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Relation Of Fetishism To Today's Fashion Industry

ASSIGNMENT TITLE-
HOW WOULD YOU RELATE KRAFFT-EBBING’S ORIGINAL ANALYSIS OF SEXUAL FETISHISM, LATER DEVELOPED BY FREUD, TO CONTEMPORARY FASHION?

UNIT TITLE-
COMMODIFYING DESIRE

DEGREE-
FdA- FASHION MARKETING AND PROMOTION

STUDENT NAME-
MISS HITALI SHAH

STUDENT ID NUMBER-
SHA 07217955

WORD COUNT-
2500 WORDS

‘Fetishizing is the norm for males, not for females’ (Stoller, cited in Steele, 1996). Is there little wonder then that Freud’s later development of Krafft-Ebbing’s definition of fetishism relates almost solely to the male sex? As a woman, I can safely say that the very idea of even sexually fantasizing about a sole male body part, let alone an article of male clothing, seems highly unimaginative, if not perverse. However, accuse me of being a Marxist defined ‘Commodity Fetishist’ on some level, and I will be lying if I don’t agree. As an avid shoe lover and collector, I do attach a somewhat silly importance to my shoe collection. I fetishize my shoes, meaning that I elevate them to a level above food, shelter and clothing, to put it mildly. Owning a pair of towering Blahnik’s (even a good ol’ high street brand will suffice on my budget!!) makes me feel invincible, like the sexiest, most desirable woman on earth. Nevertheless, this raises the question of where comes the difference between sexual and commodity fetishism? Today’s fashion industry only seems to boost the occurrence of putting commodities, especially branded ones, up on a pedestal. For me, commodity fetishism is only an offshoot of sexual fetishism. I can argue that a sexual fetishist, with a special love for corsets or lacy, racy underwear, will often be attracted to only those who wear these types of garments, and in the case of a female, often wear this herself. These items will be upgraded to a near reverential status in her eyes, and will make her feel like a goddess. Buying anything other than what she deems sexy will not only make her feel useless, but will give root to...