Origins and Nature of fetish
This is a tough one to take on, but someone asked about this recently, and I was thinking about it myself, so I wanted to take a shot at explaining this fetish a little bit, if I can.
I think like a lot of behavioral traits, its either inborn or starts very early. A lot of folks I've talked to have similar stories. Certain images during youth that trigger a strong response. Not even a sexual response, at that age, but more of an emotion of envy -- "I want to be that person". But stronger than standard envy, more of a borderline compulsion. What this image is tends to differ quite a bit based on what the core fetish is.
For me, the first thing I can recall seeing as a kid was the TV show "Flipper". I didn't even see it that often (it was already old when I was a kid, I believe). The show had images of kids in wetsuits playing in the water. I was growing up far from the ocean, but yet I wanted to be that kid, wearing a tight wetsuit playing in the water.
Similar images in the future also reinforced this urge. The olympics were always a safe bet, speedos, downhill ski suits, etc. They all carried the connotation that the wearer was somehow transformed, improved, streamlined. It didn't hurt that these images were always on fit althletes and so on!
As soon as I had disposable income as a kid, I started to act on some of these urges. When I was quite young, we were in the local department store and for some reason they carried speedo-type swimsuits in kids sizes, and I practically begged my parents to buy me one, even though it was quite an odd choice in our area (wouldn't make sense to Euro folks reading, of course). Later I would buy (or more accurately collect) whatever lycra I could get my hands on - mainly bike shorts from sporting good stores.
As I got older, I took up hobbies that allowed me to reinforce my fetish. I started biking so I had a good excuse to buy lots of lycra shorts. When I finally moved to the coast, I took up diving and surfing. It took me something like 10-12 years to go from seeing wetsuits as a kid to finally wearing one, and that was a very strong emotional moment, first pulling on a wetsuit and looking at myself in a mirror. Mind blowing. It wasn't even a very sexy wetsuit, a rental 2-piece, but it was a feeling like transformation, no other good explanation for it.
Orca Triathalon Wetsuit
I think its a natural tendecy of fetishes of this sort to escalate over time. Once you've tried "A", that's no longer exciting enough and you have to go to "B". In that sense I guess that pair of Nike shorts is a "gateway garment". At some point when I was independent and on my own, I started to expand beyond basic sports gear that I could justify, and into new areas. Dance gear, for example. A triathalon wetsuit even though I had never competed in a triathalon. Once those experiences were exhausted, I moved on to fetish-specific garments -- rubber suits, lycra suits, masks, and so on. Starting tame and getting progressively more adventurous.
Its hard to say what is at the base of it. For me, I think its mainly a sense of transformation, feeling a bit more like an athlete or a superhero or even a different species. It makes you feel special, outside the mainstream, privileged, in some way. More powerful, more attractive, more everything. For rubber there is a bondage aspect as well, but I think that is separate, or at least tangental, to the core fetishism in the material itself. The main thing is covering your normal mundane skin with a more interesting one.
What I don't think it is -- I don't think its primarily a sexual fetish, although the strong feelings it produces are so strong that sex is the logical outcome. I definitely don't need to be geared up to have sex, so its not a necessity, but when geared up I get excited to the point that I want to have sex or get a sexual release. I think many folks erroneously see a fetishism as a pre-requisite to sex, I see it more as an enhancement. Given the choice between vanilla sex and geared-up sex, the increased pleasure of the latter will win every time, if its an option!
I suspect other fetishes follow a similar track. Furries probably get really excited the first time they go to Disneyland or see a character at a mall or something, and buy animal-themed streetwear as kids, eventually going to full-scale fursuits at an older age.
So what's next? For me, it would definitely be graduating from mainly solo play to going to group events or 'real time' play with others, whatever form that takes. More on that later.
Backing up a second, I often think about whether there was some traumatic or formative event when I was a kid that might have induced this or nurtured it, and for the life of me I cannot. I had a very vanilla childhood with no abuse, trauma, no divorce, nothing. Prior to seeing my first 'trigger images', I can't recall anything specifically related to rubber or wetsuits or lycra or anything. It seemed to be something I was, for lack of a better term, born with, just waiting to be triggered. I don't suspect there is much way to avoid it, nor any way to shut it off. I think it would be fairly easy to deny it and just ignore it, but it wouldn't be nearly as fun. Its like if you know you enjoy something, you can quite easily deny yourself that pleasure, but you're missing out. It probably does go beyond a "hobby", but I wouldn't say its an uncontrollable compulsion, either. It's not like smoking crack.
