New clothes for the strong empowered woman — skin tight latex
The Britney Latex Vest from Syren Couture, $199
OK, considering that the women we’re talking about are Britney Spears and the Pussy Cat Dolls, you might take umbrage at the fact that I’m calling them strong and empowered.
Please note, the I’m known to be a bit sarcastic.
As a female who likes to dress up and does not shy away from form-fitting apparel, this is a constant dilemma for me. I think women should be able to wear whatever they want, BUT the idea of someone… anyone writhing around in scuba-diver tight latex makes me cringe.
Add the hot lights, complex dance moves and the abdomen restrictions and I think this is my idea of hell. I think of the slurping sound the latex must make when you pry it off your exhausted sweating body. Yuck.
But this type of binding apparel is apparently gaining favor again. Britney wore this vest for her comeback, “Womanizer” video and the Pussy Cat Dolls, headed up by the loud and proud sex kitten Nicole Scherzinger (that’s her above at right, sorry for the headlessness, click the photo to see the entire picture) and known for being the ultimate in tantalizing are brandishing latex fashions.
Other artists including Rihanna, Beyonce and Madonna are flaunting various types of ultra-restrictive fashions that leave me scratching my head. Is this progress? These women can wear anything, right, but they choose to wear fetish apparel.
Well, what if these women can’t wear anything they want. Would we still like Beyonce if she wasn’t wiggling around, flashing crouch shots in a legless body suit? Would Madonna still be a musical powerhouse if she wasn’t freakishly fit at 50? And what about that cute little Rihanna. Could she still be a young phenom, if she didn’t prefer studs, buckles and ultra-fitted bustiers?
The female power part of me says, we should not judge them for wearing such things, but the female devil’s advocate wonders if we should judge them for insinuating that perhaps we are only the sum of our slim, toned, curvaceous parts.
This is not a new dilemma. And maybe, it doesn’t mean what I think it means. But what do I know. I would look awful in latex, but maybe if I looked great in it, I’d be among the converted. Although I seriously doubt that.
Anyway, Syren the company that specializes in providing some really unique latex styles to film companies, music labels, television programs and consumers for more than 15 years and has been honored recently by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which recently produced “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” exhibit, which featured the company’s Catwoman costume worn by Michelle Pfeiffer in the movie “Batman Returns.”
Is that progress? I guess it would be different if men bore the same burden, but they look pretty comfy on stage, most of them don’t even pull their pants all the way up. And most wear their clothes too big. Occasionally, a guy will don some tight-tight pants, but somehow it doesn’t look fetish, it just looks uncomfortable.
A wayward soul from Las Vegas, Nevada, who now calls St. Louis home and believes that fashion is relative and capricious, but style is always in favor. 
Cheap and slutty! Those are the best words to describe the look of that stripper outfit. Why didn’t you go with Beyonce’s outift, afterall, it is in the newest collection of Armani Prive?
Debra, you would look great in latex. But I am glad to know that you choose NOT to wear it. About the men … there is a place where men pry themselves in and out of latex … try some of the street fairs in San Francisco. I have to say that they look just as uncomfortable as any female pop star!
I like Beyonce, but she needs to learn to wear bottoms. That kind of body suit is not made to be worn solo. The fit is supposed to keep it body hugging and keep it tucked in. Exposed like this, even Armani looks cheap.
And thanks for the compliment, Allison. We could all technically wear latex, but the fact that the overwhelming majority of us choose not to is something that I’ll express thanks for on Thanksgiving
Speaking of Beyonce, she performed this morning on the Today Show wearing a cat woman skin-tight outfit. I couldn’t tell if it was latex. I think there’s certainly a difference between celebrities wearing these skin-tight outfits on stage performing versus as a fashion statement on the street. There’s shock value to wearing this apparel on stage. But I don’t see how it fits as a fashion trend. Everyday women should not be dressing like superheros! I hope we don’t start seeing it!