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Partner mentioned an interest in sadism and I feel uneasy

245 replies

Cabiwoca · 25/05/2026 20:10

Relatively new relationship (3 months). I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so happy although I have some problems that I am still working through, which he is aware of and agreed to give me space for. Maybe not the point but I didn’t want to drip feed.

He mentioned an interest in sadism this weekend, which I honestly cannot comprehend at all and which I am not happy to engage with. He seemed fine with it and said that he just hadn’t wanted to keep this hidden. We obviously talked about it for a bit but I’m still thinking that it’s pretty messed up and that no sane person would be interested in anything like this but maybe I’m being judgemental.

Is this something that people just talk about, because to me this is not a “normal” thing to be interested in and it worries me a bit. I understand that people have kinks and I never thought I’d mind but i immediately felt so uneasy.

OP posts:
Viviennemary · Yesterday 07:24

Run for the hills from this total weirdo. Gives me the shivers.

Jane143 · Yesterday 07:24

HydenSeek · 25/05/2026 21:44

Ok, I've name changed for this, because I don't necessarily want this connected to my other posts.

There's a whole lot of kink shaming going on in this thread. As someone who would be classed as a 'masochist', I seek out those who identify themselves as sadists.

I am, as far as I'm aware (or anyone who knows me in day to day life would consider) a very nice, normal, well rounded person. I save lives for a living, and enjoying pain doesn't make me a bad person, or any less good at my job, or mentally unstable etc etc. When something hurts, you release endorphins, biochemically, the feeling of pain is incredibly similar to the feeling of pleasure. I've been known to orgasm from pain alone. But for the most part the endorphins make my brain quiet, it's like a factory reset. I relax, the tension leaves my body, and my brain is still. The emotional aspects of sadism are also really peaceful. All of it, physical and emotional, is within my control. As someone who experiences lots of physical and mental pain, that they are not in control of, it's liberating to seek it out in a way that I can make it stop when I want it to stop.

As someone with ADHD, a really tough home life and a high pressure job, it's the only way I've found to give myself a moments peace. And if you've ever had to try and revive a baby while the parents are screaming behind you not to let them die, and then gone home to your own (very ND) children and tried to slap on a smile while they complain about anything and everything, you'll know how needed that peace is. Sometimes instead of peace, I'll cry, and honestly it's such a cathartic release, I feel so much better afterwards.

All of the 'sadists' that I engage with, are genuinely, without a doubt, some of the nicest humans I have ever met. They are kind and considerate, and do what they do because they not only enjoy an element of control (for whatever reason, they all differ) but mostly, because they love that they can create a space for me to feel safe enough to disengage with the world and put myself in their hands for a bit, and they take that incredibly seriously. They only have interest in hurting me as much as I want to be hurt, and always make sure I'm on afterwards, I often phrase it when talking to others as wanting someone to break me into little pieces, but I also need to know they will piece me back together again when they are done). Their pleasure comes from me getting the pleasure I need from it, not because they have hurt me. Never in a million years would they engage in that way with someone who didn't want them to, and there are enough of us who do that mean they don't need to do it with those who don't.

Obviously, there are plenty of abusive men who I wouldn't touch with a barge pole, and I can't tell you from here which one he is (I probably could with about 10 minutes in the same room with him to ask some questions!) but I think it's a leap for everyone to assume he's some kind of heathen or a psycho.

But more importantly, as someone else said, this is unlikely to work. You aren't interested (which is completely fine!) and he's unlikely to suddenly not want this. At best, if he's one of the good ones, the relationship won't survive, or he'll always feel like he's compromising, at worst, he isn't one of the good ones and either cheats or starts to try to push you into it. None of them are winning scenarios.

From reading this I would think you are very messed up and need help yourself. Yes I’m being judgmental and I don’t care, how can you possibly enjoy getting hurt? I am a domestic abuse victim from many years past, and pain is in absolutely no way enjoyable. I’m not convinced you are in the right job either.

WonderfulSmith · Yesterday 07:29

JLou08 · 25/05/2026 21:29

Plenty of sane people have an interest in it, you are being judgemental to think otherwise. It not being your thing is fine. It probably is worth an open conversation with your partner about what it is you are happy to do and what he needs for the relationship to be satisfying for him. Not everyone has to act out all their kinks but if you are very vanilla, it may not work out.

