Rubberism, Rubberization, And Rubber-Space: A Series Of Critical Essays
Rubberization
Rubberization
If Rubberism is in fact the overbearing schema, set of rules and boundaries, or methodolgy and system of thought pertaining to rubber, rubberization (or rubberisation, used interchangeably) is the dual-process of moving through and operating in these systems of thoughts toward the ultimate goal.
Note that I referred to it as a 'dual-process'. In essence, it is an all encompassing process of moving through and operating within the realm of Rubberism, and yet it is the individual processes and acts of 'rubbering up' and 'playing' in rubber. Perhaps this can be more clearly illustrated (and therefore explained) by focusing first on the individual instances, and then shifting toward the overall process while tying the two together.
Let us first begin with the actual acts of putting on rubber, or playing/scening in rubber. Most any rubber fetishist can agree that the actual act of putting on rubber puts them in another state of mind, or at least puts them on the road toward that destination. What this state of mind, or destination is, is very personal.
As such, I can only offer my personal take on the feelings that surface, and hope that others can see the rationale behind it, and if not agree with me exactly, at least can identify their own personal feelings with the process.
The process starts when you actually get the rubber out of the closet, drawer, and slip it out of the bag, or off the hanger. To hear it rustle against itself, making that instantly identifiable slippery, sticky, slapping sound as it does so... to watch it catch the light in its glossiness, to catch sight of the distorted reflections its pristine surface can provide.
The act of applying lubricant to both one's self and the rubber garment is yet another level. To watch it get slicker and slicker, shinier and shinier with each pass of the hand or cloth is enticing. I personally associate it as some sort of living entity, its glassy black jaws slavering, awaiting to consume me.
As the lubricant is applied to one's self, there is this feeling of... preparation. As if, you in your 'normal' state isn't fit, or to some degree worthy. Of course, there is the 'selfish' aspect of preparing yourself so that it slides on easier, and doesn't rip... and feels better. While this 'selfish aspect' of wanting it to 'feel better' seems rather dull on its own, I believe (and the thought is there, personally) that this desire to make it 'feel better' is driven because you don't want to 'waste' the opportunity. Essentially, seeing the opportunity of 'rubbering up' as a pleasurable experience, which ties the argument back to my statement that putting rubber on elicits a certain degree of pleasure, of positive apprehension.
And then there is the actual application. The sight of watching a leg, or an arm being devoured by this... alien material, watching it transform before one's own eyes into something almost... otherworldly is an expereince that can drive many to lust-driven fits. I can't count the number of times I've watched people's eyes glean over, or felt my 'conscious' self slowly start slipping away.
The process is a slow one. Often times it is slow out of necessity (so as not to rip or tear the rubber), but at times this is just a guise. For some reason, there is just something more erotic, more visually appealing to a 'transformation' if its done slowly. Perhaps it has something to do with the way the eye, or the mind works in the sense that it processes it or 'sees' the transformation differently, or it allows for more cognitive thought to be more thoroughly focused on the act, or the delay allows for all sorts of wonderous fantasies to form in vivid detail behind the open, glassed-over eyes.
Physically, this slow transformation process allows the wearer to feel it, to associated it with a more sensual sensation, to fully feel the effects of the lubed rubber sliding effortlessly across the slickened flesh.
And then comes the 'enclosing' where the zips are fastened, the buttons buttoned, the straps buckled, the wrinkles smoothed out. It represents the final step in this 'individual' rubberization process, this movement to this new state of mind. As I watch the zip of my catsuit slowly slide up my chest, I get an incredible rush, both physically and mentally.
The cold, lifeless material assimilates with the person, changing the relationship from a symbiotic one between to entities into a manifestation of a new entity altogether. One has discarded the 'normal self', has thrown their flesh aside and exchanged its imperfections and bland appearance for a perfectly smooth, shiny, flawless one. One truly gets the belief that they are no longer human, but something else entirely different, and to some degree entirely superior.
But, this is only the first step in the rubberization process on the 'individual instance' scale. One has only gotten 'dressed', and there is so much more left to do!
