Why are longer gloves sexier than shorter ones? It’s thoughts like this that keep me up at night.
Obviously they emphasize more the shape of the arm, but is the forearm really a super sexy body part? It’s not quite the same as a leg being emphasized by a long boot. Long medical gloves like these imply things are going to be particularly messy, which is hot. But long opera style gloves are also sexy and they’re very much not PPE equipment. It’s a puzzle.
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I think part of the reason long gloves are sexier is that normal gloves are just functional whilst long gloves are for display. The same reasoning works for boots (apart from waders which are a niche fetish I don’t share).
Interesting thought. The act of designing something for display rather than function makes it more attractive, just from that very act. Kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. Never thought about that take on it.
Thanks for the comment!
-paltego
What is at the essence of our “fetish” is the need that the woman be protected, nay invulnerable. Apply that to the glove question: longer gloves armor more. I could go on and on.
That’s another interesting thought. In emphasizes separation from the world, exalting the wearers status. Covering as armor and protection. Hmmm.
Thanks for the comment!
-paltego
Okay, go ahead and laugh, but Desmond Morris touched on this back in the 1960s in The Naked Ape. Gloves, like boots, leather, latex, rubber, and other shiny coverings, enhance the skin surface in such a way that looks inviting, and appeals to very primitive sexual instincts. Humans are often attracted to anything which we can describe as “sleek,” which is why catsuits never seem to go out of style.
He may not have coined the phrase “superskin,” but it fits the concept pretty well. Long gloves (latex or velvet) emphasize the limb. Our eye is attracted to them, because the primitive parts of the brain are thinking “I wonder what that would feel like if she rubbed it against my…”
Anyhow, it’s not as highbrow as some of your readers, but it’s a good working theory.
It’s many years since I read The Naked Ape, so memory of it is fuzzy, but from what I gather its theories have not stood the test of time well. Seems like he made a lot up as he went along.
This ones an interesting one though. Not all long gloves are shiny, but they all do tend to be very tactile sensual materials. Things like leather, velvet, latex, silk, etc. As you say, exactly the kind of things to draw the eye and imagine the feel of it against the skin. I feel all the comments here deserve a follow-up post :-).
-paltego
Gloves are perhaps an interesting item of clothing, because simply by donning them, or not, they communicate an intent. A non-verbal communication if you will, where the style, material and type of glove denotes that intent.
Latex/rubber gloves often implying Some form of medical intervention, a snap of the glove a signal that a procedure is starting. Does the Extended length of the latex/rubber glove imply Increasing gravitas to the intended event? Certainly, it heightens the suspense as the very act of pulling on a long pair denotes a seriousness that might not have been there prior. All of a sudden this non-verbal communication by the action of the hands becomes a focus where it might not have been prior…
Gloves have been an integral part of human life for centuries, protecting the hands, implying status, offering glamour alongside function, it has really only been in recent years that regular daily glove usage has declined as fashion has not required them. Interestingly, Covid has driven glove use higher again, offering a perceived barrier to disease, I suspect we will see a better version of the latex gloves offering protection in a more fashion focused way.
The entertainment industry have long used gloves as a way to describe the intent of characters and their roles, from a glamorous lady donning a long pair of white opera gloves to go to the ball, a villain quickly pulling on a short black leather pair in advance of committing some heinous crime all add to the perception and implication of what is going to happen next once a character is gloved.
I for one do not think any of the evil Female Disney chAracters would have been half as malevolent without the requisite long black gloves, whilst the princesses skipped around in their long white/pastel opera gloves. Those evil female characters stole the screen for me, they were hard to take your eyes as their inevitably long fingers, and hands seemingly cast overwhelming spells and curses!
From a young age, the mental imprint that long black gloves implied a darker objective has remained in my mental association of gloves and integral to those wonderfully wicked characters.
Functionally, I am sure Gloves protect the users hand when wielding objects, but how much more suspenseful is it when a pair of gloves, short or long are slowly put on prior to committing some heinous act, it gives the mind an opportunity to race in advance, and a director the opportunity to increase the suspense and drama of a scene as the non-verbal communication takes place.
Paltego – I look forward to your thoughts as always, and perhaps this National Geographic article might be of value for your research
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/07/a-brief-history-of-gloves-in-fashion-medicine-and-work/#close
Please take care –
Thanks for the long and very thoughtful comment! Status and intent are definitely part of the story. Evil Disney Queens are always fans of long dark gloves. I wonder if long gloves were exclusively a nobility thing many years ago, as they’re not exactly practical for working in, but excellent for keeping warm and looking good.
I just put up a follow-up post on this very topic. Hope I didn’t horribly misrepresent your point in my precis of it.
-paltego
Thankless task to some degree re blog writing, so however accurately or not you reflect my views, I appreciate your Herculean efforts at finding common ground amongst a group of readers that are *ahem* somewhat off the beaten track in terms of their interests (or perhaps not!)
You do a sensational job of switching up the differing potential subjects of interest are catered for, which is greatly appreciated.
Specifically, as a Brit yourself, I’m sure you’re aware of the Royals use of gloves to avoid actually touching the ‘muggles’ to coin a potteresque phrase!
As always – thank you
The Royal usage definitely has a strong element of ‘Don’t touch the plebs!’ to it :-). Mentioning Royals also made me think of face slapping with a glove – the classic aristocratic way to throw down a challenge. Oddly that doesn’t really seem to show up in femdom too much. I’ve been slapped many times, sometimes by a gloved hand, but never by a glove alone. Seems like an opportunity missed.
Thanks for all your kind words! I really appreciate them.
-paltego