Fetish Sex

BDSM subcultures

It is worth noting that bondage has sexual appeal to persons of both sexes and all sexual orientations. However, a subculture of gay men, sometimes called leathermen, were arguably among the first group to make obvious hints of their tastes in bondage in public.

The growth of the gay leather subculture parallels the biker culture that arose after World War II -- a number of early leathermen were WWII veterans, and the military traditions of discipline and structure were an important influence in Old Guard leather. While the bikers were not identified as homosexual, the leathermen admired their toughness, tenacity, and willingness to ignore mainstream social mores. Consequently, they adopted the biker style of dress, particularly the use of black leather. While this served a utilitarian purpose for the bikers, in providing warmth and protection from "road rash", it was primarily of fashion and fetishistic value to the leathermen, who for the most part did not ride motorcycles extensively (although there have been and are numerous gay leather motorcycle clubs).

Beginning in the late 1960s, heterosexual groups began to come together to explore bondage and power exchange. With time, these groups have grown and have raised their profile somewhat, to the point where most U.S. cities of any size have one or more such groups. A major goal of most of these groups is to provide semi-public opportunities for BDSM, in an effort to provide a safe environment for relative strangers to engage in such activities. As such, these groups attach high importance to objective safety rules, such as the use of safewords.

[edit] Couples and bondage

Although reliable data are unavailable, the financial success of companies that market bondage equipment testifies to the fact that it is more than fantasy to many; it is plausible that a sizeable proportion of couples have made regular use of bondage in their sexual activities at some point in their relationships. This is especially plausible considering that common household items can be used for play, such as rope for restraint or a padlock for a ball lock.

For the most part, such bondage games end in sex. In contrast, bondage games between more casually acquainted players in the BDSM subculture frequently end in masturbation only, or in some cases include no sexual release at all. In the case of a ball lock, the male is capable of intercourse, but remains bound indefinitely.

Safety rules followed by couples in a committed relationship are frequently more subjective and trust-based. These differences can lead to culture clash where a couple with a history of bondage games together encounters the BDSM subculture: the couple can't understand the insistence on safewords, while the members of the subculture can't understand the focus on sexual intercourse.

[edit] Bondage erotica
Two women tapegagged and cuffed to iron bars
Two women tapegagged and cuffed to iron bars

Studies1 of men's sexual fantasies have shown that the fantasy of being bound during intercourse is second in frequency only to the basic fantasy of sex with a voluptuous nude woman. Consequently, it should be no surprise that bondage themes have been present in pornography for some time.

Bondage pornography for heterosexual men almost overwhelmingly depicts bound women, rather than bound men, despite the most common fantasy in both sexes being one of being bound.

Early examples of bondage erotica include:

* Pauline Réage's Story of O
* The artwork of Robert Bishop
* F. E. Campbell's books
* A. N. Roquelaure's (a pen name of Anne Rice) Sleeping Beauty novels
* The bondage magazines of the 1970s onwards

Recent changes:

* Steady growth in quantity and production values of niche producers
* Increasing prevalence and acceptance of bondage in more mainstream publications (e.g. Penthouse)
* The rise of the Internet as a distribution medium

[edit] Technique

Bondage can be divided into six main categories:

* Bondage that pulls parts of the body together (rope, straps, harnesses).
* Bondage that spreads parts of the body apart (spreader bars, x-frames).
* Bondage that ties the body down to another object (such as chairs or stocks).
* Bondage that suspends the body from another object (suspension bondage).
* Bondage that restricts normal movement (hobble skirts, handcuffs, pony harness).
* Bondage that wraps the whole body or a part of it in bindings such as cloth or plastic (saran wrap or cling film "mummification") as well as sleepsack bondage.

Some of the large variety of restraints used in bondage:

* Rope, often preferred because of its flexibility. Rigging, however, requires considerable skill and practice to do safely.
* Chains, including police handcuffs, thumbcuffs and belly chains.
* Institutional restraints, including straitjackets.
* Purpose-made bondage gear, such as monogloves, sleepsacks, bondage hooks and bondage tables.

Handcuffs can be used to cuff ankles as well, sometimes even toe cuffs are used
Handcuffs can be used to cuff ankles as well, sometimes even toe cuffs are used

Some simple bondage techniques:

* Verbal bondage, in which (as the name suggests) the top simply tells the bottom to do something.
* Simply tying the hands together in front or behind.
* Anchoring the hands to the front, back or sides of a belt at the waist.
* A spread eagle, with the limbs splayed out and fastened by wrists and ankles to bedposts, door frame or some other anchoring point.
* A hogtie securing each wrist to its corresponding ankle behind the back (wider, padded restraints such as bondage cuffs are recommended for this).
* A ball lock involves fastening a padlock around the male testicles, leaving the male at his partner's mercy for what could be a prolonged period, in private or concealed in public.
* The crotch rope involves pulling a rope between the labia to apply pressure to the female genitals. Sometimes a knot is placed in the rope at the position of the clitoris to intensify the sensation.

