There’s no reason to be shy, ladies:
You’ve been channeling your inner Anastasia Steele, haven’t you? According to a
new report from website Pornhub (what you can find on their site is pretty obvious from the name) searches by women for BDSM-related terms have increased a staggering 200% since
Fifty Shades of Grey debuted on the big screen this Valentine’s Day.
What is being searched, exactly? Action
words like "submission" and "dominate" are among the most popular (up 50%), followed closely by potentially-more-intimidating terms like "flogging" and "chains," "whip," "master," and "leather"—which just happen to be some of
the most commonly used words in the Fifty Shades novels as a whole. (Let us paint you a word picture.)
Looking further at search terms by
gender, the study reveals what Pornhub dubs some interesting “dominating female
tendencies.” Case in point: Searches by
women for "bondage” are up 131%, while this same search term for men is up a
mere 10%.
So don’t hesitate. We'd argue that this is all part and
parcel of what the Internet was made for. Go ahead and satisfy your curiosity, and have some healthy fun!