Karl Marx wrote in Capital that capitalists are basically fetishists, worshipping mystical powers that workers impart to the goods they create (sounds like Prada to me). Before latex, fetishists had made do with what they had—fur, silk, and tight-laced corsets. That was until 1823, when Scottish chemist Charles Macintosh concocted the rubberized fabric that laid the foundations for future BDSM fantasy. Though his Mackintosh coats were smelly, sticky, and sometimes melted on hot days, they were also hugely popular. Valerie Steele, author of Fetish: Fashion, Sex, & Power, identifies England’s Mackintosh Society as one of the modern era’s first fetishist organizations. During her research, she found a 1920s fetish magazine titled London Life that detailed “the thrill of maccing.” Today you can buy a snappy Mackintosh raincoat for $800 from J.Crew. – ”Tuck It All In There– Fetishizing The Latex Dream In The Brazilian Rainforest” by Jenni Avins for Vice Magazine.
“Tuck It All In There– Fetishizing The Latex Dream In The Brazilian Rainforest” by Jenni Avins for Vice Magazine.
There is a lot of hipster bullshit in Vice but they really do have some fascinating writing happening over there from time to time. It's like getting coffee in San Francisco. There is the delicious taste of an impeccable blend with a sensuous aroma that feels like someone giving your nose oral sex but you have to surround yourself with a leaky douchebags from the clearance rack. This article about latex was a fantastic read.
P.S.-
I'm still really fucking bitter that I developed a latex sensitivity. Years of dedicated safer sex (DEDICATED! Obnoxiously DEDICATED! So the invisible ‘you're an HIV prevention specialist' police teams didn't catch me barebacking!) and clinic work and fetish modeling resulted in skin that gets red like a lobster and peels like a bad sunburn after contact with rubber.
I gave away all of my best latex pieces to friends, use polyisoprene condoms, and will treat anyone who makes me polyisoprene dresses to some good jokes and better icecream for their ingenuity. I'm just saying. Call me.