Some more complex techniques:

* The reverse prayer position (not recommended unless the subject has flexible shoulders).
* An over-arm tie, in which the arms are brought over the head, and the wrists fastened together behind the head and then by a length of rope, chain or strapping to a belt at the waist.

There are also some common fantasy settings in which bondage is often played:

* Rape fantasy: The top fictitiously abducts the consenting bottom and has complete control to do what he/she pleases.
* Domination/slavery: A training session occurs in which rewards for obedience and punishment for defiance are given. Humiliation is usually involved.
* Predicament bondage: The bottom is given a choice between two tortures. For example, caning on the rear or flogging on the chest. If the bottom cannot stand one any longer, the top will start the other. This can also be done mechanically, like having a bottom squat and rigging a crotch rope to tighten if they attempt to stand.

Bondage is often combined with other sexual and BDSM techniques. See list of bondage positions and list of bondage equipment for more details.

Technique in self-bondage is more complex, involving special methods to apply the bondage to oneself, and also to effect a release after a lapsed period of time. Self-bondage is also notably risky: see the safety notes below.

[edit] Safety

Many people regard bondage as safe when conducted between sober, trusted partners who are fully aware of the risks involved and the precautions necessary to ensure safety. Partners who are in committed relationships may have a greater basis for trusting each other. Performing acts in a supervised location, such as a dungeon, or with a group of trusted friends may also increase safety.

There is also a subculture of people who seek out others interested in bondage and pursue such activities with people who they do not know well. This subculture has given rise to the safe, sane and consensual credo.

Safety precautions include:

* The use of a "safeword", or some clear way for the subject to indicate genuine distress and a wish to abort.
* Never leaving a bound person alone.
* Avoiding positions or restraints which may induce postural asphyxia.
* Making sure that the subject changes positions at least once an hour (to avoid circulation problems).
* Making sure that the subject can be released quickly in an emergency.
* Avoiding restraints which impair breathing. (Gags or hoods which block the mouth can become asphyxial hazards if the subject vomits or the nose becomes otherwise blocked.)
* Remaining sober; alcohol and drugs should be avoided.

One very simple safety measure is to ask the subject every so often if he or she is all right. Another is to check body parts like hands and feet for numbness or coldness, which can happen if nerves have been pinched or blood circulation has been blocked. Another is to check for skin discoloration. Skin that does not get enough oxygen turns bluish. If blood can get in, but can't get out because one of the veins has been blocked, that part of the body turns purple.

If the subject has been gagged or can otherwise not verbally communicate, a different form of the safeword is needed. For instance, they may hum a simple tune, or opening and closing one or both hands repeatedly, or releasing an object held in one hand(such as a rubber ball, or a scarf).

Some simple preparations may also be helpful:

* Food. It is surprisingly common for people (especially those on diets) to faint during a long session. Having a regular meal beforehand is recommended; being fed small snacks during play may also help avoid fainting.
* Cutting tools. A pair of EMT scissors is recommended (useful for safely cutting rope and tape off skin).
* Keyed-alike padlocks, if chains are being used.

It should be noted that scenes depicted in bondage photographs and videos are chosen for their visual appeal and fantasy value. In most cases they cannot be "acted out" with good results.

Self-bondage carries a higher risk, particularly because it violates the first principle of bondage safety: to never leave a bound person alone. Without someone to release them in the event of an emergency or medical crisis, self-bondage can be lethal to its practitioners. It has been estimated in the medical literature there are around 500-1000 deaths every year in the United States due to autoerotic asphyxia (self-strangulation) alone.[citation needed]

[edit] Why bondage?
Man in leather cuffs and chains during street fair
Man in leather cuffs and chains during street fair

People who find it erotic to be tied up find it so for a variety of reasons:

* The most frequently cited reason is a mental freedom from inhibitions and responsibility since they have, in a way, given up control of the sexual situation to follow. This is sometimes referred to as a "power exchange."
* Some like the tactile feeling of restraint, that is, the feeling of pressure or pulling.
* Some enjoy the feeling of helplessness for its own sake. Some like to struggle aggressively against their bonds, particularly when being sexually or otherwise stimulated. There are some in this category who play bondage games that do not include a significant sexual component.
* To intensify the experience of orgasm control or of orgasm denial.
* Some derive pleasure from symbolic degradation (less common). People who enjoy role playing prison or mental hospital situations probably fit best in this category.
* Fetishistic interest in the mechanics of bondage, with particular interest in the equipment and restraints used. Some of these people are interested in the look, feel, and aroma of leather and rubber restraints. Others are fascinated by the relationship between the geometry of the tie, the degrees of freedom remaining and the feelings elicited.
* As an adjunct to other BDSM activities
* Like hang gliding or mountaineering, some feel that bondage allows them to do something potentially dangerous in a safe way.
* Extreme forms of bondage such as mummification some people enjoy because it is like being placed in a sensory deprivation tank and may allow the person being placed in extreme bondage to experience an out-of-body experience.
* In the wide range of human sexual experience, there are probably a few other reasons.

