Clothing fetishism or garment fetishism is a sexual fetish that revolves around a fixation upon a particular article or type of clothing, a particular fashion or uniform, a costume or a person dressed in such a style.
The clinical definition of a sexual fetish requires that a person be fixated on a specific garment to the extent that it exists as a recurrent (or exclusive) stimulus for sexual gratification.Masters WH, Johnson VE, Kolodny RC: Human sexuality, 5th ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1995.
An individual with a clothing fetish may be aroused by the sight of a person wearing a particular garment, like a costume or a uniform, or by wearing the clothing themselves. The arousal may come from the look one achieves by wearing the clothes or the way it feels while it is being worn. In the latter case, arousal may originate from the way its fabric feels (see clothing fetish by fabric type) or from the way the garment feels and functions as a whole (restrictive clothing being an example).
Others may also derive pleasure from collecting or destroying the fetishised garments.
Relative prevalence of garment fetishism
In order to determine the relative prevalence of various clothing fetishes, the University of Bologna researchers obtained a sample of at least 5000 individuals worldwide from 381 Internet discussion groups. The prevalence was estimated based on (a) the number of groups devoted to a particular fetish, (b) the number of individuals participating in the groups and (c) the number of messages exchanged. The top garment fetish was clothes worn on the legs or buttocks of women (such as stockings or skirts), followed by footwear, underwear, whole-body wear (such as costumes and coats), and upper-body wear (such as jackets or waistcoats).
By garment type
Although almost any type of garment in theory can be the subject of a fetish, common clothing fetishes include footwear, female underwear and uniforms. A wide range of other garments have been the subject of less common fetishes.
Separate from fetishes as a paraphilia are garments worn to enhance appearance, such as tight jeans or other eye-catching clothing. The difference is whether, for the person concerned, the clothing is the focus of a sexual fetish, or is merely appreciated and found pleasing.
Restrictive clothing Clothing that limits the wearer's movement is commonly used for this property, particularly among bondage enthusiasts, and often appears in bondage-related fetish fashion. Such restrictive fashion includes corsets, collars, strait jackets, and hobble skirts.
Corsets
The training corset and bondage corset has also become a staple in fetish wear, particularly among professional dominants. A submissive or slave may also be forced to wear a tightly laced corset as a form of punishment or simply restriction. And the masochistic practice known as tightlacing creates a particular type of pleasure for the wearer. In the 1980s, pop music performers such as Madonna and Cyndi Lauper reintroduced and popularized the corset as a daring example of underwear as outerwear. This influence continues to the present day in both fetish and mainstream fashion.
Hobble skirts
A hobble skirt is a long, tight skirt, extending below the knees and often ankle length, which is so tight that it is difficult to walk in. When used as fetish clothing, it is often made of latex or PVC and sometimes corseted, to increase the restriction.
Such skirts were briefly a mainstream fashion in the 1910s; however, they were soon abandoned as impractical. They were revived in the 1950s by John Willie and others as a bondage/fetish style.
Stockings and socks Stocking fetishists usually find sexual partners clothed in sheer nylon or silk stockings to be sexually stimulating, or find the act of a person donning or removing a pair of stockings arousing. Some men find it arousing to collect and wear stockings, sometimes hidden under a pair of trousers.Kunzle, David (2004). Fashion and Fetishism. Sutton.
Like feet and shoes, sock fetishists often require some specific attraction in the object which may include particular styles or knit patterns. People with a fetish for socks may have no special attraction to feet or shoes.
Many male sock fetishists are also highly specific regarding the nature of the socks that stimulate them, and this may be a product of exposure to particular types of clothing during the teenage years. This belief is supported by observations that the nature of sock fetishism appears to differentiate according to age brackets and periods of clothing trends. Among men who exhibit an interest in women's socks who were in their early pubescent period during the late 1980s/early 1990s when slouch socks were a popular clothing trend, there is a tendency to exhibit a strong interest in very heavy slouchy socks, whereas younger men with a sock fetish tend to show greater interest in the short ankle-style socks that became popular in later years. There is also a regional trend in sock fetishes, with men who spent their teenage years living in northern climates exhibiting a strong interest in heavy wool socks.
Sneakers Sneaker fetishism is another specific form of shoe fetishism. Like boot fetishism, it can be accompanied by a fetish for the material from which it is made. For example, the rubber which the outsole and sidewall are made of can be a source of rubber fetishism. Sneakers and other types of athletic footwear (such as football boots) are popular items to be fetishized over within certain LGBT subcultures, sometimes due to their association with athletes; particular models of sneaker (for instance certain models of Nike Air Max) are coveted by homosexual sneaker fetishists.
Swimwear
Swimwear fetishism is a sexual fetish relating to swimwear. It can also involve printed or electronic material with swimwear being worn.
