FETISH

The word fetish originally meant "charm," and it originates from the 15th century Portuguese word feitico , which means false power, object or charm.

For example, when the Portuguese explored West Africa and encountered native religions, they called whatever talisman (totems, carvings, beads) they revered, a fetish.

To the Portuguese in those days, the fetishists were those who worshiped the unusual. Later on, however, the implication of the word took on a whole different meaning.

First, a fetish involves the transfer of power from an original source onto a substitute.

Second, a fetishist is someone who operates outside the circle of what is characteristically considered normal. But, what is normal nowadays?

Types of fetishes

There are many diverse kinds of fetishes, depending on the object being fetishized.

Inanimate fetishes come in three varieties: media, form and animate.

In a "media" fetish, material is what is obsessed over. Media fetishes include rubber, leather, latex, and silk.

With a "form" fetish, it's the shape of the object that has great significance. Stiletto heels, knee-high boots and lingerie fall into this category.

Feet, hair, butts, breasts, and all that good stuff are also considered fetishes, but since these objects are human, they're called "animate" fetishes

La Chiave Ad Etere - Nicole M