People who enjoy tying other people up are motivated by a variety of reasons, including:

* Taking pleasure in the erotic submission of their partner
* The feeling of trust which comes from another person placing their physical freedom in their hands
* Wishing to please their partner, and the stimulation engendered by their partner's pleasure in it
* Fetishistic interest in the elegance of bondage, with particular interest in the geometric patterns and symmetry (or artistic asymmetry) of the restraint
* Using bondage as an adjunct to other BDSM activities
* Enjoyment of the power and control one has over a restrained partner; people for whom this is a principal motivation may have trouble making it much fun for the other person.

[edit] Bondage philosophy

Perhaps the most interesting and ardent "bondage philosopher" was Michel Foucault. While it is believed Foucault had only a limited personal involvement in the practice of bondage, he wrote a number of intellectual explorations of BDSM culture. He was particularly interested in the power relations that bondage brought to the surface, and how these relations reflected upon a larger societal discourse. Of further interest was the notion of a "Limit Experience", wherein the participant attempted to navigate the line between the most intense pleasure and nearly unbearable pain. While some have derided "Limit Experience" as a perverse manifestation of the Freudian "death instinct", Focault believed bondage could provide a safe and telling environment for studying this concept.

[edit] Bondage and relationships

The mechanics of bondage are trivial compared to the relationship issues.

* Start with a committed relationship with a lot of trust and plenty of sexual activity together.
* Talk things through first.
* Start slow and easy.
* Take turns being the one being tied up.
* Take the simple safety precautions listed above.

Some members of the BDSM subculture take another route and seek out partners who share their interest in bondage. Many act out their bondage fantasies within the confines of private "play" parties where overt genital contact is not allowed between participants.

Some bondage practitioners go through a process often called "negotiation" with potential partners, be they long time partners or more casual relationships. Negotiation is essentially a conversation conducted well before any sexual activity has begun in which each party frankly outlines what they are interested in and what their boundaries are, and out of that shared information comes to a mutual agreement about potential bondage play in upcoming sexual activity. Although some people may find this embarrassing at first, this frank and forthright exchange allows both parties to feel confident about bondage activity and to understand their partner's needs. Due to the vast range of activities and intensities that are possible in bondage play and fetish sex, negotiation is an excellent technique to make sure both parties have realistic expectations and that the anticipated acts will be enjoyable to all involved.

[edit] Depictions of bondage in popular culture

Bondage received a positive (if brief) treatment in The Joy of Sex, a mainstream sex manual popular in the 1970s. The publication of Madonna's book, Sex, which included photographs of bound nudes, did a great deal to improve public awareness and acceptance of bondage.

By the 1990s, references to bondage could be found in mainstream prime-time television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where equipment such as handcuffs or collars and concepts such as the safeword were included as a matter of course.

[edit] Movies

Sexual bondage is also featured in the following mainstream movies (among others):

* 9 1/2 Weeks
* American Wedding
* American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile
* Atame! (in English: Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) by Pedro Almodovar
* Bachelor Party (film)
* Basic Instinct
* Cruising
* Dirty Deeds
* Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
* Euro Trip (2004)
* Exit to Eden
* Ken Park
* Pulp Fiction (1994)
* Mona Lisa (1986)

* Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
* Nine to Five
* Se7en
* Secretary (2002)
* Shakedown
* Sid and Nancy
* The Notorious Bettie Page
* The Perils of Gwendolyn
* Tomcats
* Videodrome
* Warrior Queen
* Wedding Crashers
* Waxworks

[edit] Video games

Video games have also featured dominatrices, such as one of the characters for the fighting game, Soul Calibur series(Ivy), for Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. True Crime: Streets of LA also featured an entire mission based around this practice. On one mission on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the player has to obtain a keycard for a rival casino from one of the employees. The player ends up following her to a sex shop, where she dresses up in bondage clothing. The player then has to dress in a gimp suit to disguise himself as the man she has ordered for sex with her in order to obtain the keycard. Postal² features a gimp in the game, and at some point Postal Dude is taken hostage by some rednecks and forced to wear a gimp suit. Dungeon Keeper 2 features a character called Mistress who was programmed to prefer spending time in the torture chamber practicing torture on characters placed in the room by the player, or using the machines on themselves.

[edit] TV shows

* ReBoot, the first totally computer-animated television series, featured characters who were personifications of the different aspects of a computer. ReBoot was featured on the Cartoon Network. Although the series was rated c7, the character, Hexidecimal's appearance in the third season was based on the BDSM culture[citation needed]. The use of a collar to control her, and the use of bondage to control her. It should be noted that this was not for any erotic reason, and it was not consensual at all. It was more related to torture than BDSM, although it is very obvious some aspects were based on BDSM culture. It is later revealed in the "Mend and Defend" arc of the third season, that with her power, Hexidecimal should have been able to free herself (Episode 3.1.4). It was supposed by Herr Doktor and Megabyte that she may have been enjoying her predicament, but this was something neither wished to discuss further.
* CSI: Crime Scene Investigation features a recurring dominatrix character, Lady Heather.
* In the Let's Go to the Hop episode of Family Guy, Lois and Peter Griffin, a cartoon couple frequently depicted as having an active and playful sex life, are shown having a mundane conversation while donning dominatrix and gimp outfits and preparing for a sex act, including Lois giving Peter a safeword. Action figures depicting Lois and Peter in their BDSM outfits from this scene have been manufactured.

