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EspañolSEXUAL FETISHISM
'Sexual fetishism' is the attribution of attractive sexual qualities to non-living objects as an overwhelming alternative to the sexuality of a man or a woman, or as an enhancing element to a relationship.[1] The concept has its origins in the late 19th century with Charles de Brosses' theory of ''fetishism'' as a primary stage in the evolution of a religion, and from the advent of psychosexual/psychodynamic theories of society and individuals by (amongst others) Alfred Binet, and Sigmund Freud.[2]
In the common English language, any degree of attention given to a singular inanimate object, body part, body feature or sexual behaviour may be said to be a sign of sexual fetishism. This use of the term is considered an overly compensatory gesture to the cognitive and emotional uncertainty caused by the liberation of sexual discourse, tastes and practices in the 20th century. In 1998 the popularity for sexual knowledge, experimentation, and the pornography delivered by the internet prompted the faux news publication The Onion to pen an article titled "Area Man Has Naked-Lady Fetish" in order to satirise the migration of simple sexuality into a new fetish. [3]
The definition and qualifying criteria for personal (or cultural) fetishes, or fetish objects has become unclear as a consequence of its common use and the normalization of the means of its motivation, [4][5] but a degree of commitment remains in clinical psychology whereby ''sexual fetishes'' alongside partialisms (the attraction towards isolated parts of the body) are included within the family of paraphilias as conditions affecting psychological health.[1]
Fetishism was introduced as a psychological scientific term in 1887 by Alfred Binet and meant sexual admiration of an inanimate object. At that time, fetishism was considered pathological[7]. 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[8]. In 1927 Sigmund Freud published his psychoanalytic view of fetishism[2] which was responsible for introducing the term to common usage.
With the Kinsey report and the sexual revolution, scientists began to part from the idea of fetishism being an illness or a maladjusted form of sexual behaviour. As a consequence, the diagnostic criteria for paraphilia and fetishism developed its exclusivity. During that process, the two major diagnostic manuals ICD and DSM diverged in their interpretation: While today ICD has returned to its original focus on inanimate objects, DSM includes both objects and 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 include the predominant ideals of beauty within a particular society, e.g. the preference for small feet in old China, or the modern western preference for perfect breasts. A formal social scientific concept of fetishism has never been introduced and it has not 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 the greater parts of an authoritative group's predominant fashion may be called fetishes.
"Sexual Fetishism" must not be confused with the concept of Karl Marx's "commodity fetishism". Here, fetishism names the god-like admiration of objects.
Sometimes a society can absorb a fetish into its culture so that it is no longer perceived as a fetish, but merely as a normal sexual desire; for example the commonplace desire for lingerie, or women removing body hair.
Sometimes what a culture covers up eroticizes the boundaries of what remains exposed. For example, a woman's ankle was considered erotic [10] 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 most states.
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.
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.
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.
In 1951, Donald Winnicott presented his theory of ''transitional objects and phenomena'', according to which childish actions like thumb sucking and objects like cuddly toys are the source of manifold adult behavior, amongst many others fetishism. [11]
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. [12]
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.
Most of the sexual orientations popularly called fetishism are regarded as ''normal variations of human sexuality'' by psychologists and medical doctors. 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.
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.
There are two possible treatments for fetishism: cognitive therapy and psychoanalysis. Both may be complemented by additional treatments.
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.
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.
Pharmaceutical treatment consists of various forms of drugs that inhibit the production of sex steroids, above all male testosterone and female oestrogen. 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[13], 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.
In few cases, brain surgery has turned out to be a remedy for fetishism[14]. 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.
The cultural and consumerist adaptation of the term 'fetish' for the products and relations within a capitalist society and the subsequent application to sexual identity; has broadened the scope of objects and concepts regarded as fetishistic propositions to the global psychosexual market. While the attraction to these inanimate objects may now be seen as normal harmless quirks of human nature, a sign of aesthetic sophistication and individual freedom, or as a means to making a positive economic contribution, it may be said that; popular types remain, from the social and impersonal changes (or "objectifications") of the early industrial/mechanical age.[15] According to empirical knowledge (''see also folk-taxonomy'') gained from (i) the study of admissions for hospital treatment due to sexual accidents, (ii) the quantity of users of community groups on the internet, and (iii) print media advertising: Sexual fetishes exist in the following classes;
Because clothing and adornment have such frequent links with sexual display, humans may develop clothing fetishes. They may prefer to have sexual relations with other humans wearing clothing and accessories that are considered important to their fetish. In Western cultures, such fetishes may include extremely high heels, lace, leather, or military clothing. Other cultures have different fetishes. The men of Heian Japan lusted after women with floor-sweeping hair and layers of silk robes. Fetishes vary as much as fashion. Sometimes the clothing itself becomes the object of fetish, such as the case with used girl panties in Japan.
