Jacqueline’s Blog

When someone says they have a fetish, most people jump to the conclusion that the person has an obsession with high-heeled shoes, leather outfits (zipper), or derives pleasure from pain (whip).
Although this is sometimes the case, in reality fetishism can develop around a wide array of objects or body parts, and this is perhaps why this type of sexual behavior arouses our curiosity. So what exactly is a fetish? Here to talk to us today is Jim PFaus, professor of sexual behavior at Concordia University.

Jim PFaus clip (runs 0.35-1:00)
IN: Fetishes are typically defined…
OUT: …don’t show normal arousal

According to PFaus, fetishes typically develop during a precautious period of puberty and will generally stay a part of that person’s sexual behavior for the remainder of their lives.

Jim PFaus clip (runs 1:16-1:44)
IN: Part of the processes a…
OUT: …who we like to have it with.

The array of objects and body parts that can serve as fetishes are almost as numerous and unique as the individuals who possess these attractions. Thus, although fetishes should be considered completely normal, some individuals do reach a point at which they can no longer control their sexual desires. According to PFaus, treatment is extremely difficult. For Concordia News, this is Jacqueline Madden.

I found both the Washington Post and the New York Times piece to be visually compelling, both using striking black and white photographs. While the New York Times used the reporter’s voice to tell the story of those living in the Kandahar camps, the Washington Post’s story used the voices of the deportees to tell the story.

The audio used by each thus had very different effects; the piece by the Washington Post used a lot of ambient and natural sound, while the New York Times had none. The sound of the airplane taking off and landing, the background voices of the men boarding the flight, and the voice of the captain making announcements on the overhead all helped situate the story and had a very dramatic effect. In addition, being able to hear the voices of the deportees telling their stories was gripping. Hearing the individual voices of the detainees brings a real human element to the story; i think the story would have been a lot different had the journalist been the only one explaining the story. The viewer would be less inclined to sympathize with the deportees, many of whom are criminals.

On the other hand, the voiceover for the New York Times story was very effective for that story. Though it would have been interesting to hear testimonials from those living in the camps, having to read subtitles might have drawn attention away from the beautiful photographs. The voiceover was also a good choice seeing as the story of the camp, how and why it was established was nicely brought together by the journalist. It was a good way of incorporating all of the details about the camp.

For my piece I think I might mimic the piece by the Washington Post. I think it would be better to hear the voices of individuals talking about their fetishes and how it affects them, what they are etc. I really liked the use of black and white images and I might do the same for my visuals.

Since it has been three years since I took my first and only class on radio broadcasting, I found this course to be a nice refresher on the basics of recording sound for a story. Although I found a lot of the information to very obvious, the lessons also pointed out a lot of valid points that I had never really thought about or learned from first-hand experience. My experience in recording audio is very limited, and so this lesson had a lot to offer be in terms of the very basics. Firstly, although I am still much more comfortable in writing for print journalism, the course opened up my eyes to the various ways in which sound can enhance a story. It also clarified the difference between ambient sound and natural sound, something I had been confused about when I first read that we had to include these two things in our story.

However, one of the things I thought the course only briefly touched upon and then failed to elaborate was how to proceed with stories that are not ideal for sound clips. This is the kind of story I am dealing with, and even after taking the course I still have few ideas as to how exactly I can enhance my interview with sound.

The course did however offer geat tips on how to prepare questions as well as equipment for the interview, and I especially liked the mic use activities. I was unaware and surprised to learn about the “fair use” rules for music as well as the ethical dilemmas associated with recording sound elsewhere than the actual scene. I don’t know if I would have acknowledged the ethical issues behind recording traffic for a story in a different location than where the story is actually taking place. The tips on recording voiceovers were also helpful.

Virtually anything can serve as a fetish: shoes, leather, silk, whips, chains, rubber, large breasts and even feet. Fetishism can develop around a wide array of objects or body parts, and this is perhaps why this type of sexual behavior arouses our curiosity.

The array of objects and body parts that serve as fetishes are almost as numerous and unique as the individuals who posses the attractions to these objects.

In Chalkley and Powell’s 1983 review of fetishism, clothing was reported to be the most common fetish, followed by rubber, footwear, parts of the body, leather, clothes made of soft fabric and items made of silk.