[edit] Music

[edit] Artists

* Adam and the Ants - "Beat me"
* Madonna Albums "Sex", "Erotica"
* Merzbow - Albums "Music for Bondage Performance", "Music for Bondage Performance 2"
* Nine Inch Nails - "Happiness in Slavery", "Closer"

[edit] Songs

* The Korn song, Freak on a Leash, used the imagery of a gimp as a metaphor for the treatment of musicians by the music industry.
* Puddle of Mudd's Control has the line "I like it when you chain me to the bed"
* Eve 6's Inside Out contains the line "Tie me to the bedpost."
* Stroke 9's Do It Again has the line "I can be anything that you want me to be and you can have me in every position that you dreamed." as well as "Let me do what I want to do with you. Let me tie you down, pick you up, and flip you all around."
* Paula Cole's Feelin' Love includes the line, "And you would open the door and tie me up to the bed."
* Depeche Mode also has been known to include elements of BDSM and bondage in their lyrics. Their video Master and Servant featured bondage imagery and their video In Your Room was allegedly banned by the American MTV station for bondage imagery.
* Merzbow has frequently put out bondage-related Tapes and LPs / CDs, most prominently his "Music for bondage performance" (Parts 1 and 2).
* Justin Timberlake's Sexyback contains the lyrics "Dirty Babe. You see these shackles. Baby, I'm your slave. I'll let you whip me if I misbehave."
* The Mission's Evangeline is centered around the Dominant Evangeline character.
* Green Day's Blood, Sex and Booze and Dominated Love Slave are both centred around bondage and domination in sex.
* The Dave Matthews Band's song Crash into Me features the opening lyrics: "You've got your ball, you've got your chain. Tied to me tight - tie me up again. Who's got their claws in you my friend? Into your heart I'll beat again."
* Britney Spears had a song called I'm a Slave 4 U on the album Britney
* Adam Ant's Beat My Guest featured lyrics: "Well tie me up and hit me with a stick".
* Guns N' Roses's song Pretty Tied Up from Use Your Illusion 2 is presumably about bondage, featuring the lyrics, "She's pretty tied up /Hanging upside down / Pretty tied up / And you can ride her."
* X-Ray Spex have a song titled "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!"
* The Bloodhound Gang Let her lash out and crack the whip but not in bed I don't play rough, No I can't be tied down with a girl that wants me tied up From the song 'Three point One Four'
* London After Midnight 'The Bondage Song', 'Let Me Break You', and 'Kiss'

[edit] Music videos

* Nine Inch Nails songs "Sin", "Happiness In Slavery", and "Closer" featured elements of bondage and masochism.
* "Human Nature" by Madonna (dressed in a black catsuit and stiletto heels) features many rope- and chain bondage scenes, as well as the use of a gag, spreader bar, strappado bondage using a monoglove, and a riding crop.
* Probot song "Shake Your Blood" featured many strong images of bound women performing masochistic/sadistic and lesbian acts. Though the footage has been carefully edited so as not to be explicit, it is still extremely suggestive. Probot is Dave Grohl's Metal Band
* Iron Maiden's song "Hooks in You" is a tongue in cheek song about extreme bondage
* Duran Duran's music videos for "Girls on Film", "The Chauffeur", "New Moon on Monday" (extended version), "The Reflex", "The Wild Boys", "Come Undone" and "Electric Barbarella" all have BDSM elements in them. The album tracks "Love Voodoo" and "Bedroom Toys" are also about BDSM relationships.
* Travis's "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" has a guy in the boot, bound and gagged.
* Guns N' Roses's "Since I Don't Have You" has the singer Axl Rose bound and gagged because of a devil.
* Within Temptation's 'Angels' has lead singer Sharon Den Adel tied up hand and foot with rope in the passenger seat of a car, she is later seen chloroformed.
* Lene's (ex-Aqua) "It's Your Duty" speaks for itself. From start to end this video portrays fetishism, bondage-toys, bondage-wear and role-play.
* All Saints "Rock Steady" involves whips, and is stylistically reminiscent of the works of bondage photographers

Word origin, history and modern use

The etymology of "fetishism" can be found in the article fetishism.

Fetishism was introduced as a psychological scientific term in 1887 by Alfred Binet and meant sexual admiration of an inanimate object. By then, fetishism was considered pathological[1]. In time, the term's meaning was extended, e. g. in 1912 Richard von Krafft-Ebing referred to fetishism as the admiration of body parts[2]. In 1927 Sigmund Freud published his psychoanalytic view of fetishism[3] which reached non-scientific readers also and made the term popular.

