shorts and top Although almost any type of garment in theory 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. Separate from fetishes as a paraphilia are garments worn to enhance appearance, such as tight jeans or other eye-catching clothing. The difference is whether, for the person concerned, the clothing is the focus of a sexual fetish, or is merely appreciated and found pleasing.
Restrictive clothing Clothing that limits the wearer's movement is commonly used for this property, particularly among
bondage enthusiasts and often appears in bondage-related
fetish fashion. Such restrictive fashion includes
corsets,
collars,
strait jackets, and
hobble skirts.
Corsets The
training corset and
bondage corset has also become a staple in fetish wear, particularly among professional dominants. A
submissive or slave may also 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. In the 1980s, pop music performers such as
Madonna and
Cyndi Lauper reintroduced and popularized the corset as a daring example of
underwear as outerwear. This influence continues to the present day in both fetish and mainstream fashion.
Hobble skirts , see-through
panties, and
high heels A
hobble skirt is a long, tight skirt, extending below the knees and often ankle length, which is so tight that it is difficult to walk in. When used as fetish clothing, it is often made of
latex or
PVC and sometimes
corseted, to increase the restriction. Such skirts were briefly a mainstream fashion in the 1910s; however, they were soon abandoned as impractical. They were revived in the 1950s by
John Willie and others as a bondage/fetish style.
Stockings and socks 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 wear stockings, sometimes hidden under a pair of trousers. Like
feet and
shoes, sock fetishists often require some specific attraction in the object which may include particular styles or knit patterns. People with a fetish for socks may have no special attraction to feet or shoes. Many male sock fetishists are also highly specific regarding the nature of the socks that stimulate them, and this may be a product of exposure to particular types of clothing during the teenage years. This belief is supported by observations that the nature of sock fetishism appears to differentiate according to age brackets and periods of clothing trends. Among men who exhibit an interest in women's socks who were in their early pubescent period during the late 1980s/early 1990s when slouch socks were a popular clothing trend, there is a tendency to exhibit a strong interest in very heavy slouchy socks, whereas younger men with a sock fetish tend to show greater interest in the short ankle-style socks that became popular in later years. There is also a regional trend in sock fetishes, with men who spent their teenage years living in northern climates exhibiting a strong interest in heavy wool socks.
Sneakers Sneaker fetishism is another specific form of
shoe fetishism. Like
boot fetishism, it can be accompanied by a fetish for the material from which it is made. For example, the rubber which the
outsole and sidewall are made of can be a source of
rubber fetishism. Sneakers and other types of athletic footwear (such as
football boots) are popular items to be fetishized over within certain
LGBT sub-cultures, sometimes due to their association with athletes, or particular models of sneaker (for instance certain models of
Nike Air Max) are coveted among homosexual sneaker fetishists.
Swimwear Swimwear fetishism is a sexual fetish relating to swimwear. It can also involve printed or electronic material with swimwear being worn.
Jackets and coats Jacket fetishism is usually associated with the fixation or attraction to jackets – though it can also be associated with
leather or
down jackets, particularly in association with
Bondage (BDSM). In a survey, researchers at the University of Bologna found that 9% of members of online fetish groups were in groups related to upper-body wear such as jackets.
Shorts A shorts fetish refers to sexual arousal triggered by short shorts, hotpants, bike shorts, yoga shorts or other variations of athletic shorts such as basketball shorts or gym shorts. One with this fetish can experience arousal which may be triggered from youthful experiences of being attracted to their peers wearing shorts that they are attracted to. Some cross dressers also experience excitement from wearing short shorts designed for opposing gender, finding the style, look and feel, and texture of the fabric stimulating. Others may enjoy relieving sexual pleasure while wearing them, or even fantasizing having intercourse while wearing shorts.
Diapers People with a diaper fetish (colloquially dubbed "diaper lovers" or "DLs" for short) are attracted to idea of themselves or others wearing
adult diapers. Arousal can be derived from the idea of the diaper itself, the materials (plastic, cloth,
SAP, etc.) that they are made from, the
urolagnic or
scatologic connection to using them, as well as how they potentially relate to fetishes like
BDSM,
ageplay, medical
roleplay, etc. Though separate, diapers are also such a typical component of
adult baby roleplay that an umbrella term, "adult baby/diaper lover" (or "AB/DL"), is commonly used to refer to a spectrum of fetish subcultures. In 2013, the
American Psychiatric Association (APA) published the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) which, among other things, draws a clear distinction between "atypical sexual interests" (otherwise known as kinks, fetishes, or
paraphilias) and "paraphilic disorders". The APA states that "most people with atypical sexual interests do
not have a mental disorder" and as such, in the vast majority of cases, kinks like diaper fetishism can simply be considered valid and harmless forms of human sexual expression. As of September 2015, Huffington Post Arts & Culture published an interview on diaper fetishes. While this clothing fetish is obscure, diaper fetishists engage in the behavior privately or with a partner who shares a mutual interest in the fetish (sexual acts). The
South Korean public often views diaper fetishism in a negative light. A
Naver cafe (similar to the
Yahoo! Groups service) that is devoted to diaper fetishism was closed around September 2010 as the
South Korean media outlets portrayed it negatively to the general public. Another incident occurred when a South Korean girl group,
Girl's Day, were accused of wearing costumes that looked like oversized diapers, dubbed
diaper fashion. ==Gender-related clothes==