Fetishism appeared in the late 1800s and originated from the Portuguese word feitico, which means “obsessive fascination.” The term was thus borrowed from anthropological writing in which “fetish” referred to a charm thought to contain magical or spiritual powers.

Its influence on psychological usage was first indicated by Sigmund Freud’s reference to the sexual object of the fetishist as being comparable to “the fetich in which the savage sees the embodiment of his god.”

According to Psychology Today, there is a degree of fetishistic arousal in most “normal” individuals who find certain body features attractive. Does this mean that every individual has a fetish? The American Psychiatric Association claims that, other than fetishes that have developed clinical significance, it is virtually impossible to estimate the prevalence of fetishism due to the secretive nature of the behavior, fantasies and urges.

When exploring the realm of fetishism in contemporary society, one begins to wonder who and what is nowadays considered to be “normal.” It becomes fascinating and perplexing to observe how attraction to certain body parts or objects is considered acceptable, while an attraction to others is labeled as perverse and weird.

Throughout each era, one can observe diverse arrays of fetishes that at the time were considered to be acceptable; these differed according to the cultural norms of each generation. Various authors have highlighted the influence of culture and socialization on human sexual desire. For example, while some cultures place great erotic significance on particular body parts, others cultures demonstrate greater tolerance for certain sexual behaviors such as childhood sexual activity. This epitomizes the creativity and plasticity of the human brain when it comes to sexual behavior.

But where do fetishes come from? According to most psychologists, fetishes usually develop during childhood and adolescence, though the exact causes are difficult to determine. Most of the early explanations of fetishism focused on the psychoanalytic theory, which stated that fetishism is “the result of intrapsychic conflicts stemming from unresolved issues in an individual’s personal history.” However, over the years, much attention has been given to possible biological, sociocultural, and sociobiological factors.

The difficulty in determining the exact causes of fetishistic behavior was best articulated by Dr. Roy. F. Baumeister, who wrote that human sexuality is “a rich, confusing tangle, in which biological drives, sociocultural meanings, formative individual experiences, and additional unknown factors play powerful roles.”

When one lives in a society whose dictation of the “norm” is not complementary to one’s own sexual behavior, one’s source of arousal can become distressing and embarrassing, and thus no longer a source of absolute pleasure. As stated by the American Psychiatric Association’s website, some individuals experience extreme feelings of guilt, shame and depression regarding their “unusual” sexual activity, while others report having little distress as a result of their behavior, except possibly the distress regarding the reactions of others.

At which point then does a fetish go from being a source of immense arousal and gratification to something that inhibits an individual’s life and sexual experiences?

According to Psychology Today, fetishism is generally 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 non-genital parts-such as the foot. Over time, it is only through the use of the object that the individual is able to obtain sexual gratification.

But what exactly determines whether an individual will be attracted to panties or shoes? In Chalkley’s report, twenty per cent of the individuals studied could not explain their fetishes, while fifty per cent “attributed their arousal to the sensual aspects of the fetish object” and thirty per cent attributed their sexual attraction to the object’s symbolization of strength and power.

Unfortunately, as you know, my Uganda story very sadly fell through, so I’ve decided to do a 180 and write a story about people with fetishes. Here is my source list;

Interview sources

1) John Baku
John started the website fetlife.com, which is a free social network for the BDSM and fetish community. Baku started the website one year ago and it has grown exponentially since then, with people from Canada, the U.S., Australia, and other countries around the world having joined. I want to talk to Baku about why and how he started his website, why he feels this social network is vital to the fetish community, and more specifically about what a fetish is and how fetishes affect peoples’ lives. Many people are unaware of what exactly a fetish is, and whether or not they have one. In addition, fetishes are thought by many to be something only “weird” or “abnormal” individuals are into. I want to talk to Baku about this, as well as the different kinds of fetishes people have, the reactions people have had to his website, etc. I have already gotten in touch with Baku and he has agreed to an interview. I am definitely going to record it as an audio for my final package, and possibly a short video clip (I am undecided as to whether I am only going to use soundslides, or whether I might do video too)
Johnbaku@fetlife.com (I also have his number but will not be posting it on my blog)