With the Kinsey report and the sexual revolution, scientists parted more and more with the idea of fetishism being an illness. As a consequence, the diagnostic criteria for paraphilia—and with that at the same time for fetishism—were made more precise and strict. During that process, the two major diagnostic manuals ICD and DSM diverged in their interpretation: While today ICD has returned to the original idea of inanimate objects only, DSM still includes body parts. Today, the scientific term fetishism still is subject to discussions about scientific relevance and political correctness.

In some cases, "fetishism" has been used to name aspects of a nation's predominant ideal of beauty, e.g. the preference for small feet in old China or the modern western preference for big breasts. Yet, a formal social scientific concept of fetishism has never been introduced. Nor has it been shown that a change in the ideal of beauty goes together with a change in number or type of fetishists. However, it must be noted that all features which do not form a part of an ethnic group's predominant ideal may preferredly be called fetishes.

In modern popular culture, "fetishism" is widely spread and has gained a much broader meaning. Usually it is used to name any sexual preference which is perceived as unusual: overweight, race and hair color are examples for physical features that popularly are considered fetishes (fat fetishism, racial fetish, redhead fetishism). Often, "fetish" is used in combination with BDSM or even to name sadomasochistic practices although basically these two orientations have nothing in common. The tendency to call more and more sexual preferences fetishism has long been target of parody[4].

"Fetishism" in its sexual meaning must not be confused with the original anthropological concept of fetishism or socio-philosophical concepts derived from this one, e. g. Karl Marx's "commodity fetishism". Here, fetishism names the god-like admiration of objects which has nothing to do with any sexual interests whatsoever.

The coexistence of all these contradictory interpretations often causes misunderstandings and can even lead to wrong diagnosis and treatment.

[edit] Psychological origins and development

There are many theories about the psychological how, when and why of fetishism, but only few facts. Many fetishists state that they have had fetishistic desires as long as they can remember. Some fetishists can trace back their desire to a specific event. Modern psychology assumes that fetishism either is being conditioned or imprinted or the result of a traumatic experience. But also physical factors like brain construction and heredity are considered possible explanations. In the following, the most important theories are presented in chronological order:

In 1887, psychologist Alfred Binet introduced the term fetishism, suspecting that it was the pathological result of associations. Accidentally simultaneous presentation of a sexual stimulus and an inanimate object, thus his argument, led to the object being permanently connected to sexual arousal. About 1900, sexual psychologist Havelock Ellis brought up the revolutionary idea that already in early childhood erotic feelings emerged and that it was the first experience with its own body that determined a child's sexual orientation. Psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing consented to Binet's theory in 1912, recognizing that it predicted the observed wide variety of fetishes but unsure why these particular associations persisted over the whole of a lifetime while other associations changed or faded. In his eyes, the only possible explanation was that fetishists suffered from pathological sexual degeneration and hypersensitivity. [2]

Sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld followed another line of thought when he proposed his theory of partial attractiveness in 1920. According to his argumentation, sexual attractiveness never originated in a person as a whole but always was the product of the interaction of individual features. He stated that nearly everyone had special interests and thus suffered from a healthy kind of fetishism, while only detaching and overvaluing of a single feature resulted in pathological fetishism. Today, Hirschfeld's theory is often mentioned in the context of gender role specific behavior: females present sexual stimuli by highlighting body parts, clothes or accessories, males react to them.

Havelock Ellis' theory of erotic symbolism, according to which unusual sexual practice symbolically replaced normal sexual intercourse, and his thoughts about erotic thoughts in children, had laid the foundations for psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. In 1927, Freud stated that fetishism was the result of a psychological trauma. A boy, longing to see his mother's penis, averts his eyes in horror when he discovers that she has none. To overcome the resulting castration anxiety he clings to the fetish as a substitute for the missing genital. Freud never commented on the idea of female fetishists. [3]

In 1951, Donald Winnicott presented his theory of transitional objects and phenomena, according to which childish actions like thumbsucking and objects like cuddly toys are the source of manifold adult behavior, amongst many others fetishism. [5]

Behaviorism traced fetishism back to classical conditioning and came up with numerous specialized theories. The common theme running through all of them is that sexual stimulus and the fetish object are presented simultaneously causing them to be connected in the learning process. This is similar to Binet's early theory, though it differs in that it specifies association to classical conditioning and leaves out any judgment about pathogeneity. The super stimulus theory stressed that fetishes could be the result of generalization. For example, it may only be shiny skin that arouses a person at first, but in time more common stimuli, such as shiny latex, may have the same effect. The problem with such a theory was that classical conditioning normally needs many repetitions, but this form would require only one. To account for this the preparedness theory was put forward; it stated that reacting to an object with sexual arousal could be the result of an evolutionary process, because such a reaction could prove to be useful for survival. In pointing to how conditioned sexual behavior can persist over time, one may cite how, in 2004, when quails were trained to copulate with a piece of terry cloth, their conditioning was sustained through ongoing repetition. [6]

Because classical conditioning seemed to be unable to explain how the conditioned behavior is kept alive over many years, without any repetition, some behaviorists came up with the theory that fetishism was the result of a special form of conditioning, called imprinting. Such conditioning happens during a specific time in early childhood in which sexual orientation is imprinted into the child's mind and remains there for the rest of his or her life.

