.

Let’s start with slavery.

As you all may know, there used to be slaves in America who were forced into slavery against their will. This is not the type of slavery in which I refer. The slavery I speak of is a voluntarily, consensual, and loving role that one person takes when they want to give up control of their own decisions on a daily basis. A slave lives and breathes submission, often awaking in the morning wondering how they will please his/her Master or Mistress and what tasks need to be performed. Slaves obey - not only because they want to, but because they must. They find great satisfaction pleasing their Owners, giving themselves completely and wholely to the one person they trust. Slaves take care of daily tasks, duties, chores, and do it because it is their place - to serve. A slave serves morning, noon, and night - and often even when he/she doesn’t even want to serve. If a slave is having an “off day” and feels they may not want to be submissive, they are still required to because this is his/her duty. Should a Mistress awaken Her slave in the middle of the night to service Her, he/she must arise from sleep to cater to her requests. A slave obeys all requests, all demands, all obligations and does so because this is expected. A slave also obeys because it feels good and often because it’s the only fulfilling part of his/her life - to please the Owner. Many slaves admit that seeing the look of thankfulness and pleasure of their Owner is often all they need to want to continue their lifestyle.

Sometimes a Master or Mistress may welcome a slave to be openly expressive or even treat slaves as human beings, however - a real slave obeys because they have to. Whether a slave wants to or not is irrelevant. Slaves are often objectified (treated like objects, robots, or puppets) because they are often expected to keep their feelings to themselves. In a slave’s world, the Owner always comes first at all times, without question and without hesitation - otherwise a punishment will be given. Many slaves are not allowed to own things, such as money, possessions, etc. If they do, it’s very minimal and is often hand-picked by the Owner. When a slave works, the Owner keeps the money and the slave is thankful. Although being dominated can be sexually gratifying to a slave, the act of being dominated is a NEED. They don’t obey because it arouses them, they obey because this is their job as a slave. It is their duty to do what is required of them. It is their daily role. They do things they don’t want to do and often do it with a smile on their face.

Now let’s talk about submissives.

Submissives desire power-exchange fantasies to fulfill the need to be powerless. Many people in powerful positions in life secretly want a Mistress to take control of them so their decision-making abilities will be temporarily removed. Someone who identifies as being submissive, is one who temporarily obeys - or does it when it feels right to him or her. A submissive is allowed to express feelings and desires. A submissive is given rights and often treated with great deal of respect. If they are given an instruction to do something they don’t want to do, the submissive may likely say no because the fantasy boundaries have been broken. A submissive person has a genuine desire to please his or her Mistress and generally enjoys being obedient. The act of serving fulfills an overwhelming desire because they love to please. They love to serve. If the requested task is something they are uncomfortable performing, they will usually speak up and express his/her discomfort and ask for an alternative instead. Many submissives have their own lives, their own jobs, and as a whole - they put themselves first on a daily basis. When a submissive makes money, their money is their own and they do what they want with it. If they choose to spend a great deal of cash on their Mistress, that’s great - but as a whole, their money is still their money.

A submissive person generally makes his/her own decisions throughout life, except in the bedroom. When it comes to sex, those who desire submission often enjoy giving up control - pretending they are no longer an equal… in hopes to fulfill their own pleasures of obeying easy tasks. A submissive person may pretend to be a slave because it’s exciting and adventurous. Sexual requests are often obeyed and the subby may say, “Yes Mistress,” and feel aroused saying it. The act of being dominated is arousing and sexually fulfilling, which is the primary reason to obey in the first place. The submissive “plays along” the fantasy because in essence, it turns him/her on.

The differences.

There are far more submissive people out there than slaves, simply because it’s much more difficult to be a full-time slave. Ironically, it takes a strong person to be an obedient slave. It takes a lot of courage to put one’s feelings and emotions on a shelf and be completely selfless to another person. The main difference between slavery and submission - if I had to emphasize a factor - is time. Slaves are obedient 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and all the seconds in between. They live it and breathe it. It is their life to serve. A submissive, on the other hand, turns obedience off and on in accordance to their comfort levels and what moods they have. Submissives may only be obedient if they know they’ll get pleasure in return or simply if they feel like it. Slaves, on the other hand, aren’t allowed to express feelings such as “if I feel like it” because they are likely to receive punishment for not performing duties. When slaves hear a command, it’s a requirement. When submissives hear a command, it’s a request. Slaves obey cause they must. A submissive obeys if they want to.

Slaves have “Owners” because they truly are owned in every aspect of the word. Their lives are owned, their emotions are controlled, their tasks are expected. Submissives have “Mistresses or Masters” because they enjoy the fantasy of BDSM. Slaves are well-trained and often endure great hardship to maintain their status of slaves - and they work diligently to maintain the satisfaction of their Owners. Submissives are semi-trained and only perform when they want to, and they also (at times) only want to satisfy their Dominants. A slave asks permission to do practically anything, whether large or small tasks - everything from buying airplane tickets to asking when he/she is allowed to eat. A submissive asks for permission whenever he/she wants to or whenever he/she might find it pleasurable. A slave HAS to ask for permission. A submissive doesn’t.

Most slaves live with an Owner full-time and obey at all hours. Most submissives live their own lives in separate homes than their Mistresses and/or there is some living arrangement where the subby is allowed to live as they wish.

If someone claims to be a slave, watch how he or she interacts with the Owner. If a command is given and isn’t obeyed, they’re more than likely just a submissive. If you see the slave doing everything - even things you’d assume are extreme or cause major discomfort, then you can assume the slave is indeeed, a slave.

If a submissive has a foot fetish, they’ll likely obey any commands such as, “Kiss My feet,” simply because they’ll get pleasure out of it. A slave on the other hand, does it because they have to - not because they’ll get pleasure out of it. So if a slave did NOT have a foot fetish but were asked to lick a pair of boots clean, he or she would simply have to do it.

If a Dominant were to tell a slave to bend over and prepare for a bloody spanking, the slave would immediately bend over and accept whatever is given. A submissive who may not be into pain may stop and say, “Woah that’s a bit much. Bloody? Are you serious? No way.” And as you can see, the slave did it anyway regardless of feelings or needs… and the submissive puts his/her own emotions and desires first.

A slave always puts the Owner first. A submissive puts self first.

Dominants often treat their slaves more seriously than submissives simply because they know their commands will be obeyed and complied. Many Dominants treat their slaves with respect and provide care, protection, and do everything in their power to keep their slaves from severe harm.

In a Dominant/sub relationship, both slaves and submissives are often treated in a nurturing manner. As with any relationship, respect is earned, not expected. Great Dominants are far more respected then less caring ones. Great slaves are far more respected than non-compliant ones. Respect is not to be confused with equality. Slaves are not treated as equals in any way. However, respect is a mutual acknowledgement of regard (whether high or low). Slaves that are objectified and humiliated can also be respected because the Dominant acknowledges how much the slave is willing to endure to serve.