If you haven't copped an eyeful of Christina Aguilera's video for her new single Not Myself Tonight you need to put it at the top of your to-do list. The diminutive diva proves she's still dirty with this smokin' hot latex lovefest. There have been celebs before her who have fallen in love with rubber notably Britney and of course, Madonna - and now somehow rubber has now wormed its way into the lives of quite ordinary, non-fetishist, non-celebrities too, finding a place in their wardrobes, and even their hearts. Yes, people who get into rubber get into it in a big way. They seem to absolutely rave about it. So what is it about this stuff that gets people going? I decided the only way to find out was to go to a rubber shop and see for myself what all the fuss was about.
Showgirls is a small shop opposite a church on the Holloway Road, north London. In the window there are few mannequins - at a glance you might not notice that the clothes they are wearing are made of rubber. You have to ring the bell, and when I did, a suited bloke called Simon came to let me in.
Darting glances around at the merchandise, I said I was interested in rubber but didn't know what might suit me. Simon pulled the teensiest 'dress' off the rails - I don't suppose it would have covered my vitals. I asked if there was anything longer. There was - a gorgeous red number that looked like something Mae West might have worn if rubber clothes had existed in her day - low cut with black rubber lacing and far curvier than me. Red - yes, the dress was red. The rubber industry, Simon told me, has been branching into all sorts of colours over the last two or so years. However, now it seems black is the new black - having experimented with colour, rubber fans are going back to the more 'traditional' look!
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Simon poured talc all over the inside of the dress, told me not to use my nails to yank it up and left me to struggle into it. I slipped behind the sumptuous red curtain. Luxurious though the shop was, there was the odd spooky masked mannequin, and some serious-looking fetish gear and now that I was about to get naked, I felt a tad vulnerable - I found myself thinking about the little shop in Pulp Fiction where Bruce Willis and his enemy end up bound and gagged by a bunch of sodomites. I peeked out through the curtain to see who, if anyone, was around and discovered another woman had come into the shop and was browsing. That was a great comfort. I swiftly whipped off my jeans and underwear - I had the feeling that you just didn't wear knickers with rubber.
I stepped out, having been unable to do up the zip at the back. Simon obliged, adjusting the shoulder straps, asking me to pull my boobs up into position. He then insisted I put on some 'heels' - they were the highest-heeled shoes I've ever seen. And they, like the dress, were red. I agreed and, shoes on, I then stood in front of the huge full-length gilt-edged mirror to inspect myself. I looked incredible.
The amazing thing about rubber is that it pulls you in. It is SO flattering. I've had two kids and was a bit nervous about my bulges, but they just didn't show. I liked this. And I suddenly understood why the fetish magazine is called Skin Two - rubber feels like a second skin, like it's really you!
But wonderful though it is, where and how would you wear this stuff if you aren't on the fetish scene? Well, the bedroom's a good place to start. And there are some fab choice pieces that a girl could keep tucked away in her bedside cabinet. Shoulder-length gloves are dead sexy - great to wear with absolutely nothing else. Rubber stockings are fun, too, especially good on winter nights when you haven't waxed your legs. Want to get seriously kinky? Go for a dead horny nurse outfit. And how about a bustier that you can wear with jeans on a night out with the girls, and put on back home in the bedroom with your bloke, too. We love the film-star bustier. Want to go the whole hog and buy a rubber dress that's so stylish you might even get away with it at a family wedding? How about a finely moulded chic number.
Back in the Showgirls changing room, I very carefully took off my Mae West dress and put my sweatshirt and jeans back on. I felt strangely sad. Normal clothes felt so saggy, so unsexy. So, er, dull. It seemed I truly had discovered the joy of rubber.
Showgirls is at 64 Holloway Road, London N7 8JL, tel: 020 7697 9072.