Various neurologists pointed out that fetishism could be the result of neuronal cross links between neighboring regions in the human brain. For example, in 2002 Vilaynur S. Ramachandran stated that the region processing sensory input from the feet lies immediately next to the region processing sexual stimulation.

Today, psychodynamics has parted with the idea of proposing one explanation for all fetishes at the same time. Instead, it focuses on one form of fetishism at a time and the patients' individual problems. Over the past decades, various case studies have been published in which fetishism could successfully be linked to emotional problems. Some argue that a lack of parental love leads to a child projecting its affection to inanimate objects, others state in consent with Freud's model of psychosexual development that premature suppression of sexuality could lead to a child getting stuck in a transitory phase.

[edit] Types of fetishes
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Heels, boots, legs, and stockings, all of which can be fetish items
Heels, boots, legs, and stockings, all of which can be fetish items

Above all, it must be noted that there is no reliable data available on frequency and distribution of fetish objects. Indications offered here are derived from the number of hospital treatments due to accidents, the number of interest groups, especially in the world wide web, and the number of erotic and pornographic offers in the media; all of these data are subject to systematic errors and thus have no empirical force.

Fetishism is extremely varied and encompasses many types of objects. Though in theory each object can become a fetish, the common assumption that there is a fetishist for each and everything seems to be wrong: Most fetishes reported are either body parts, clothes or objects similar to clothes (e.g. jewels and casts). Fetishes that are not directly related to the human body seem to be extremely rare, if present at all. Commonly fetishized items appear to be shoes, lingerie, and specific materials such as satin, leather or fur.

Also, a number of sports and sports activities can serve as a sexual fetish, both homoerotic and heteroerotic. Swimming, Gymnastics, Bodybuilding to name few. Combat sports, like wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, Mixed Martial Arts are all another pretty spread fetish, both homosexual and heterosexual. Both the type of sports activity, athletes and bodies of athletes themselves as well as sportswear (e.g. swimming trunks, wrestling singlets, etc) can all serve as fetishes.

[edit] Shoes

According to the number of erotic offers, shoes—often in combination with a desire for feet—are among the top of the list of commonly fetishized items. Most often, a preference for high-heeled female shoes is reported, but admirers for nearly all kind of footwear can be found on the internet. Even a desire for sneakers or sports socks can be found.

Outsiders tend to spot inner coherence between shoe fetishism and sadomasochism, e. g. because kissing someone's shoes is a submissive act, but from a systematic point of view, there is none.

* Boot fetishism
* Shoe fetishism

[edit] Hosiery and bodywear

Women's hosiery is another commonly fetishized item. Some prefer stockings while others prefer pantyhose (tights). Fetishists often have favorite colors or deniers, or specific features such as seams, reinforced toes/heels, or "fishnet" material. And not to forget kneehigh socks (cableknits, tubes, soccer, baseball etc...). Those are combined with different types of uniforms (schoolgirl, soccer, etc...).

Spandex leggings and leotards are similarly fetishized, as are tight, shiny garments made of leather, rubber, or PVC. The Japanese term "zentai" refers to a spandex suit covering the entire body. For other fetishists, tight jeans are the object of interest.

One basis of this fetish is that the material forms a "second skin" that acts as a fetishistic surrogate for the wearer's own skin. Another basis is that the woman wearing them receives autoerotic pleasure from the tightness or silkiness. Other fetishists associate the tightness with corsetry or bondage.

* Corset fetishism
* Jeans fetishism
* Navel Fetishism
* Pantyhose fetishism
* Parka fetish
* Second skin
* Sock fetishism
* Spandex fetishism
* Stocking fetishism
* Zentai skin tight suits

[edit] Lingerie and evening wear

Satin and lace items such as slips, nightdresses, and undergarments are often fetishized, as well as other silk items such as evening gowns, skirts, and scarves. Sometimes, as with hosiery fetishism, there is a transvestite component. Many men find the tactile sensations caused by the wearing of silk or satin lingerie arousing; some wear panties under their male clothes, whereas others may wear a full set of lingerie. Due to the taboo nature of this fetish, the possibility of getting caught often heightens the fetishists' enjoyment.

In other cases, "fuzzy" materials such as fur or Angora sweaters are fetishized.

* Fur fetishism / Doraphilia
* Panty fetishism
* Silk/Satin fetishism
* Transvestic fetishism

[edit] Leather and latex

Leather is another commonly fetishized item by both heterosexual and homosexual fetishists. It is commonly associated with motorcycle gangs, kinky sex, and the leather subculture.

Another "hard" material for fetish clothing is rubber. This can range from items such as cloaks to thin, tight and shiny clothing. While rubber, at least natural rubber, is made from latex, in this context "latex" usually refers to the thinner materials. PVC is also used to make similar garments.

