Kinky boots, corsets, underwear as outerwear, second-skin garments of 
rubber and leather, uniforms, body piercing.... Today everything from a 
fetishist's dream appears on the fashion runways. Although some people 
regard fetish fashion as exploitative and misogynistic, others interpret
 it as a positive Amazonian statement--couture Catwoman. But the 
connection between fashion and fetishism goes far beyond a few couture 
collections. For the past thirty years, the iconography of sexual 
fetishism has been increasingly assimilated into popular culture. Before
 Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman, there was Mrs. Peel, heroine of the 
1960s television show "The Avengers," who wore a black leather catsuit 
modeled on a real fetish costume. Street styles like punk and the gay 
"leatherman" look also testify to the influence of fetishism. The 
concept of fetishism has recently assumed a growing importance in 
critical thinking about the cultural construction of sexuality. Yet 
until now no scholar with an in-depth knowledge of fashion history has 
studied the actual clothing fetishes themselves. Nor has there been a 
serious exploration of the historical relationship between fashion 
and fetishism, although erotic styles have changed significantly and 
"sexual chic" has become increasingly conspicuous. Cultural 
historian Valerie Steele has devoted much of her career to the study of 
the relationship between clothing and sexuality, and is uniquely 
qualified to write this book. Marshalling a dazzling array of evidence 
from pornography, psychology, and history, as well as interviews with 
individuals involved in sexual fetishism, sadomasochism, and 
cross-dressing, Steele illuminates the complex relationship between 
appearance and identity. Based on years of research, her book Fetish: Fashion, Sex &amp; Power explains how a paradigm shift in attitudes toward sex and gender has given rise to the phenomenon of fetish fashion. "Steele is to fetish dressing what Anne Rice is to vampires," writes Christa Worthington of Elle
 magazine, "the intellectual interpreter of...wishes beyond our ken." 
According to Steele, fetishism shows how human sexuality is never just a
 matter of doing what comes naturally; fantasy always plays an 
important role. Steele provides provocative answers to such questions 
as: Why is black regarded as the sexiest color? Is fetishizing the norm 
for males? Does fetish fashion reflect a fear of AIDS? And why do so 
many people love shoes?

Fetish: Fashion, Sex & Power PDF

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