bring out the gimp pulp fiction
Gimp is a usually derogatory term used to refer to a (male or female) sexual submissive person, typically dressed in a black leather or rubber costume (often known as a " gimp suit "), and wearing a bondage hood or mask of the same material. This apparel emphasises sexuality by drawing attention to the crotch and chest, and also sexually objectifies the wearer. Sadomasochistic practice often features in the notion of the gimp, with a partnership of power exchange between gimp and dominatrix or dominant.
Use in pop culture
The term "gimp" achieved widespread notoriety through its use in the movie Pulp Fiction in the famous "pawn shop" scene. In the scene, the "gimp" is dressed in a black leather costume, featuring spiked bracelets and a mask.
The 'Gimp' then stands guard as the character Marsellus Wallace, played by Ving Rhames, is raped.
A verified source indicates the term GIMP was coined by an English sexual psychotherapist and author, Antony Oswin to describe a subject he dealt with who as a BDSM subordinate, constantly wore a black leather mask in a manner resembling the 'Man in the Iron Mask', from the book by Alexander Dumas, for self sexual thrills. This accronym GIMP stood for 'Guy In Mask Permanently'. The female version he stated was 'Girl In Mask Permanently' creating a gender neutral designation of the term. The term was subsequetly seized upon by the large BDSM communities across the globe.
See also
- Bondage (BDSM)
- Dominance and submission
- Humiliation (BDSM)
- Sexual fetishism
- Sexual objectification