This is where the demarkation between submissive, dominant, switch, and 'non-polar' (for lack of a better word) attitudes in regards to rubberization becomes more prominent. Being strictly submissive, I can't elaborate in personal detail as to the dominant process, and so I will do the best I can to identify the relationship between the different, yet inextricably tied, feelings and thought processes.
From both ends, the 'rubberization' process is heavily influenced by play, whether in regards to a Power Exchange relationship (which I feel more dynamically impacts the process), a 'non-polar rubbery sex' relationship, or even solo play. That being said, different aspects of play drives different people, but all to the same goal.
For some, it is the systematic 'layering' of more rubber in conjunction with being bound and objectified into an 'artificial'... almost 'inorganic' object to a certain degree. Of course, the process of submitting and serving is just as important to this process as the rather 'static' process of being bound, and being left in this bound state. There are literally hundreds of other aspects of play that drive folks to the same end, however these hundreds of aspects still operate within the 'bounds' of rubberism (as defined in part 1). But, the cruxt of the argument, is that the process is there, and that play moves this process along.
And now we move from the 'individual instances' to the more long-term, overbearing process of rubberization. The best analogy I can come up with... is that it is very much akin to... a slow acclimation into the 'world of rubber' on increasingly deeper scales, leading to an assimilation into a sort of 'other' existence.
Just with anything in life, be it fetishistic, or vanilla, or anything in-between- one can not go 'whole hog' from the very beginning. It of course takes time, effort, constant self-evaluation (and re-evaluation), and the movement through different stages as new opportunities open and interests present themselves.
While rubberization happens on an individual, isolated scale to the person each and every time they 'rubber up' and play, it is the collective set of various 'rubber sessions' that form the broad scale of rubberization.
To draw off of the 'well' example from the previous essay, rubberization is the process which moves someone down the well, toward the ultimate goal. By the definition of the concept of the broad form of rubberization, it is the sum of the experiences which constitute steps deeper into the well.
Another way to analogize it, is to think of it as the production process of a car in an assembly line. There is the initial interest in the fetish, which is represented by the frame. Production has yet to start on the car, it is more or less lying dormant in the line, awaiting the various parts and accessories to be equipped and installed.
And then the frame is moved to the conveyer belt, where necessary items are put on, and features added. While I admit that I am not well versed in the intricacies of car assembly, I ask for some degree of leeway in forming the rest of the analogy.
As the car moves onto the assembly line, the fist things that are added to it are those which are vital to its construction, more or less 'base parts' such as tires, doors, seats, engine parts,etc. This is representative of experiencing the initial (and often times most important) steps in the rubberization process. Things like, trying on your first catsuit, shining your rubber for the first time, slipping a hood on for the first time; essentially, activities which are staples of the fetish, and staples in terms of helping the process move along. Just as in the assembly of a car, one can not move to the next step without experiencing this aspects first.
As the car moves along the assembly lines, additional items and features are installed. While not a necessity to the base functionality of the car, they in essence are 'improvements' to the car, and set it apart from others. It is the 'stops along the assembly line' that constitute the aforementioned 'individual instances', or 'scenes'.
Similarly, the individual experiences new and exciting things during this rubberization process. And with each new experience, the person begins to define their likes and dislikes, essentially deciding on what 'features' to equip themselves with, which helps them identify themselves in relation to other rubberists.
At long last, the assembly is finished...totally kitted out to a finished product. The production is complete. This rings true for the individual as much as the car. They have been... transformed from a 'blank shell' into something entirely different. Just as the car is entirely different from what the frame it had started out as, the individual has transformed into something else entirely.
The same analogy can be used for instances of play as well. As more and more layers of rubber, or activities, or... anything else, is introduced into the scene, the participants move farther and farther away from what they initially entered the scene as.
And as the individual is repeatedly 'transformed' into that new entity, they add to the collective sense of the rubberization process. And it is through this process that they have reached their final goal.
Rubberspace...
End Part 2; Rubberization
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