Jackets and coats Jacket fetishism is usually associated with the fixation or attraction to jackets – though it can also be associated with leather or down jackets, particularly in association with Bondage (BDSM). In a survey, researchers at the University of Bologna found that 9% of members of online fetish groups were in groups related to upper-body wear such as jackets.
Jeans
The style and cut of jeans can also enhance their sexual appeal to fetishists of either gender. Jeans without pockets on the back are sometimes viewed as showing off one's buttocks and therefore more flattering. Stretch jeans are often viewed as attractive because they have the appearance of being skin-tight, while not binding like regular denim jeans would. One example of fetish denim is "zip-around jeans", so called because they unzip from the front all the way around to the back. Other popular styles include the lace up jean and multi button style jeans.
T-shirts
A T-shirt fetish is often compared with Wet T-shirt fetishism seen at some public events (such as wet T-shirt contests) or on websites with wet T-shirt fetish videos, but there is debate about whether or not it should be treated as a clothing fetish.
Shorts
A shorts fetish involves sexual arousal triggered by short shorts, hotpants, bike shorts, yoga shorts or other variations of athletic shorts such as basketball shorts or gym shorts. One with this fetish can experience arousal which may be triggered from youthful experiences of being attracted to their peers wearing shorts. Some cross dressers also experience excitement from wearing short shorts designed for opposing gender, finding the style, look and feel, and texture of the fabric stimulating. Others may enjoy relieving sexual pleasure while wearing them, or even fantasizing having intercourse while wearing shorts.
Diapers
People with a diaper fetish (colloquially dubbed "diaper lovers" or "DLs" for short) are attracted to idea of themselves or others wearing adult diapers.
Arousal can be derived from the idea of the diaper itself, the materials (plastic, cloth, SAP, etc.) that they are made from, the urolagnic or scatologic connection to using them, as well as how they potentially relate to fetishes like BDSM, ageplay, medical roleplay, etc. Though separate, diapers are also such a typical component of adult baby roleplay that an umbrella term, "adult baby/diaper lover" (or "AB/DL"), is commonly used to refer to a spectrum of fetish subcultures.
In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) published the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) which, among other things, draws a clear distinction between "atypical sexual interests" (otherwise known as kinks, fetishes, or paraphilias) and "paraphilic disorders". The APA states that "most people with atypical sexual interests do not have a mental disorder" and as such, in the vast majority of cases, kinks like diaper fetishism can simply be considered valid and harmless forms of human sexual expression.
As of September 2015, Huffington Post Arts & Culture published an interview on diaper fetishes. While this clothing fetish is obscure, diaper fetishists engage in the behavior privately or with a partner who shares a mutual interest in the fetish (sexual acts).
The South Korean public often views diaper fetishism in a negative light. A Naver cafe (similar to the Yahoo! Groups service) that is devoted to diaper fetishism was closed around September 2010 as the South Korean media outlets portrayed it negatively to the general public. Another incident occurred when a South Korean girl group, Girl's Day, were accused of wearing costumes that looked like oversized diapers, dubbed diaper fashion.
Gender-related clothes
Fetishism may include various garments typically worn by or associated with a particular gender or gender expression. For example, this could describe an individual who is attracted to people wearing masculine-associated clothing items, like basketball shorts or a man's suit. Certain gender-related elements of clothes could be the source of a fetish, include lace, ruffles, floral print, embroidery, back closures, or various colors (such as mauve and pink).
Uniforms
Among the most common uniforms to fetish are those of a doctor, schoolgirl, police officer, military officer, nurse, French maid, sports player, waitress, cheerleader and Playboy Bunny. Some people also regard nuns' habits or even aprons as uniforms. Sometimes, a uniform may be used appropriate to what is being done. For example, someone may wear a nurse's uniform to administer an enema, a police uniform to handcuff and cage someone, or two equals dress as inmates for cellmate-on-cellmate activities in a prison setting or as submissive to a third (guard) player. This may add a sense of authenticity to the game play.The Visual Dictionary of Sex, Dr. Eric J Trimmer (editor), ; A & W Publishers, 1977
By fabric type
Fur
Fur fetishism refers to the sexual fetishism that revolves around people wearing fur, or in certain cases, to the garments themselves.
These materials may be fetishised because the garment acts as a fetishistic surrogate or second skin for the wearer's own skin. The material may be regarded as providing a superstimulus that is more intense than the normal response associated with real skin. This is heightened by the fact that the fur was originally an animal's skin and hair.
The most famous, and one of the earliest, depictions of the topic was the semi-autobiographical novel Venus in Furs (1870) by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. After the novel's success, Sacher-Masoch apparently decided to take on a fetish sadomasochism-lifestyle.Written in the flesh: a history of desire. Author: Edward Shorter. Editor: University of Toronto Press, 2005. , In 1884, he had sent a copy of the novel to Richard von Krafft-Ebing, who gave Sacher-Masoch immortality when, in 1891, he coined the term masochism.
Wool, Cashmere, Angora