Ah the old ‘don’t kink shame’ and then call people who don’t like what you like the thinly veiled insult of ‘vanilla’.

Wickedlittledancer · Yesterday 07:33

HydenSeek · 25/05/2026 22:12

And that's where we have to agree to disagree I guess. Because to me, someone agreeing to hurt me to the extent of my choosing, when they know it makes me happy, is no different to them performing any sex act that both individuals are consenting to.

I won’t quote your other posts, as many have done, but I feel incredibly sad for you, that you cannot find pleasure in the normal ways, love, affection, and seek out men to abuse you and hurt you, to humiliate you. and I think what’s even sadder is you’ve normalised it in your own mind. I assume so you can accept it.

I hope one day you can understand just how damaging this is,and you get help.

Jane143 · Yesterday 07:35

Look up sadism online, see the fucking disgusting things men do to women to get their thrills and it become more perverted and humiliating on each session. Torture, strangulation, starvation, pooing, pissing, massive outfits and equipment they can’t escape from. It’s horrific and cruel. It’s not like the soft bondage in 50 shades of grey. It’s far more intense and can cause injuries and even death. If this is the type of sadism he means then run. If it’s soft 50 shades stuff then I wouldn’t worry.

Jane143 · Yesterday 07:37

Feis123 · Yesterday 07:14

I wonder how some MN-ers will try to normalise yet another sick fucking thing?

Lots will. And shame anyone normal into enjoying vanilla

liveforsummer · Yesterday 07:38

UnderstatedMe · 25/05/2026 23:20

Perhaps he wants you to be dominant?

Yeh, that’s not what being a sadist means! 🙃

Peanutbutterkitty · Yesterday 07:43

Lots of women like this two, and lots of men like to be dominated. Both sides of this are really common fetishes - possibly the most common? - and being into this really doesn't mean anything about who the person is in general!

As with all fetishes, no problem if it isnt for you, and as long as the other person doesnt pressure you into it or make you feel bad for not trying then I wouldn't worry about this at all.

Shedmistress · Yesterday 07:47

Peanutbutterkitty · Yesterday 07:43

Lots of women like this two, and lots of men like to be dominated. Both sides of this are really common fetishes - possibly the most common? - and being into this really doesn't mean anything about who the person is in general!

As with all fetishes, no problem if it isnt for you, and as long as the other person doesnt pressure you into it or make you feel bad for not trying then I wouldn't worry about this at all.

Telling her it might be coming is part of it, so she is already engaging in it by not getting rid of him completely.

Circe7 · Yesterday 07:53

There was one study that found around 50% of people have regular domination / submission fantasies and that around 15% of people are practicing bdsm regularly. Obviously to different degrees.

You can argue about whether it’s right to normalise it but the desire for it won’t go away because people label it as a perversion. Much better that if someone is interested in it they do it with pre-negotiation and in a bdsm frame work where there are established“ rules “ to make it safer.

But that’s not to say the OP should try it or stay with a partner who is into it. I tend to think the interest in it is there or isn’t there and is very hard to understand if you’re not interested yourself.

@Jane143 Well bdsm porn is like all porn. It tends towards the extreme and only a small percentage of people who are into bdsm will be doing any of that in reality.

Greenwitchart · Yesterday 07:54

Bin him.

People who have fetishes like this one need to look for partners who share their fantasies (in this case a masochist), not try to force them into partners who have no interest in kinks.

KTheGrey · Yesterday 07:57

Greenwitchart · Yesterday 07:54

Bin him.

People who have fetishes like this one need to look for partners who share their fantasies (in this case a masochist), not try to force them into partners who have no interest in kinks.

This is it. If he knows what he likes then he should be upfront looking for somebody who likes it too not bringing it up after a bit of a “softening up” process.

Somebody who wants you to change is no damn good for you.

XiCi · Yesterday 08:03

I feel genuinely upset reading your posts HydenSeek. I hope you can find peace some other way before you are seriously hurt.