The rubber fetish can focus on conventionally sexy items such as gowns and skintight garments as well as seemingly unlikely items such as gas masks.

* Diaper fetishism
* Latex and PVC fetishism
* Leather fetishism
* Mask fetishism
* Rubber fetishism

Another item that fetishist do not wear, but in fact they climb into is a vacrack. Normally the person inside is completely naked in order to benefit from the total body enclosure experience.

[edit] Partialism

Other fetishistic attachments can be to specific parts of the body, such as head or body hair, legs, feet, neck, fingernails, moles or breasts, or specific shapes of the body, rather than to the person as an individual. This might explain foot binding in China in pre-modern times, extensive corset use in the West in the 19th century, and breast implants in the contemporary United States and elsewhere (e.g., Brazil).

* Breast fetishism
* Breast expansion fetish
* Ear fetishism
* Freckle fetishism
* Foot fetishism
* Hair fetishism
* Hand fetishism
* Navel fetishism
* Nose fetishism
* Buttocks fetishism

[edit] Accessories

Sometimes the attraction, rather than being toward clothes that are in close contact with the body, is toward jewelry or similar accessories, such as braces, eyeglasses, gloves, cigarettes, etc.

* Body piercing
* Eyeglasses fetishism
* Glove fetishism
* Smoking fetishism
* Diaper Fetishism

[edit] Medical and disability

There also exist fetishes related to medical procedures and devices, as well as to disabled persons and orthopedic equipment such as crutches, leg-braces and plaster casts. In general, these are attractions to disability.

* Abasiophilia (disability)
* Amputee fetishism
* Anesthesia fetishism
* Medical fetishism

[edit] Fluid and excretory

Another cluster of fetishes is centered around dirt and fluids, bodily or otherwise.

* Fecal fetishism
* Emetophilia (vomiting)
* Erotic lactation
* Omorashi
* Saliromania (messy/disheveled)
* Sneezing fetishism
* Spitting fetishism
* Urolagnia (urine fetishism)
* Wet and messy fetishism

[edit] Pedophilia

This type of fetish is centered around prepubescent children, or the appearance of youth. Prominently appearing in males, pedophiles are obsessed with children or childlike features.

* flat chests
* small size
* excessively skinny

In most adults this is an unwanted and sometimes uncontrolled fetish; such desires may also be illegal to act on if children below the local age of consent are involved.

[edit] Cultural factors

Sometimes, whole cultures can develop the fetish to such an extent that it is no longer perceived as a fetish, but merely as a normal sexual desire; for example the commonplace "fetishes" for lingerie, or women lacking body hair.

Sometimes what a culture covers up eroticisms the boundaries of what remains exposed. For example, a woman's ankle was considered erotic [7] in late-Victorian England; in many European countries, women are free to be topless, while in the United States, this is both a taboo and illegal.

In this regard, there can be said to be a degree of fetishistic arousal in the average person who responds to particular bodily features as sign of attractiveness. However, fetishistic arousal is generally considered to be a problem only when it interferes with normal sexual or social functioning. Sometimes the term "fetishism" is used only for those cases where non-fetishist sexual arousal is impossible.

[edit] Women and fetishism

Most of the material on fetishism is in reference to heterosexual men, with most of the objects fetishized being high-femme items such as lingerie, hosiery, and heels. Until recently there was little mention of women ever having fetishes.

However, the visual map of fetishes linked below flags several clusters as having a number of women admirers, such as corsetry and some of the medical-related fetishes. The preferences of women fetishists are not necessarily a mirror image of those of male fetishists; just because many men are attracted to women in high heels does not necessarily mean there are many women attracted to men in construction boots.

The book Female Perversions, which also discussed corsetry and self-cutting, in part discusses "female transvestism". It gave examples both of women who became excited by dressing in a "butch" way, i.e. the mirror image of male transvestite fetishism, and of women who became aroused by dressing in a very "femme" way, or parallel to male transvestite fetishism.

Some of the fetishes where a generally male attribute is being fetishized are:

* Foreskin fetish
* Muscle fetishism / sthenolagnia
* Sock fetishism
* Suit and Tie fetishism

[edit] Medical aspects

Most of the sexual orientations popularly called fetishism are regarded normal variations of human sexuality on behalf of psychologists and medics. Even those orientations that are potential forms of fetishism are usually considered unobjectionable as long as all involved persons feel comfortable. Only if the diagnostic criteria presented in detail below are met, the medical diagnosis of fetishism is justified. The leading thought is that a fetishist is not ill because of his or her addiction but because he or she suffers from it.

[edit] Diagnosis

According to the ICD-10-GM, version 2005, fetishism is the use of inanimate objects as a stimulus to achieve sexual arousal and satisfaction. The corresponding ICD code for fetishism is F65.0. The diagnostic criteria for fetishism are as follows:

* Unusual sexual fantasies, drives or behavior occur over a time span of at least six months. Sometimes unusual sexual fantasies occur and vanish by themselves; in this case any medical treatment is not necessary.
* The affected person, her object or another person experience impairment or distress in multiple functional areas. Functional area refers to different aspects of life such as private social contacts, job, etc. It is sufficient for the diagnosis if one of the participants is being hurt or mistreated in any other way.