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 and spandex 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 this is false from a systematic point of view.
★ Boot fetishism
★ Shoe fetishism
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 corsets or bondage.
★ Corset fetishism
★ Jeans fetishism
★ Pantyhose fetishism
★ Parka fetish
★ Second skin
★ Sock fetishism
★ Spandex fetishism
★ Stocking fetishism
★ Zentai skin tight suits
★ Corduroy
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
Leather is another commonly fetishized item. It is commonly associated with motorcycle gangs, kinky sex, and 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 delicate items such as gowns and skintight garments as well as equipment designed for combat, such as gas masks.
★ Rubber fetishism
★ Latex and PVC fetishism
★ Leather fetishism
Sometimes the attraction -rather than being for clothing 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
★ Mask fetishism
★ Sock fetishism
There also exists fetishes related to the situations and objects of medical procedures and care.
★ Abasiophilia (disability)
★ Amputee fetishism
★ Anesthesia fetishism
★ Medical fetishism
Another cluster of fetishes is centered around dirt and fluids, bodily or otherwise.
★ Fecal fetishism
★ Emetophilia (vomiting)
★ Erotic lactation
★ Menstrual process and feminine hygiene products
★ Omorashi (full bladder)
★ Saliromania (messy/disheveled)
★ Sneezing fetishism
★ Spitting fetishism
★ Urolagnia (urine fetishism)
★ Wet and messy fetishism
★ Female muscle worship is also an example of a sexual fetish, or partialism.
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.
★ Suit and tie fetishism
★ Abasiophilia
★ Anaclitism
★ Aquaphilia
★ Coprophilia
★ Fat fetishism
★ Fruit fetishism
★ Macrophilia
★ Paraphilia
★ Paraphilic infantilism
★ Pedophilia
★ Pregnancy fetishism
★ Robot fetishism
★ Sadomasochism
★ Schoolgirl uniform fetish
★ Statuephilia
★ Transformation fetish
★ Trichophilia
★ Yiff
★ Uniform fetish
★ Fur massage
★ Fetish: Fashion, Sex, and Power, , Valerie, Steele, Oxford University Press, 1995, ISBN 0-19-509044-6
★ Fetish Fashion: Undressing the Corset, , Larry, Utley, Green Candy Press, 2002, ISBN 1-931160-06-6
★ Deviant Desires: Incredibly Strange Sex, , Katharine, Gates, Juno Books, , ISBN 1-890451-03-7
★ The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices, , Brenda, Love, Barricade Books, 1994, ISBN 1-56980-011-1
★ Female Perversions: the temptations of Emma Bovary, , Louise J., Kaplan, Doubleday, 1991, ISBN 0-385-26233-7
1. [http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/
2. S. Freud: ''Fetischismus.'' Essay, 1927
3. Area Man Has Naked-Lady Fetish. In: ''The Onion.'' 1998 Oct, Issue 34-12
4. http://bad.eserver.org/issues/1998/41/wray.html
5. http://www.drtatiana.com/critics/times_higher_education.shtml
6. [http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/
7. A. Binet: ''Le Fétichisme dans l'amour.'' In: ''Revue Philosophique'' Vol. XXIV (1887), pp. 252–274.
8. R. v. Krafft-Ebing: ''Psychopathia Sexualis.'' 1912
9. S. Freud: ''Fetischismus.'' Essay, 1927
10. [1] JURIST: Forum: Rape, Porn and Criminality: Political Truth on Trial – refers to Victorian eroticization of the ankle
11. D. W. Winnicott: ''Übergangsobjekte und Übergangsphänomene. Eine Studie über den ersten, nicht zum Selbst gehörenden Besitz.'' (German) Presentation 1951, 1953. In: ''Psyche'' 23, 1969.
12. F. Koksal, M. Domjan, A. Kurt, O. Sertel, S. Orung, R. Bowers, G. Kumru: ''An animal model of fetishism.'' In: ''Behavior Research and Therapy.'' 2004 Dec;42(12):1421–34.
13. I. S. Shiah, C. Y. Chao, W. C. Mao, Y. J. Chuang. ''Treatment of paraphilic sexual disorder: the use of topiramate in fetishism.'' In: ''International Clinical Psychopharmacology.'' 2006 Jul;21(4):241–3.
14. W. Mitchell, M. Falconer, D. Hill. ''Epilepsy with fetishism relieved by temporal lobectomy.'' In: ''Lancet.'' 1954 Sep 25;267(6839):626–30.
15. Pietz, William (1987) ‘The Problem of the Fetish II: The Origin of the Fetish’ , RES: Journal of Anthropology and Aesthetics 13.
★ "Fetish 101" by Susan Block, Ph.D.
