A Short History of the Ball Gag

From horses to humans: how the Ball Gag evolved over time.

See that ❤️ icon? Give it a tap and greatness will be bestowed upon your first born child.

TEXT BY SHIV KOTECHA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ABI BENITEZ

There are many ways to shut a lover up. You could, for instance, kiss them. But if you pine for drama, you might opt to plug the cosmic reach of their speech with that planet-shaped device called a ball gag — a sphere, typically made of rubber or silicone, kept in place with a strap that orbits the head of its wearer.

Like many implements adopted by BDSM and fetish communities, the forebear of the ball gag is inextricably linked to several sordid, interwoven histories of torture, subjection, and animal “care.”