It must be noted that a correct diagnosis in terms of the ICD manual stipulates hierarchical proceeding. That is, first the criteria for F65 must be fulfilled, then those for F65.0. As criteria are not repeated in substages this can be mistakable to laymen or medics that have not been educated in the use of this manual. Furthermore, it must be noted that according to the ICD, an addiction to specific parts or features of the human body and even "inanimate" parts of corpses, under no circumstances are fetishism, even though some of them may be forms of paraphilia.

According to the DSM-IV, fetishism is the use of inanimate objects or parts of the human body as a stimulus to achieve sexual arousal and satisfaction. The corresponding DSM-code for fetishism is 302.81, the diagnostic criteria are the same as those of the ICD. That means that ICD and DSM diverge in their interpretation of fetishism with respect to body parts. This can lead to misunderstandings when evaluating publications that come from different countries and use different diagnostic manuals. In the DSM manual, all diagnostic criteria are given in the corresponding section of the text book, i. e. here no hierarchical processing is needed.

Both definitions are the result of longsome discussions and multiple revisions. Still today, arguments go on whether a specific diagnosis fetishism is needed at all or if paraphilia as such is sufficient. Some demand that the diagnosis be abolished completely to no longer stigmatize fetishists, e. g. project ReviseF65. Others demand that it be specified even more to prevent scientists from confusing it with the popular use of the term fetishism. And then again, ever and anon researchers argue that it should be expanded to cover other sexual orientations, such as an addiction to words or fire.

[edit] Treatment

There are two possible treatments for fetishism: cognitive therapy and psychoanalysis. Both may be supported by an additional medicaments treatment.

[edit] Cognitive therapy

Cognitive therapy seeks to change the patient's behavior without analyzing how and why it shows up. It is based on the idea that fetishism is the result of conditioning or imprinting. The therapy is not able to change the patient's sexual preference itself but can only suppress the resulting unwanted behavior.

One possible therapy is aversive conditioning: the patient is being confronted with his fetish and as soon as sexual arousal starts, exposed to a displeasing stimulus. It is reported that in earlier times painful stimuli such as electric shocks have been used as aversive stimulus. Today a common aversive stimulus are photographs that show unpleasing scenes such as penned in genitals. In a variant called assisted aversive conditioning, an assistant releases abominable odors as aversive stimulus.

Another possible therapy is a technique called thought stop: the therapist asks the patient to think of his fetish and suddenly cries out "stop!". The patient will be irritated, his line of thought broken. After analyzing the effects of the sudden break together, the therapist will teach the patient to use this technique by himself to interrupt thoughts about his fetish and thus prevent undesired behavior.

[edit] Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis tries to spot the traumatic unconscious experience that caused the fetishism in first instance. Bringing this unconscious knowledge to conscience and thus enabling the patient to work up his trauma rationally and emotionally shall relieve the him from his problems. As opposed to cognitive therapy, psychoanalysis tackles the cause itself.

There are versatile attempts at this analyzing process, including talk therapy, dream analysis and play therapy. Which method will be chosen depends upon the problem itself, the patient's attitude and reactions to certain methods and the therapist's education and preference.

Strictly speaking, in psychoanalysis a fetish is the last thing a small boy sees before discovering that women do not have a penis. The erotic excitement of a boy's first observation of a girl or woman undressing becomes traumatic when he discovers that castration is a real threat after all. What had become increasing arousal is suddenly turned to horror. The child then fixates on the moment of heightened arousal just before the trauma. This is usually an undergarment or feet, but it could be anything.

In the strictest definition, secondary sexual displays—such as breasts and buttocks—cannot be considered fetishes.

[edit] Medication

Pharmaceutical treatment consists of various forms of drugs that inhibit the production of sex steroids, above all male testosterone and female estrogen. By cutting the level of sex steroids, sexual desire is diminished. Thus, in theory, a patient might gain the ability to control his fetish and reasonably process his own thoughts without being distracted by sexual arousal. Also, the application may give the patient relief in everyday's life, enabling him to ignore his fetish and get back to daily routine. Other research has assumed that fetishes may be like obsessive-compulsive disorders, and has looked into the use of psychiatric drugs (serotonin uptake inhibitors and dopamine blockers) for controlling paraphilias that interfere with a person's ability to function.

Although ongoing research has shown positive results in single case studies with some drugs, e. g. with topiramate[8], there is not yet any medicament that tackles fetishism itself. Because of that, physical treatment is only suitable to support one of the psychological methods.

[edit] Surgery

In few cases, brain surgery has turned out to be a remedy for fetishism[9]. It must be noted, however, that these surgical engagements were always due to other diagnosis like epilepsy and the relief of fetishism was a mere side effect. Though some consider brain construction a possible cause for fetishism, surgery is never considered a possible treatment.