Fetishism: Obsessive fascination

Fetishism

The term "fetishism" was coined in the late 1800s. It originates from the Portuguese word feitico, which means "obsessive fascination".  There is a degree of fetishistic arousal in most normal individuals who find particular bodily features attractive. However, fetishistic arousal is generally considered a problem when it interferes with normal sexual or social functioning and where sexual arousal is impossible without the fetish object.

A fetish exists when a person is sexually aroused by a nonliving object. It can manifest in two ways, one more extreme than the other. One form associates coitus with some object (most frequently women's panties or other undergarments¹ ). It is relatively harmless if the action is taken playfully and is acceptable to the person's partner. Focus on certain parts of the body (feet, hair, ears, etc) aside from those part of the pleasurable foreplay, can become fetishistic in its hold on the individual.

Fetishism is characterized as a disorder when there is a pathological assignment of sexual fixation, fantasies or behaviors toward an inanimate object -- frequently an item of clothing -- such as underclothing or a high-heeled shoe -- or to nongenital body parts -- such as the foot. Only through use of this object can the individual obtain sexual gratification. The fetishist usually holds, rubs or smells the fetish object for sexual gratification or asks their partner to wear the object during sexual encounters. Fetishism is a more common occurrence in males, and the causes are not clearly known.  Fetishism falls under the general category of paraphilias, abnormal or unnatural sexual attractions.

Inanimate object fetishes can be categorized into two types: form fetishes and media fetishes. In a form fetish, the object and its shape are important, such as high-heeled shoes. In a media fetish, the material of the object is important, such as silk or leather. Inanimate object fetishists often collect the object of their favor. In some cases, the fetishism is severe enough to inspire the fetishist to acquire objects of his desire through theft or assault. Fetishists smell, rub or handle these objects while masturbating or ask their sex partners to wear the objects; male fetishists may be unable to get erections without the presence of the objects. Nearly all fetishists are male, though some women also exhibit fetishism.

The more extreme form of fetishism is when a nonliving object completely substitutes for a human partner, such as underwear, boots, and shoes or such textured objects as velvet or silk. Here, orgasm is achieved when the person is alone, fondling the object.

Other common objects used by fetishists are panties, bras, slips, stockings, other intimate apparel, footwear and gloves. Common materials other than those listed above also include rubber and fur. For some, merely a picture of the fetish object may arise the fetishists, though most prefer or require the actual object. It is not about the person who has worn the object, rather it is about the object itself. Examples of animate fetish objects include hair, legs and buttocks.

Fetishism excludes cross-dressing and objects specially designed for sexual use such as vibrators and dildos.

Feminism: Estrogen power!!!

"Yes, I am a feminist, but I do not hate men. "

First of all, being a feminist does NOT mean that you are a man-hater. If you were a man-hater, you would very simply call yourself a man-hater, and not a feminist. Simply hating men does not turn you into a feminist, or vice versa. True, there are many women who hate men, and some of these women tend to call themselves feminists. There are feminists that do hate men, but they do so because of their own personal reasons, and do not represent feminism as it stands. Often men tend to get defensive when they meet a woman who calls herself a feminist. There is really no reason to. A feminist does not want to put men down in order to pull women up. What she wants is to create awareness of the fact that women deserve equal rights and opportunity as men.


In fact, my feminism has taught me how to understand the constraints of our cultural definition of masculinity on men, just as I am constrained by expectations of femininity. For example, the negative associations in our culture with behavior construed as female (such as focus on the aesthetic and emotional displays of any kind) has lead to the denigration of those men who demonstrate these qualities, because they resemble the lower, and the feminine. I argue (and this is not my argument alone, by any means) that homophobia is thus derived from a fear and loathing of the female, which is also known as misogyny.

Ironically, although some doors to traditional male roles have opened for women, fewer doors to traditional female roles have opened to men – men who take on artistic or aesthetic professions face pejorative stereotypes of homosexuality, and the number of working moms clearly overwhelms the number of stay-at-home dads. This is because we live in a society so entrenched in misogyny that we devalue the contributions of these traditionally feminine roles of tending, raising and teaching children. The deprecation of these contributions is most obvious in the fact that women’s labor in raising children is excluded from the neoclassical economic analysis of GDP per capita (thanks Jeff!), despite the fact that without accounting for women’s labor in the home, the model explains “less than 16% of the variation in female rates.

One of the fundamental distinctions made in Women and Gender Studies is the distinction between sex- the biological composition of one’s body- and gender- the socially construction and assignment of a role on the basis of sex. In this discussion, we are talking about gender, not sex. Feminism is the belief that men and women should be valued equally, even though they are not the same biologically. However, this is distinct from “equalism” because it recognizes that given the historical, systematic oppression of women, equality can only result from an increase in the cultural value and economic rewards of the feminine.
Dr. King’s dream that “one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’” draws upon the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the founding document of this nation, written by Thomas Jefferson.

Therefore, by this argument, the real feminism must be a deconstruction of these prejudices we have about gender identity, just as real civil rights must be the deconstructions of the prejudices we have about racial identity. This is why I’m not a manhater – because that would be unfeminist and counterproductive.