Kinky history: the dark passions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

If you thought that the only people with bizarre and disturbing fetishes were the ones posting about their kinks on Reddit, you thought wrong. Many of history’s greatest figures were refined in public but had some very naughty not-safe-for-work habits in private. One of these great men was the famous philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Rousseau is considered one of the most influential thinkers of his time and seemed to be the paradigm of rectitude. So, when thinking of serious kinksters, he would be the last option to come to our mind. Yet, Rousseau had curious passions that he made no attempt to hide, as he detailed all his scandalous affairs in his work “Confessions” – to be more precise, his desire to be dominated and spanked by older women.

Rousseau grew up without a mother, as she died shortly after his birth. Many attribute this lack of maternal affection to his constant pilgrimage in search of emotional connection with older women. In his writings, he reveals that his masochist desire was aroused in him as a little boy after he was punished by his caretaker Mademoiselle de Lambercier. The spanks made him feel affection and arousal, and he continued to seek out this act and dynamic in all his future adult relationships.

At 21 years old, he started an affair with a 35-year-old lady, madame de Warens, referring to her as “maman” and himself as “little one”. Though they had an intimate relationship, she was more of a maternal figure than a lover to him, reason why the philosopher always considered this love a type of incest (which is not to say that he did not enjoy it).

At one stage, he states “To be at the knees of an imperious mistress, to obey her orders, to have to beg her pardon, have been for me the sweetest delights”. Big sub vibes right there.

But getting spanked and serving older women was not the only curious interest that he had. Rousseau was also an exhibitionist and liked to expose himself to women out in public. “I sort out dark alleyways and hidden corners, where I could expose myself unexpectedly to persons of the opposite sex.” He offered a show like no other. Some pretended they did not see him while others laughed nervously. It was a method Rousseau had well mastered: sneaking up out of the dark and having a place to escape if necessary. He even reported “What they saw was not the obscene thing [his penis], I never even thought of that, it was the ridiculous thing [his ass]. The foolish pleasure I took in displaying it before their eyes cannot be described”.

Rousseau’s “Confessions” is considered by some scholars to be the first sadomasochist text in history. Therefore, his work not only went on to heavily influence the enlightenment of the 18^th century, but also paved the way for the culture of masochist to emerge. So in the name of BDSM, thank you, Rousseau! We hope to make you proud.

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