Despite this insight, I have quite a few open questions that I wonder about.
Why does it seem like far more men are pre-disposed toward these sort of "material" fetishes than women? Certainly there ARE women into this fetish, but the ratio must be like 2:1 at best. The motivation for women seems to be more consistently about dominance or fashion, but I'm only guessing and may be working from incomplete evidence. A lot of women that are into rubber seem to do so as part of S&M play, or to try to accomodate a partner. I've not run into many women with a pure lycra fetish, but they may be out there in some numbers.
What is the relationship between these fetishes and Asperger's syndrome? I've seen others citing this theory, and it does fit my profile pretty well, so perhaps there is something there. Of course since they don't know the cause of that either, its just swapping one label for another.
Why is this fetish mainly associated with certain ethnic groups? It seems that people with this fetish are largely of european / northern european / nordic descent, at least in my experience. There are exceptions, but I definitely see 10 Germans or German-Americans for every Spaniard or Italian I have met on-line. There is also a lot of Japanese involvement. I myself am of German descent, so I fit this mold as well. Is it actually linked more to certain ethnic groups, or is it just more tolerated/accepted in some areas as opposed to others?
I'd be interested in hearing comments from others about their take on these questions, or to hear if their stories are similar to mine. I have yet to meet someone who felt like their interest in rubber or lycra started at an older age, almost everyone has some childhood story to relate on this subject.
posted by LatexLoop at 10:37 AM
9 Comments:
The things you mention in this post, almost completely map on myself.
When I think back and try to find out the event that triggered my fetish, I also always end up with a childhood memory.
Great post.
My story is quite same with a different start. My primary fetish is about masks, being masked and with masked MEN. I had felt it when I was 14, that's when I began to feel sexual appeal. I had some child reminds of masked men I had seen at the TV or in movies, and it had caused a great emotion.
everytime I ask this question to one of my masked friends -I have many ones now on the net, although I had believed for long time I was the only man on earth to have such fetish- they all reply same thing: it's a very old thing for them. They have always lived with that. I don't know any one who had discovered that later, say after his 20's;
Just ways are different, some ones are masked bikers, some other ones completely covered super heroes, most of them are rubbermen or frogmen;all are completely suited and masked and all remind it had begun in childhood.
Among them, there are Asians, but most of them are of Nordic origin. Monster masked friends are rather English or Dutch. Few ones are from Southern origin.Being from far Italian roots, i'm quite an exception.
I had a happy childhood so I can't explain it by any trauma. Maybe I can go deeper with my analyst.
That was an exceptional post and it really hits the nail on the head as to our what our fetish means to us, and in fact applies to all fetishes in general.
My interest in rubber too developed during my childhood, though in a more generalized manner and through a different series of steps from yours. I had always had a liking for smooth, shiny nylon sportwear (shorts, tracksuits, jackets) from young, but strangely enough, not lycra really. Although I used to do a fair bit of cycling, I've been embarassed to wear bike shorts because of how revealing it is (maybe I was afraid my hard-on will show ;) ). And of course the odd times I've seen a celebrity (of either sex) donned in a rubber, PVC or leather catsuit usually as a character role in the movie (Batman and X-men come to mind, and who can forget the hot Fetish club scene in the Matrix Revolutions, besides the costumes of the main characters in all three movies).
It's always the thin, skin-tight look on the body which is attractive. You won't see me getting horny at a tyre shop, for example. Identically.. it took me almost 10-12 years from wanting to actually being able to get what I want. Initially being accessible sportswear which serve perfectly as 'normal' clothes, but now that I have the means, I'm also starting to acquire some serious rubber fetish gear, expensive and limited-use as they are. Your last two 'reviews' of your own catsuits are certainly a great insight for me as I shop around for my first. Thanks!
As for the questions which I forgot to address...
Re: Male vs Female rubber fetishists
I think the spread is roughly equal, as in my early exploration I used to come across lots of fetish sites featuring predominantly females in tight latex playing the dominatrix role, but their submissive male 'slaves' in little or no rubber at all. Yes, it was quite a turn on, but even more so when I found sites featuring men in full rubber coverage too.
Re: Asperger's Syndrome
I don't know enough about it to comment, but after a quick google and scan through, I suppose some of the signs do apply to me, to a certain degree. One of my brothers is borderline dyslexic too, so if it is indeed something genetic, there may be something there.
