I, Leather or I, Rubber?

I, Leather or I, Rubber? Are the two fetishes so different and can they exist in the same world?

As a kinky guy who's been into rubber almost as long as I've been into leather, the answer is a big ole pervy yes they are different and yes they happily exist in the same world! So why is the perception still pervasive that "real" leather guys don't wear rubber? And neither do bears or hairy guys or guys with a less-than-a-perfect gym bod.

We just had our 5th annual West Coast Rubber Weekend here in LA and I can tell you that every one of those guys who "don't" wear rubber was there and every one of them looked and felt hot in their gear. It's all about attitude and it's about how you feel in what you wear.

There are some major differences between the two fetishes. Leather tends to be more traditional with with the hyper-masculine (and hyper-hung!) Tom of Finland leather man in classic leather breeches, boots and leather uniform shirt serving as a prime example. I have to say "tends" to be more traditional because as the fetish has evolved designers like Priape in Canada, www.gaibec.com, have emerged with hot, cutting edge designs that incorporate unusual cuts, fabrics and treatments. Locally you can snag amazing creations with color and cut at Rough Trade and 665.

Rubber tends to fit a lot tighter than leather and aficionados of the fetish talk about the sensuality of wearing rubber, how it conforms to your body and becomes like a second skin. Rubber also lends itself to really sensual play like lubing up and sliding around on a play sheet, grinding against each other until....well, I'm getting off track here. It's hot, let's just leave it at that.

And yeah, rubber is hot, and it's cold. Because it is like a second skin it doesn't tend to offer a lot of protection against the elements. One of the most common comments I get when I'm out in my rubber gear is "Isn't that hot?" Yeah, it can be and that's part of the sensuality of wearing rubber when you get that layer of sweat underneath and you feel the rubber moving against and with your body. It's like whole body frottage!

I'm seeing more and more rubber at leather events like International Mr Leather and Mid Atlantic Leather and I'm even seeing some leather at rubber events like West Coast Rubber. These days it's less about the protocol and more about what feels sexy and hot. This weekend we selected Jeffrey Moline, a local WeHo guy, as our Mr West Coast Rubber for 2009. I know that Jeffrey also wears leather, and suits and sports kit, and looks hot in all of them. By the way, you can start your own slippery rubber collection at Syren/Stockroom right here in LA.

So, whether you're wearing leather or rubber, get your gear on and get your rocks off!

Loren Berthelsen
Mr Golden Leather 2009
Co-Producer, West Coast Rubber
Photo by JayPG Photography