OP, men like him can sniff out vulnerable women like you a mile off. He is not a 'gentle' man. He has groomed you into believing that. Would you have continued seeing him if he'd told you he was a sadist on your first date? I think you know you need to end this. He hasnt been truthful with you, now that he has you need to believe him and forget all the love bombing that came before to prepare you for this revelation.

Devonshiregal · Yesterday 08:07

Jane143 · Yesterday 07:24

From reading this I would think you are very messed up and need help yourself. Yes I’m being judgmental and I don’t care, how can you possibly enjoy getting hurt? I am a domestic abuse victim from many years past, and pain is in absolutely no way enjoyable. I’m not convinced you are in the right job either.

It’s understandable though isn’t it? People self harm, over eat, over exercise. It’s the same as drinking to excess to escape your pain, for example. It feels bad and good at the same time. Just instead of using a bottle of alcohol to release tension/hurt/upset, you’re using another person - and if luck or careful planning has it they’re using you equally and mutually.

(Even then, realistically, it’s unhealthy even when it’s consensual, because you’re literally causing yourself pain and damage (unhealth))

But in this case op clearly isn’t into it and she should run for the hills.

Op has also said she has issues she’s working through and when you have issues you tend to attract other people with issues. As is demonstrated here - she hasn’t just attracted a nice, together man, she’s attracted another person with issues…except he’s found a way to “cope” with those issues and perhaps hasn’t yet confided in her what they are.

Also I don’t know if this poster is in the wrong job but she is using her job as a justification to continue hurting herself - I was an alcoholic so Im not judging the thought pattern but nothing in the post screams ‘I do it because it is good clean fun’:..it’s all about release, catharsis, crying, reaching for connection.

and from a personal level, I’ve met and known many people who identify as part of that community and without fail (except for one clear psycho) they all had pretty messed up stories in their past or present. (Same so I don’t say that with judgement)

StephensLass1977 · Yesterday 08:21

He's not a "partner" after three months.

If you're on different pages, you're going to have to end it. He's not going to change to suit you. Neither should you change to suit him.

And as ever, he is the one getting called "weird" and sick, etc. If this were the other way around, the woman would be celebrated for being "liberal" etc.

He would only be sick if he were forcing you into something you don't want to do.

JFDIYOLO · Yesterday 08:22

RUN. The 'interest' has now had an airing as he tests your reaction. Step one.

You're doing a cool girl performance, which will inevitably lead to it being raised again.

Then it will be in the bedroom.

Before you know it, you will be expected to submit to strangulation.

You are being groomed.

And what if you have children?

Stressedoutmummyof3 · Yesterday 08:30

It's not that much of an unusual kink..Lots of men and women are in to it and it's not the same as domestic violence either.
That said it doesn't matter how usual it is or how many people are in to it, if you don't like it that's what matters. He's told you what he likes and you don't agree so this relationship isn't going to work because one of you is always going to be unhappy.
Just as a side note sadism isn't about forcing someone to submit to something or just hurting your partner regardless of what they say. For sadism to work both partners consent. Not saying anyone should engage in it if they're not interested but it's not about forcing someone to do something they don't like.

VivaciousCurrentBun · Yesterday 08:32

I have always thought that people that need to do anything that’s a bit of an effort to enjoy sex must just be a bit shit at it.

I remember reading about the Marquis De Sade, which is where the word sadism comes from and what he did to little boys. he did actually kill many of them.

Just dodge this man right away and it is true men can sniff out vulnerable women, I used to fund raise for a DV shelter.

LeebLeefuhLurve · Yesterday 08:48

It amazes me that on a thread where the title literally includes 'made me uneasy' a handful of posters have condescendingly swooped in to tell is (some in graphic detail) how much they just lurve pain being inflicted on them and how they need to be excellent communicators and require consent.

These excellent communicators seem to lack the presence of mind to understand that going into detail about their sex lives is not needed (nor was consented to) in a thread where a vulnerable poster has received alarming information about someone she is dating.

