Glossary
Default world
The word that sets the world you choose for yourself against the world you simply ended up in.
What is default world?
Default world is a word from the Burning Man culture for everything outside the event: the ordinary, non-alternative world most people live in on weekdays. In the kink and alternative scene it is used the same way, as a name for the mainstream outside the scene. It is the opposite of the world you choose for yourself.
| Dutch term | none of its own; default world comes from English and is used untranslated in Dutch |
| Origin | the Burning Man culture; literally the world that is not Black Rock City |
| In the scene | the mainstream outside the kink, related to what vanilla describes |
| Category | scene jargon within BDSM and broader alternative subcultures |
| Not to be confused with | vanilla. Vanilla is about sexual preference, default world about the whole society around it |
| Tone | sometimes lightly mocking; it sets ‘ordinary’ against ‘chosen’ |
Where the word comes from
The term comes from Burning Man. The Burning Man glossary describes the default world short and dry as the informal word for the rest of the world that is not Black Rock City. The alternative and kink scene borrowed it for the same idea: the ordinary life you step out of the moment you enter a club, a party or a scene.
Why people use the word
The appeal is in the contrast it names. Anyone who spends part of their life in a scene needs a word for the rest, and ‘default world’ captures exactly that feeling of returning to something you did not choose yourself. It runs parallel to vanilla, only vanilla refers to sexual preference and default world to the whole society around it. The encyclopedia describes vanilla as conventional sex without kink, and in the same way default world describes conventional life without a scene. To be fair: the word can sound a bit condescending, as if ordinary life is worth less, and that is not at all how everyone means it.
Sources
- Glossary. Burning Man Project. Supplies the original definition of default world as the informal word for the rest of the world that is not Black Rock City.
- Vanilla sex. Wikipedia. Supplies the description of vanilla as conventional sex without BDSM or kink, the parallel by which default world names conventional life outside the scene.
Related terms
- BDSM. The scene that default world sets the outside world against.
- Vanilla. The same contrast, but about sexual preference instead of the whole society.
- Lifestyle. The life inside the scene, exactly what the default world is not.
- Scene. The setting you step into when you leave the default world behind.
- Kink. The preferences that fall outside the default world.
- Munch. The low-key spot where scene and default world meet, just in a cafe.
Frequently asked questions
What people still ask about the default world.
What is the default world?
The default world is scene jargon for the ordinary world outside the kink or the event, the non-alternative life most people are in on weekdays. The word comes from the Burning Man culture, where it meant the world that is not Black Rock City.
What is the difference between default world and vanilla?
Vanilla is about sexual preference, default world about the society around it. Vanilla describes sex without kink; default world describes the whole ordinary life outside the scene. So someone can be vanilla and still be right in the middle of the default world, or the other way around.
Who can you turn to with questions about the default world?
To Victor, a gigolo with about twenty-five years of experience in BDSM and a background as a psychotherapist. He moves between the scene and ordinary life himself and will think along with you, no obligation, if that chafes. You can ask him a question through the contact form or first chat for free.
Learn more
Still have questions about the default world?
I am Victor, a gigolo. If you have one foot in the scene and one in ordinary life, I understand how that chafes. Ask your question with no obligation, and I will text you back at your own pace.