★ Most Common Fetishes - an analysis of the AOL search data gives some idea of which fetishes are most common.
In the common English language, any degree of attention given to a singular inanimate object, body part, body feature or sexual behaviour may be said to be a sign of sexual fetishism. This use of the term is considered an overly compensatory gesture to the cognitive and emotional uncertainty caused by the liberation of sexual discourse, tastes and practices in the 20th century. In 1998 the popularity for sexual knowledge, experimentation, and the pornography delivered by the internet prompted the faux news publication The Onion to pen an article titled "Area Man Has Naked-Lady Fetish" in order to satirise the migration of simple sexuality into a new fetish. [3]
The definition and qualifying criteria for personal (or cultural) fetishes, or fetish objects has become unclear as a consequence of its common use and the normalization of the means of its motivation, [4][5] but a degree of commitment remains in clinical psychology whereby ''sexual fetishes'' alongside partialisms (the attraction towards isolated parts of the body) are included within the family of paraphilias as conditions affecting psychological health.[1]
History
Fetishism was introduced as a psychological scientific term in 1887 by Alfred Binet and meant sexual admiration of an inanimate object. At that time, fetishism was considered pathological[7]. 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[8]. In 1927 Sigmund Freud published his psychoanalytic view of fetishism[2] which was responsible for introducing the term to common usage.
With the Kinsey report and the sexual revolution, scientists began to part from the idea of fetishism being an illness or a maladjusted form of sexual behaviour. As a consequence, the diagnostic criteria for paraphilia and fetishism developed its exclusivity. During that process, the two major diagnostic manuals ICD and DSM diverged in their interpretation: While today ICD has returned to its original focus on inanimate objects, DSM includes both objects and 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 include the predominant ideals of beauty within a particular society, e.g. the preference for small feet in old China, or the modern western preference for perfect breasts. A formal social scientific concept of fetishism has never been introduced and it has not 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 the greater parts of an authoritative group's predominant fashion may be called fetishes.
"Sexual Fetishism" must not be confused with the concept of Karl Marx's "commodity fetishism". Here, fetishism names the god-like admiration of objects.
Sometimes a society can absorb a fetish into its culture so that it is no longer perceived as a fetish, but merely as a normal sexual desire; for example the commonplace desire for lingerie, or women removing body hair.
Sometimes what a culture covers up eroticizes the boundaries of what remains exposed. For example, a woman's ankle was considered erotic [10] 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 most states.
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.
Clinical aspects
Psychological origins and development
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.
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.
In 1951, Donald Winnicott presented his theory of ''transitional objects and phenomena'', according to which childish actions like thumb sucking and objects like cuddly toys are the source of manifold adult behavior, amongst many others fetishism. [11]
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. [12]
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.
Modern theory
Most of the sexual orientations popularly called fetishism are regarded as ''normal variations of human sexuality'' by psychologists and medical doctors. 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.
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.
Treatment
There are two possible treatments for fetishism: cognitive therapy and psychoanalysis. Both may be complemented by additional treatments.
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.
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.
Medication
Pharmaceutical treatment consists of various forms of drugs that inhibit the production of sex steroids, above all male testosterone and female oestrogen. 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[13], 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.
Surgery
In few cases, brain surgery has turned out to be a remedy for fetishism[14]. 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.
Types
Heels, boots, legs, and stockings, all of which can be fetish items
The cultural and consumerist adaptation of the term 'fetish' for the products and relations within a capitalist society and the subsequent application to sexual identity; has broadened the scope of objects and concepts regarded as fetishistic propositions to the global psychosexual market. While the attraction to these inanimate objects may now be seen as normal harmless quirks of human nature, a sign of aesthetic sophistication and individual freedom, or as a means to making a positive economic contribution, it may be said that; popular types remain, from the social and impersonal changes (or "objectifications") of the early industrial/mechanical age.[15] According to empirical knowledge (''see also folk-taxonomy'') gained from (i) the study of admissions for hospital treatment due to sexual accidents, (ii) the quantity of users of community groups on the internet, and (iii) print media advertising: Sexual fetishes exist in the following classes;
Clothing, sex, and fetishism
Because clothing and adornment have such frequent links with sexual display, humans may develop clothing fetishes. They may prefer to have sexual relations with other humans wearing clothing and accessories that are considered important to their fetish. In Western cultures, such fetishes may include extremely high heels, lace, leather, or military clothing. Other cultures have different fetishes. The men of Heian Japan lusted after women with floor-sweeping hair and layers of silk robes. Fetishes vary as much as fashion. Sometimes the clothing itself becomes the object of fetish, such as the case with used girl panties in Japan.
Shoes
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 and spandex 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 this is false from a systematic point of view.
★ Boot fetishism
★ Shoe fetishism
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 corsets or bondage.