2) Emily Cox
Emily is a friend of John Baku’s and played a big role in helping him set up this website. She has an online profile and a blog, and I have contacted her already to set up an interview. The questions I want to ask her are similar to those I want to ask Baku. However, since she is directly a part of this fetish community I would like to ask her what she gets out of being part of this social network, what king of fetishes she has, how they have impacted her life, what others’ reactions are to her fetishes, how they have affected her relationships, whether she feels people are judgmental toward her, and so on. I will record this interview for audio and possibly video.
Her email is emjcox@gmail.com

3) Dr. James PFaus, associate professor of sexual behaviour at Concordia. I have already emailed him, and though he has informed that he is very busy, he said we could work something out to schedule an interview sometime next week. I would like to get his psychological perspective as to why and how fetishism develops, and how it can affect a person’s life.
jim.pfaus@concordia.ca

4) Stan Ko
Stan Ko is a former porn star. He is the manager of one of my friend’s buildings and they suggested that I get in touch with him. I have already briefly met him to discuss fetishism and he had some really interesting ideas about what it is, what his fetishes are, and so on. I think he would be a good candidate for audio and possibly video.

5) I would like to get in touch with a sexologist who would be able to elaborate further on the psychology behind people who develop fetishes, whether they are healthy, the point at which they become an impediment to an individual’s life, and what kind of treatment there is for people whose fetish begins to negatively impact their life. I would also like to know their definition of a fetish.

6) I am hoping that perhaps either Emily, who is a part oft he fetish community, or perhaps one of psychology professors I have contacted might possibly know someone whose fetishism has developped to the point where it is unhealthy…I would like to incorporate their story in order to be able to show the positives and negatives of fetishism.

Secondary sources

1) A Love Life less Ordinary from the New York Times

 

2) Queen of Burlesque Von Teese on fashion, fetishes and France from AFP

3) It’s not just about whips and leather from the Guardian UK

Secondary sources

1) Sexual Deviance: theory, assessment and treatment
Laws, D. Richard; O’Donohue, William T.; New York, NY, US: Guilford Press, 2008. xiii, 642 pp.

2) Sexual perversity in America from salon.com

3) Top Ten Fetishes

I believe that both Yolanda’s Crossing and Quenching Las Vegas Thirst were extremely attractive and unique stories. Both pieces told compelling stories that immediately grabbed my attention and maintained my curiosity all the way through. Had I come across either of these pieces I would have watched them both to the very end.
On the one hand, Yolanda’s Crossing was a captivating story told through a first person narrative, which gives the story a very authentic feel. However, one criticism I would have is its choice of video for its multimedia package. The idea of dividing her life into chapters that we could explore individually was great, each photo engaging a different emotion to complement the multiple facets of her experience. However, I think that a slideshow of photos accompanied by her voiceover might have been more appropriate than the fusion of video and photo. For some reason, I felt that the video was very inauthentic and did not necessarily add anything vital to her story.
For me, her voiceover was the most powerful aspect of the multimedia package, along with her photos. The fact that the viewer knows that these scenes have been shot after the fact takes away from its impact. I was often left wondering who some of the men in the picture were, and who the little girl was? Were these pictures from when she was a child or were they simply pictures of another young child? Because of this, I found the video and some pictures to be too suggestive to bring any real value to the story.
Aside from this, Yolanda’s story still had great impact. The chapters are short and easy to follow and the textual descriptions provided clear summaries of each segment. That being said, some of the information was slightly repetitive. More could have been done to add information in the text that was not stated in the video, or vice versa.
Out of the two pieces I was much more struck by the quality and sophistication of the piece on Quenching Las Vegas Thirst. I found the introduction to be extremely powerful, and I especially appreciated the image of the martini glass being drained, accompanied by the introductory voiceover. The package was extremely gripping and detailed; I was particularly impressed by its amalgamation of audio, video and graphics. This piece put a lot more effort into the tiny details compared to Yolanda’s Crossing. The interactive map was another aspect that I really liked because it helped me situate exactly where the story was taking place. The clock counting down on the upper-right hand corner was also really neat, though at times slightly distracting.
Overall, I thought this piece was extremely well-done; the roughly five-minute video segments were an excellent way of breaking down and layering the story. My only criticism would be the fact that they automatically play one after the other; I didn’t feel as though I had the time to take second to digest the information from the previous chapter. That being said, this piece incorporated beautiful images, compelling video and great interviews