History of Latex

The first piece of latexwear was the Mackintosh coat, which first appeared on the market 1824 in Scotland. The Mackintosh was made out of rubberized material and appeared in several magazines devoted to nothing but images of women in raincoats. These included Mackintosh Magazine, Girl Mack, Rainwear Review, Proof, Rain, Bravura. These magazines included mainly black and white photos where models where shiny clothing.  The 2002 S&M-themed romantic movie “Secretary” makes a slight nod to this scene by having Maggie Gyllenhaal innocently appear in a rubber raincoat early in the film.

The earliest magazine to document latex fetish was probably Bizarre Magazine, published by John Willie from 1946 to 1959. Around the same time, Irving Klaw, the photographer who made Bettie Page famous, also published set of comic books on the subject, with titles such as “Ladies in Rubber” (1954).

What Is Latex Fetish?

Many people enjoy sex acts where latex plays a leading role. In some occasions, the pleasure comes from feeling that equipment on the skin when one wears it, and, in others, from seeing and touching the couple thus dressed. But it can also be exciting to simply interact with objects, underwear or accessories -bodysuits, whips, eye masks, etc.- made with this elastic material of vegetable origin without the need for another person to be involved.

What Is Latex Fetishism Involved With?

Often, latex fetishism appears in the context of BDSM sexuality, an acronym that unites practices such as discipline or bondage, consisting of immobilizing with ropes or bandages. The so-called “rubber fetishists” – which comes from the word rubber, which associates a certain aesthetic to the agreed sadomasochistic pleasures. Submission is linked to an environment and a specific way of dressing. It is, for example, what happens with many dominatrices, women who take a dominant role in submission games.

Why Are People Into Latex?

There are several reasons for latex to succeed in these circumstances. One of them is its adherence: for the fetishists, it constitutes a kind of second skin. In some way, it is like an armor that allows them to feel differently and be protected at the same time. On the other hand, the adjustment of the garments exerts constant pressure that keeps the senses alert. Thus, the individual perceives that he revives his mind and stays awake to enter a different erotic world.

The pressure that latex clothes exert on the body is also seen as a bondage element. Due to the elasticity of the material, and the adjusted character of the clothing that is created, in the attempt to return to its resting position, the latex creates a constant pressure on the skin of the wearer, pressure that is interpreted as erotic (a continuous stimulation of skin pressure receptors) for some latex fetishists. Just as the continuous touch of ordinary clothes on our skin ends up being ignored by our nervous system so as not to be saturated with information, the pressure level of latex clothes makes it more difficult to ignore by the nervous system. Also, a lot of people enjoys the shininess of the material when properly handled with polishing materials. The whole gloss effect of the catsuit or the dress makes the appearance of the person more exciting. Finally the smell of rubber latex is also a stimulant for some latex fetishists, to intensify the smell these garments are often impregnated with chemicals, but there are also latex lovers who simply dislike the rubber smell.

Latex In Popular Media

Within popular culture, we can notice the presence of latex dressing, if it is directly linked to the fetishistic practice that is associated, or if it is only present as material, and that due to this fact, the work where it appears has become iconic for the latex fetishists.

Some movies where latex fetishism appears:

1. Cat’s Eye – Yuki Uchida wore a suit of spandex and leather mix, along with Norika Fujiwara and Inamori Izumi
2. Underworld series – In this popular dark fantasy series, Kate Beckinsale sports vinyl, latex material suits.
3. How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017) – Croydon, 1977. A trio of punk teenagers goes to a party to meet girls, but they find that girls there are very different from what they expected.
4. Girl in 3D (2004) – Vicky would like to be a Hollywood, when she receives an opportunity to meet Stu (her idol), who is happened to love latex catsuits.
5. The Machine (2013) – A programmer Vincent creates a super strong cyborg, who starts to ask questions.
6. Thursday (1998) – Casey has given up drug dealing for a suburban idyll in Houston, a job as an architect and a new wife.