★ Corset fetishism
★ Jeans fetishism
★ Pantyhose fetishism
★ Parka fetish
★ Second skin
★ Sock fetishism
★ Spandex fetishism
★ Stocking fetishism
★ Zentai skin tight suits
★ Corduroy
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
Leather and latex
Leather is another commonly fetishized item. It is commonly associated with motorcycle gangs, kinky sex, and 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 delicate items such as gowns and skintight garments as well as equipment designed for combat, such as gas masks.
★ Rubber fetishism
★ Latex and PVC fetishism
★ Leather fetishism
Accessories
Sometimes the attraction -rather than being for clothing 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
★ Mask fetishism
★ Sock fetishism
Medicine and disability
There also exists fetishes related to the situations and objects of medical procedures and care.
★ Abasiophilia (disability)
★ Amputee fetishism
★ Anesthesia fetishism
★ Medical fetishism
Fluid and excretory
Another cluster of fetishes is centered around dirt and fluids, bodily or otherwise.
★ Fecal fetishism
★ Emetophilia (vomiting)
★ Erotic lactation
★ Menstrual process and feminine hygiene products
★ Omorashi (full bladder)
★ Saliromania (messy/disheveled)
★ Sneezing fetishism
★ Spitting fetishism
★ Urolagnia (urine fetishism)
★ Wet and messy fetishism
Physical Conditions
★ Female muscle worship is also an example of a sexual fetish, or partialism.
Gender
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.
★ Suit and tie fetishism
See also
★ Abasiophilia
★ Anaclitism
★ Aquaphilia
★ Coprophilia
★ Fat fetishism
★ Fruit fetishism
★ Macrophilia
★ Paraphilia
★ Paraphilic infantilism
★ Pedophilia
★ Pregnancy fetishism
★ Robot fetishism
★ Sadomasochism
★ Schoolgirl uniform fetish
★ Statuephilia
★ Transformation fetish
★ Trichophilia
★ Yiff
★ Uniform fetish
★ Fur massage
References and further reading
★ Fetish: Fashion, Sex, and Power, , Valerie, Steele, Oxford University Press, 1995, ISBN 0-19-509044-6
★ Fetish Fashion: Undressing the Corset, , Larry, Utley, Green Candy Press, 2002, ISBN 1-931160-06-6
★ Deviant Desires: Incredibly Strange Sex, , Katharine, Gates, Juno Books, , ISBN 1-890451-03-7
★ The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices, , Brenda, Love, Barricade Books, 1994, ISBN 1-56980-011-1
★ Female Perversions: the temptations of Emma Bovary, , Louise J., Kaplan, Doubleday, 1991, ISBN 0-385-26233-7
1. [http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/
2. S. Freud: ''Fetischismus.'' Essay, 1927
3. Area Man Has Naked-Lady Fetish. In: ''The Onion.'' 1998 Oct, Issue 34-12
4. http://bad.eserver.org/issues/1998/41/wray.html
5. http://www.drtatiana.com/critics/times_higher_education.shtml
6. [http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/
7. A. Binet: ''Le Fétichisme dans l'amour.'' In: ''Revue Philosophique'' Vol. XXIV (1887), pp. 252–274.
8. R. v. Krafft-Ebing: ''Psychopathia Sexualis.'' 1912
9. S. Freud: ''Fetischismus.'' Essay, 1927
10. [1] JURIST: Forum: Rape, Porn and Criminality: Political Truth on Trial – refers to Victorian eroticization of the ankle
11. D. W. Winnicott: ''Übergangsobjekte und Übergangsphänomene. Eine Studie über den ersten, nicht zum Selbst gehörenden Besitz.'' (German) Presentation 1951, 1953. In: ''Psyche'' 23, 1969.
12. F. Koksal, M. Domjan, A. Kurt, O. Sertel, S. Orung, R. Bowers, G. Kumru: ''An animal model of fetishism.'' In: ''Behavior Research and Therapy.'' 2004 Dec;42(12):1421–34.
13. I. S. Shiah, C. Y. Chao, W. C. Mao, Y. J. Chuang. ''Treatment of paraphilic sexual disorder: the use of topiramate in fetishism.'' In: ''International Clinical Psychopharmacology.'' 2006 Jul;21(4):241–3.
14. W. Mitchell, M. Falconer, D. Hill. ''Epilepsy with fetishism relieved by temporal lobectomy.'' In: ''Lancet.'' 1954 Sep 25;267(6839):626–30.
15. Pietz, William (1987) ‘The Problem of the Fetish II: The Origin of the Fetish’ , RES: Journal of Anthropology and Aesthetics 13.
External links
★ "Fetish 101" by Susan Block, Ph.D.
★ Most Common Fetishes - an analysis of the AOL search data gives some idea of which fetishes are most common.
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