Fetishism in a Woman

Abstract

Fetishism is generally considered to be a perversion occurring only in males. In this paper a clinical illustration of an adult woman with a fetishistic perversion is offered and considered within the context of the classic concept of fetishism originally described by Freud. Similarities and differences between male and female fetishism are discussed, with attention given to the greater complexity of the perversion as it occurs in a woman. The clinical example confirms the existence of fetishism in women and suggests that subtle forms of the perversion may go unnoticed and be more prevalent than previously realized.