''Exotique'' was a specialized

fetish magazine A fetish magazine is a type of magazine originating in the late 1940s which is devoted to sexual fetishism. The content is generally aimed at being erotic rather than pornographic. The most well-known early examples are ''Bizarre'' (1946-1959) p ...

published by Leonard Burtman under his Burmel Publishing Company imprint in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

between 1955 and 1959. The magazine's femdom theme, photos, and artwork mark it as a direct descendant of the first major fetish magazine ''Bizarre'' (1946–1959), produced by

John Willie John Alexander Scott Coutts (9 December 1902 – 5 August 1962), better known by the pseudonym John Willie, was an artist, fetish photographer, editor and the publisher of the first 20 issues of the fetish magazine ''Bizarre'', featuring his ch ...

. ''Exotique'' was entirely devoted to

fetish fashion Fetish fashion is any style or appearance in the form of a type of clothing or accessory, created to be extreme or provocative in a fetishistic manner. These styles are by definition not worn by the majority of people; if everyone wears an it ...

s and female-dominant bondage fantasies. The 36 issues featured photos and illustrations of

dominatrix A dominatrix (; ) or femdom is a woman who takes the dominant role in BDSM activities. A dominatrix can be of any sexual orientation, but this does not necessarily limit the genders of her submissive partners. Dominatrices are known for inflic ...

-inspired vamps (including wife

Tana Louise Tana Louise was a American burlesque, burlesque striptease artist, nicknamed the "Cincinnati Sinner", in the 1950s. However, she was more famous as a fetish model. She contributed regularly to the fetish magazine ''Exotique'', as both a columni ...

and iconic model

Bettie Page Bettie Mae Page (April 22, 1923 – December 11, 2008) was an American model who gained notoriety in the 1950s for her pin-up photos.

) wearing exotic leather and rubber ensembles,

corsets A corset is a support garment commonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting effe ...

, stockings/garters, boots, and

high heels High-heeled shoes, also known as high heels, are a type of shoe with an angled sole. The heel in such shoes is raised above the ball of the foot. High heels cause the legs to appear longer, make the wearer appear taller, and accentuate the ...

. The articles, many written by Burtman using an alias, covered various aspects of

sadomasochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

and

transvestism Transvestism is the practice of dressing in a manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex. In some cultures, transvestism is practiced for religious, traditional, or ceremonial reasons. The term is considered outdated in Western c ...

, with men depicted as slaves to imperious, all-powerful women. Fetish artists

Eric Stanton Eric Stanton (September 30, 1926 – March 17, 1999; born Ernest Stanzoni Jr.) was an American underground cartoonist and fetish art pioneer. While Stanton began his career as a bondage fantasy artist for Irving Klaw, the majority of his later ...

and

Gene Bilbrew Eugene "Gene" Bilbrew (June 29, 1923 – May 1974) was an African-American vocal group singer, cartoonist, and "bizarre art" pioneer. As noted in the biography, ''GENE BILBREW REVEALED: The Unsung Legacy of a Fetish Art Pioneer'', he was "the firs ...

, also known by his

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

''ENEG'', were frequent contributors to this magazine and others produced by Burtman. ''Exotique'' had no nudity. Nevertheless, much like fellow publisher

Irving Klaw Irving Klaw (November 9, 1910 – September 3, 1966), self-named the "Pin-up King",Pérez Seves, ''Eric Stanton & the History of the Bizarre Underground'', p. 28. was an influential Jewish-American merchant of sexploitation, fetish, and Hollywoo ...

(a major influence on Burton) in 1957, Burtman would be targeted as a pornographer. He was relentlessly pursued by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (acting as a censorship agency then) and local law enforcement (who functioned in coordination with Postal Inspectors and the Catholic Church). Eventually, he was arrested, his magazines and materials confiscated, and brought to trial. This led to the demise of the magazine in 1959. However, starting in 1960, Burtman (under the Selbee Associates imprint) went on to publish many more fetish magazines that were nearly identical to ''Exotique'' such as ''New Exotique'', ''Masque'', ''Connoisseur'', ''Bizarre Life'', ''High Heels'', ''Unique World'', ''Corporal'' (a pioneering spanking-fetish magazine) and others well into the 1970s.

References

External links

A Doctoral Dissertation on American Fetishist and Sadomasochist Subcultures
Pornographic magazines published in the United States Fetish magazines Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1955 Magazines disestablished in 1959 Magazines published in New York City 1955 establishments in New York City {{lifestyle-mag-stub

See also

References

Further reading

External links