Performativity of gender

"Performativity of gender is a stylized repetition of acts, an imitation or miming of the dominant conventions of gender."

I know i'm hardly unique for it, but i like a strong element of this in my preferred genre of M/f stories.

Details about demeanor (natural inclination of the masculine to dominance and the feminine to submissiveness, but still tinged with embarrassment of gender consciousness from both parties) and dress (esp. LOTS of details about traditionally femme clothing and underwear involved in the spanking process).

I think authors like Perry Symon Fowler really nail gender performativity in their stories. PSF's stories such as "The Walk of Shame" and "1942" are among my favorite for this reason. The former of those two stories has the following exquisite scene:

"Angie whimpered softly, feeling the lacey mass of her petticoats lifted and fanned out above her waist line. She began sobbing in open, feminine shame, knowing how she must look to her Father-in- law right now; stretched over his lap with her underwear on full exposure. She hated having her skirt raised and inverted in preparation for her spanking. Presenting her pristine satin panties to Phil's impassive gaze was the supreme humiliation, a devastating reinforcement of her juvenile status.
She was wearing white full brief knickers, as sheer as Chinese silk and as delicate as the finest
gossamer. Adorned with pretty lace frills and tiny pink bows, they were almost wickedly daring for their time; gleaming with a silvery radiance as she tensed her cheeks expectantly. In a way, her flimsy little panties were the cause for her current dilemma; like most pretty girls of eighteen, Angie leapt at chance to show off her frilly white underthings to the world, and the dance floor at Maxies had provided the perfect opportunity. Long pink suspenders descended half the length of her thighs, their gauzy lace trimmings tightly stretched against her smooth, creamy flesh. Seamed nylon stockings shadowed her legs; as rare as hen's teeth during the shortages, they'd been a special gift from the Tyler's, doubtlessly procured from one of Phil's shadier business associates. Beautiful women deserved the best, and suspender stockings were amongst the most expensive items to be found on the black market these days. Angie flinched as she felt her father-in- law's fingers on her bottom. Having splayed her petticoats out in a wide semi-circle above her waist, Phil proceeded to smooth out her panties with the utmost care, stretching the glimmering material until it fit over her impudent round bottom-cheeks like a second skin."

This passage really hits all of the buttons for me, before even getting to any spanking. it's an all-time favorite.

I'm soliciting recommendations for authors/stories that may do the same...

I also kind of enjoy the sort of thing you are talking about, but from the other side (I'm the f not the m), so I haven't specifically drooled over descriptions of women's underwear

I haven't read enough stories in total to be able to pull up the correct file in my mental file manager - ah yes, here 'tis! - but I think Ginger wrote some stories with this element in them; her period pieces are amazing.

Then again, I might be remembering those delicious stories from my own point of view, in which I wouldn't particularly be looking for glimpses of frilly petticoats, but rather something along the lines of "he devoured her blushing form with his hungry predatory eyes as if she were a roast chicken in matching pink bra and panties..."

Damn, I should enter that to this year's Pulitzer nominations.

I appreciate that performativity of gender dominates the genre but I am also glad that it can encompass people like me who enjoy a taste for M/M and F/M. The mark of a good story for me is not usually a particular description but whether the psychology of the dominant/subservient dynamic works. I still read a lot of M/F stories and I know the psychology is true when I can imagine myself as the woman on the receiving end. This is where I think the author has really transcended gender stereotypes and some stories by Kia especially come to mind.

I am a bisexual guy who has only played with other guys. I have encountered very strong minded women, particularly in the workplace, where I have felt quite subservient. So I am looking for the genre to reflect my world which is why I seek out M/M and F/M. l am realistic to know that the genre will lag behind social mores to some degree. In time, there will be 10% of stories about gay people if current estimates are to be believed although gay contact sites are full of the bi-curious so I think there is a bigger market than that.

Just to argue against myself, the quote of the OP is full of delicious detail and one can appreciate good erotic writing, regardless of the scenario.

I'd agree - PSF's writing really is wonderfully detailed and deliciously sensual. As far as I can see there aren't any of his stories in the Library (unless he's using a different pseudonym?) but three of his books are available in LSF Publications. I'd recommend them - especially if you're into father-daughter spankings.

That is a wonderful extract you quoted Dalenixon thanks.

One of the aspect I like about spankings in mainstream literature though, is that by the time the spanking happens you already have a strong mind picture of the protagonists and thus you embellish the spanking in your own imagination from the basic information provided.

Wilbur Smith's book The Sparrow Falls is an excellent example of this. The hulking military father and the bratty grown up daughter are well described and with some added information on her clothing and her reactions, it makes a perfect scene for the reader to embellish in their mind.

Our imaginations always embellish what we enjoy reading, much like a child getting more fun out of some cardboard boxes to play with than an expensive and prescriptive plastic toy.