Q&A – Uniform Fetishes

I have a friend who likes to go to uniform nights at the bars. Is this a fetish?

There are many fetishes related to clothing. A clothing fetish can be classified as a sexual fixation upon a particular article or type of clothing, or a collection of garments that appear as part of a certain type of fashion or a uniform. The sexual arousal proponent can come from the clothing/garment itself, the person wearing the clothing, or how wearing the article of clothing yourself makes you feel.

In theory almost any type of garment can be the subject of a fetish. Common clothing fetishes include footwear, female underwear and uniforms. A wide range of other garments have been the subject of less common fetishes.

Fetish fashion items may include such things as stiletto heels, stockings, miniskirt, crotch-less panties and garters. For example, stocking fetishists usually find sexual partners clothed in sheer nylon or silk stockings to be sexually stimulating, or find the act of a person donning or removing a pair of stockings arousing. Some men find it arousing to collect and/or wear stockings.

Restrictive clothing that limits the wearer’s movement is commonly used for fetish purposes, particularly among bondage enthusiasts. Such restrictive fashion, among others, includes locks, hobble skirts, corsets, collars, full-body latex cat suits, handcuffs, face coverings and other restrictive items. Training corsets and bondage corsets have also become a staple in fetish wear, particularly among BDSM communities. A submissive or slave may be forced to wear a tightly laced corset as a form of punishment or simply restriction. And the masochistic practice known as tightlacing creates a particular type of pleasure for the wearer.

Leather, latex or synthetic rubber or plastic, PVC, spandex, fishnet, and stainless steel can be the material related to some clothing fetishes.

Leather fetishism is the name popularly used to describe a sexual attraction to people wearing leather and or to the garments themselves. The smell and the sound of leather is often an erotic stimulus for people with a leather fetish. Leather uniforms may also become a fetish.

Latex or rubber fetishists may refer to themselves as “Rubberists”. Varieties of latex fetishism include body inflation and attraction to transparent rubber. Latex fetishism includes wearing clothing made from latex, observing it worn by others, and enjoyment of erotic fantasies featuring latex garments such as cat suits, diving or industrial protective clothing. The most common latex fetish icon is the dominatrix wearing a skin-tight glossy black latex or PVC cat suit.

PVC fetishism is often closely associated with latex fetishism even though the two materials are very different. PVC fetishism involves an erotic attraction to shiny plastic clothes made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane or similar man made materials.

Spandex fetishism is a fetishistic attraction to people wearing stretch fabrics or, in certain cases, to the garments themselves, such as leotards. Wearers of skin-tight nylon and cotton spandex garments can appear naked or coated in a shiny or matte substance like paint. The tightness of the garments may also be seen as sexual bondage. Another reason is that nylon-spandex fabric is often produced with a very smooth and silk-like finish, which lends a tactile dimension to the fetish – as well as a visual one.

Even the pony fetish can be considered a garment fetish as it involves the use of equestrian like gear fitted to humans.

Among the most common uniforms in uniform fetish are those of a schoolgirl, nurse, French maid, waitress, cheerleader and Playboy Bunny. Some people also regard nuns’ habits or even aprons as uniforms. Among gay men business attire, Army, Navy or Air Force uniforms, Fireman or Police uniforms are very common. Sometimes a uniform may be used appropriate to what is being done. For example, someone may wear a nurse’s uniform to administer an enema, a police uniform to handcuff and cage someone. This may add a sense of authenticity to the game play.

Nazi chic is a highly controversial topic in the fetish clothing world. Much of the fetish community regards Nazi chic as highly offensive, and most fetish clubs ban overt Nazi symbolism. However, the symbolism of fascist or communist regimes remains popular. A common compromise is to adopt the main design features of Nazi-era clothing, such as peaked caps, jackboots or long leather trench coats with high epaulets and tall collars.

So, can your friend’s uniform night be a fetish? Maybe, or it could be just an excuse to dress up differently and have some fun. Only he knows.

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