Lara Worthington wearing a latex catsuit in 2021

Rubber fetishism, or latex fetishism, is the fetishistic attraction to people wearing latex clothing or other natural or synthetic rubber garments, or, in certain cases, to the garments themselves. PVC fetishism is closely related to rubber fetishism, with the former referring to shiny clothes made of the synthetic plastic PVC. PVC is sometimes confused with the similarly shiny patent leather, which is also a fetish material. Latex or rubber fetishists sometimes refer to themselves as "rubberists". Male rubberists tend to call themselves "rubbermen".

Origins

Rubber has long been regarded as a sensuous material because of its unique look, smell and feel. The practical wear of rubber or rubber-bonded materials dates back to the 19th century. In 1824, Charles Macintosh created a design for rubber-coated fabric that was used in the famous Mackintosh coat. Although designed for practical purposes, it found a fetishistic following. The weating of rubber clothing became a fad among those who could afford it, starting from the 1850s and only ending in the 1890s, when it fell out of fashion for public wear.

The 20th century featured a progression of fetishistic interest from "soft" materials like silk and fur towards "hard"-looking materials like leather and plastic.

Numerous underground fetish production houses were started, which published magazines such as Shiny, Shiny International, Rubberist, Dressing for Pleasure (both of these publications later merged with each other), and rubber fetish author Helen Henley and others of this time frame.

The 1960s and 1970s saw rubber fetishism enter wider public perception, with dedicated magazines like AtomAge and the British TV series The Avengers, which featured Diana Rigg wearing rubber and leather clothing. The 1980s saw the emergence of the fetish club scene, with Skin Two magazine featuring extensive coverage of the rubber clothing scene. Rubber clothing then made its way from the club scene into high fashion.

Fashion designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin and André Courrèges have used PVC in their collections. Since 2010, PVC has been the target of fashion for both the male and female public.

Prevalence

Rubber fetishism is not uncommon; a 2017 study found rubber fetish to have a roughly 12% prevalence in a sample of Belgian adults, with men expressing interest more commonly than women.

Practices

Men in latex gear marching down Whitehall as part of Pride London 2011.
The rubber pride flag, for people with latex/rubber fetishes, was created in 1995 by Scott Moats and Peter Tolos, who stated regarding it that black represents "our lust for the look and feel for shiny black rubber," red "our blood passion for rubber and rubbermen," and yellow "our drive for intense rubber play and fantasies.

Latex fetishism sometimes involves dressing up in the material; looking at it worn by sexual partners; or fantasies sometimes wearers of skin-tight or other latex garments, such as divers and workers wearing industrial protective clothing. Another common stereotype is of the image of a dominatrix wearing a skin-tight, usually jet-black, latex or PVC catsuit.

Some latex enthusiasts are also turned on by the wearing of draped latex garments, such as cloaks. Other rubber paraphernalia, such as wet suits, gas masks, splash suits, mackintoshes, galoshes, Wellington boots, rubber/plastic pants, and diapers are also often added to the scenario. Heavier fetishists often attempt duplicating all kinds of "everyday wear" into a rubber counterpart. Some enthusiasts are turned on by hazmat suits and other forms of industrial protective clothing.

For hygienic reasons, many sex toys such as dildos and butt plugs are made from rubber or similar materials, and this is also a factor in rubber fetishism. Some rubber fetishists are also medical fetishists or have an interest in klismaphilia; medical gloves and catheters are made from latex, as are condoms.

A substantial industry exists to produce specialist latex or rubber fetish clothing garments for rubber enthusiasts.

Many latex or rubber clothes appear on websites such as eBay, and in recent years clothes made in PVC have been prevalent in young people's fashions, particularly in jackets, skirts and trousers. Several mainstream designers have made latex clothing.

A number of fetish magazines have been published on the subject of rubber and PVC fetishism, including AtomAge, Dressing for Pleasure, Marquis, «O», Shiny International, and Skin Two.

Latex look-alike materials

British historian Guy Walters wearing black PVC leggings

PVC/vinyl and metal are two other shiny materials used for clothing, from regular street wear (raincoats) to PVC hazmat suits and other forms of industrial protective clothing. The terms "PVC", "vinyl" and "PU" tend to be used interchangeably by retailers for clothing (PVC clothing as a form of plastic clothing) made from shiny plastic-coated fabrics. These fabrics usually consist of a backing woven from polyester fibers with a surface coating of shiny plastic. The plastic layer itself is typically a blend of PVC and polyurethane (PU), with 100% PVC producing a stiff fabric with a glossy shine and 100% PU producing a stretchy fabric with a silky shine. The plastic layer is often textured to look like leather ("leatherlook", "pleather"), as opposed to smooth ("wetlook", "patent").[citation needed]

As with latex, these materials became more noted as fetish material in the 1960s and early 1970s. During that era, boots and garments made of PVC and vinyl were made and worn in public areas to some degrees. The British TV programme The Avengers showcased this.

In popular culture

See also

External links

  • 11 September 2024 at the Wayback Machine - latex community wiki hosted by Lust, Love, Latex
  • - latex and rubber fetish support group
  • - latex fetish store, latex clothing and accessories