And then the old vanilla adage. For people who see themselves as attempting to subvert the norm, one of the most commonly represented forms of BDSM is male sadism paired with female masochism, in plainer terms, male violence towards women. Sounds pretty conventional to me when you consider DV stats. (Yes yes, I'll now have floods of kinksters tell me it's all about consent but 1. I don't believe you can consent in an exploitative model and 2. It's the defence invoked by alleged rapists (and those who defend porn, prostitution and surrogacy); maybe think about that for a second)

throwawayimplantchat · Yesterday 08:56

Cantbloodyrememberthenameonthread · 25/05/2026 21:58

Gosh the replies are always so narrow minded on these threads.

if it’s not for you it’s not for you. It’s really that simple.

some people like doing it, others like recieving it. I love getting choked slapped spat on etc. truly don’t enjoy sex without it. The world keeps spinning.

There is literally no safe way to be choked. None.

Every time you are choked during sex (or at any other time obviously) you are risking injury or death.

There was even a recent health campaign about it as it’s being normalised due to porn becoming increasingly violent:

According to the NHS, when the brain is starved of oxygen it can lead to strokes, brain injuries, loss of consciousness or long-term cognitive impacts.

A study comparing MRI scans of women who had recently been strangled with those who had never been strangled found that repeated choking during sex may alter how different regions of the brain communicate – including areas responsible for movement, awareness, and emotional processing.

Necks are alarmingly fragile. Blocking the jugular vein requires less pressure than opening a can of Coke.

Strangulation is now the second most common cause of stroke in women under 40.

According to one piece of sobering research, it’s more dangerous than the torture known as waterboarding, because strangulation affects blood flow as well as airflow.

Though some cases can cause loss of consciousness in seconds and death in minutes, in others consequences can be delayed by weeks. It can cause a change in voice, difficulty swallowing, incontinence, seizures, problems with memory, decision-making and concentration, depression, anxiety, miscarriage.

The Government has also announced plans to make pornography depicting strangulation illegal, recognising the role of online media in normalising strangulation as expected sexual behaviour.

Whataflippincircus · Yesterday 08:59

I really hope @Cabiwoca is reading these posts.

BrickBiscuit · Yesterday 09:04

I love sado-masochistic sex, but it does mean finding out who is a good fit. I think there is as much give-and-take as in non S/M sex, as individual must-haves or red lines can vary just as much. Any mismatch in a sexual relationship might prove problematic. Feeling this uneasy early in a relationship doesn't sound right. LTB.

wherearethesnacks · Yesterday 09:15

How annoying that you've wasted three months dating him before he reveals what he knows will make 99% of women run from him.

howfascinatingforyou · Yesterday 09:21

throwawayimplantchat · Yesterday 08:56

There is literally no safe way to be choked. None.

Every time you are choked during sex (or at any other time obviously) you are risking injury or death.

There was even a recent health campaign about it as it’s being normalised due to porn becoming increasingly violent:

According to the NHS, when the brain is starved of oxygen it can lead to strokes, brain injuries, loss of consciousness or long-term cognitive impacts.

A study comparing MRI scans of women who had recently been strangled with those who had never been strangled found that repeated choking during sex may alter how different regions of the brain communicate – including areas responsible for movement, awareness, and emotional processing.

Necks are alarmingly fragile. Blocking the jugular vein requires less pressure than opening a can of Coke.

Strangulation is now the second most common cause of stroke in women under 40.

According to one piece of sobering research, it’s more dangerous than the torture known as waterboarding, because strangulation affects blood flow as well as airflow.

Though some cases can cause loss of consciousness in seconds and death in minutes, in others consequences can be delayed by weeks. It can cause a change in voice, difficulty swallowing, incontinence, seizures, problems with memory, decision-making and concentration, depression, anxiety, miscarriage.

The Government has also announced plans to make pornography depicting strangulation illegal, recognising the role of online media in normalising strangulation as expected sexual behaviour.

Yeah I posted about this earlier in the thread. This has nothing whatsoever to do with judgement about how anyone chooses to have sex but if people are going to engage in it, they should at least be mature enough to recognise the health risks instead of acting like it’s no big deal.

L0V315 · Yesterday 09:21

How do you feel op, when you are reading all of these replies, saying run and dont look back? That he is potentially / highly likely an abuser?

What do you think you are going to do?

Will you listen to your gut instinct that is telling you that there is something very wrong with him?

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