‘Are You Top or Bottom?’: Social Science Answers for Everyday Questions about Sadomasochism

Sadomasochism remains a topic of curiosity for academics and non‐academics alike. There has been a recent proliferation of scholarship on the topic to explain and justify the behaviors of practitioners of sadomasochism, who remain a diverse yet understudied population. This article offers answers for questions typically asked about sadomasochism. The article includes a brief historical sexological background, explores the topic of sadomasochism from a social science perspective, and deals with linkages between sadomasochism and the sex industry, which I argue deserves more attention by researchers.