Talk:Old Guard leather

Maybe add some info which would provide basic context -- such as that before the 1980's, there wasn't really any BDSM as we know it today (the acronym "BDSM" itself apparently wasn't coined until around 1990-1991). Instead, there were certain small narrow cliques, each embodying a relatively limited range of preferences and practices, and also a larger number of isolated people who couldn't find anybody to play with (and who sometimes resorted to ethically questionable practices to satisfy their fetish urges). Practicioners of one type of fetish didn't necessarily feel that they had anything in common with practicioners of other types of fetishes. The whole point of the subsequent BDSM movement was to break down the isolation and communication barriers between such separate fetish groups, establish a broad accepting pan-fetish umbrella movement, and provide an overall philosophy and code of ethics for fetish practicioners. Old Guard leather is probably the most prominent example of a tight-knit and well-established subculture which predated this BDSM movement... AnonMoos 20:24, 22 January 2009 (UTC)