Saints and Safewords

Sorry Babe, the quarter-zip stays on

It began in lectures: a hushed question here, a whispered comment there. By the time tutorials rolled around, rumours had spread. By sunset, there was only one word on everyone’s lips. 

Kinkbop.

Since its conception in 2018, ‘Safeword Bop’ has been working out the kinks, and now has students in a chokehold, promising a night of sexual liberation and freedom for all. Advertised as a celebration of kink, sensuality, and self-expression, the night offered an opportunity to indulge in desire and explore the extraordinary — a steal for only £3. 

The excitement in the air was tangible. Tickets were a hot commodity, being sold out in advance, and leaving students tied up in a queue that felt like hours. It was evident that the Union’s new — and overly optimistic — dress code was nothing to get hung up on, being more of a loosely imposed guideline than a hard and fast rule. 

Never ones to back down from a costume, the student body of St Andrews had undergone a radical transformation. Tweed and plaid were exchanged for painted hickies and smudged lipstick, wrapped in lace, leather, and lingerie. Others came clad in boots, bondage, and all things BDSM. Everyone quickly learned the ropes. The Union had been trussed up to match, equipped with both poles and dancers, suspended lips, flashing pictures of sexually illicit scenes, and dry ice. It became the perfect backdrop for the debauched and hedonistic behaviour that students were all too happy to embrace. 

Certain lasciviously low necklines became impossible to ignore: the quarter-zips were almost edging past their obligatory inch-and-a-half undone. Looking out at the dancefloor and the 50 shades of navy blue, I realised how endemic the zip-neck obsession was. With the number in attendance, I started to question how the library was not more often mistaken for the Moulin Rouge. 

The prosaic yet obscure music typically accompanying Bop nights was mercifully absent, replaced with club classics and dance anthems with actual lyrics, from Timberlake to Kesha. What’s more, the handcuffs of social insecurity had finally been unfastened for the freshers. The hesitant steps and subtle swaying that define the first month at the Union were long gone, as was a sense of rhythm for many. Regardless of the varying levels of commitment, all in attendance merged into one homogeneous crowd, swaying and stomping to ‘S&M’ by Rihanna and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen. As everyone battled for space amongst the throng of knee-high boots, animal ears, and very little else, the crowd exchanged flirtatious gazes, inviting looks, and so much more. You weren’t talking to your lab partner, another person in your tutorial, or someone who might be in a lecture with you tomorrow — for one moment, you were both strangers.

But as the evening slowly wore on, the liquid courage needed for such adventurous outfits slowly wore off, and everyone slipped back into the night. I was left questioning whether tonight had been a representation of a thriving local kink community, or simply a chance to try out prospective Halloween costumes before Fright Night. While everyone looked the part, Kinkbop seemed more like a one-night stand than something that was going the distance.

But while I would love to tell you all the anticipation was overrated, unfortunately, my hands are tied. 

Photo taken by Lara Lack