Re: Ethnicity
It is hard to say why it is so much more of a Germanic/Nordic thing. There certainly are Latinos and Asians into rubber but they are a much smaller group. Perhaps because of the gay connections and how homosexuals are strongly repressed in those regions (well and in some parts of the US, even), as compared to Scandinavia for example.
The other possible explanation I can think of is the development of rubber as a manufactured material in Europe? Many developing countries skipped that stage and have gone straight from agriculture to high-tech. Thus the availability of the material and the manufacture of sheet latex used in making our beloved garments might have something to do with it?
RE: Asperger Syndrome
I have been diagnosed with AS + ADHD and also have a fetish for second-skin attire such as latex, lycra and neoprene. I can trace the interest to several different causes.
1) Proprioception: Aspies and Auties (people with Asperger's Syndrome or Autism) tend to have poor motor skills and a reduction in proprioception (awareness of body caused by feedback from muscles). Needless to say, wearing something tight makes you very aware of where your body parts are located. Normally when I'm typing on the keyboard (for example) my attention is focused on making my hands move the right way and while I'll eventually notice numb-butt or my legs falling asleep, the rest of my body is pretty much neglected. With tight lycra and latex on I can actually feel my whole body ALL THE TIME. Even without the sexual angle, lycra and latex are a real sensory treat.
2) Sensory Input: What can I say? The supple slipperiness, the coolness, the smell, the elasticity, the colours, the patterns, the sounds of motion, the taste, the shine! A good suit excites all five senses simultaneously and in a controlled manner. You can't find a more intense stim, and it sure as heck beats risking a meltdown by subjecting yourself to other people's ideas of excitement.
3) Attention Deficit: ADHD is one of Asperger's most common comorbid conditions. We've all heard jokes about the woman who lies in bed during sex contemplating what colour to paint the ceiling, but it's not so funny when it happens to you. It's not that vanilla sex is boring, but sometimes there can be too little sensory input and I can't help it that my mind starts to wander. I often wear lycra shirts (rash guard, cycle jersey, etc.) during sex because it demands so much of my attention that I'm basically limited to two trains of thought: enjoying the tactile experience of lycra and the pleasures of my partner. There may be times when my attention is more focussed on the lycra than on my partner, but we both agree it's better than thinking about taxes.
Hi there,
I, as you, have always liked wetsuits, especially the smoothskin rubber ones. I love to get them really filthy in deep mud, and always get off hard when I do.
Oh, I forgot, the have a free 23 page website with lots of photos up at http://geocities.com/mudandlatex
hottrod
I want to thank you for your post. It kind of touched me, because it gave me some answers and confirmed that I'm not alone with my feelings and experience. I am a male lycra/underwear fetishist, and I too can recall certain images from early childhood and on, that feeling of wanting to be that boy or girl in the tight spandex bathing suit etc. Lots of envy.
As for your thoughts about where all this comes from, I believe you have some good points. First of all I think there is a mix between the social and the genetic heritage that makes us who we are, how we respond to the world around us. Thus, it shouldn't be neglected that there seem to be a higher percentage of certain fetishists from certain areas. (Sweden in my case.)
As for the social circumstances, while cultures that are tolerant might call for more fetishism than an intolerant one, there still are people who respond the other way: what is socially "forbidden" becomes even more exciting. (In Sweden, a man wearing lycra tights in public is just a big fashion no-no, no tolerance at all, lest you aren't a cyclist or a serious runner, and even then most people snigger.) And the other way around, I believe one answer to why there seem to be less women represented in these fetishisms, may be that lycra/tight/skimpy clothing is so socially acceptable and taken for granted that fewer women than men are impressed by it.
Someone said above that some things that make lycra so appealing is "The supple slipperiness, the coolness, the smell, the elasticity, the colours, the patterns, the sounds of motion, the taste, the shine!" I totally agree, and one more thing: the tactile feeling of it. Like the Lycra company themselves say: "It hugs you back!"
Today my envy persists, and is directed towards women who get to wear whatever they want, and I feel like I'm left with no alternative to a pair of boring jeans and a t-shirt...
And yes, I am also one of those who run or get on the bike partly just to get an excuse to wear lycra. Now I'm playing with the thought of starting swimming to get to wear speedos. Anyway, excersise makes you look better in it ;)
really old blog but I just wanted to say thanks, you helped me through a difficult time. Especially the Proprioception part.I have a partner who is afraid of the constant escalation, always wanting more, afraid to take another step for fear that it will end up somewhere she doesnt want to be.
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