The number one fetish material is leather. Leather is the hide of an animal made into a smooth and sexy material. When a woman is adorned in leather, it sends off psychological and subliminal messages to the submissive male. It contains an animalistic meaning, as the traditional hunter is now the hunted. When a woman wears leather and disciplines a man, it represents the female conquering and dominating the male. Other common fetish outfits are comprised of latex or PVC. Men love the look of a black and shiny material covering the sexy curves of the female form. Leather is also quite flattering to the female form that is not the perfect shape. A larger woman looks sexy and powerful when adorned in leather.

Leather Sex has come to be identified with those couples who enjoy a more physical and rougher form of Domination and submission. S&M and B&D are considered Leather Sex. Obviously a man can become submissive and a woman can enjoy wearing leather without participating in Leather Sex. A fetish does not dictate the totality of a person’s nature or desires. However, for the purpose of this chapter, we will focus on those FemDom couples who enjoy the rough stuff and who can be identifiable to the BDSM lifestyle.

BDSM is a pansexual lifestyle and one only need attend a BDSM support group to see the many variations of lifestyles represented.

Female Domination is only one of many lifestyles. Men dominate women, men dominate men and women dominate women, but the driving force of D&S, Fetish and BDSM groups are the many submissive men in search of a dominant woman.

A male masochist has been said to be the inspiration of the entire S&M movement. The German neurologist Richard von Krafft-Ebing coined the word "Masochist" in his “Psychopathia Sexualis” (1886) from the sexual desires of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. The word “Sadist” was coined from the life and fantasies of Marquis de Sade, who lived one hundred years prior to Sacher-Masoch. It was understood in psychology that some gained pleasure in hurting others but until Krafft-Ebing, it was never classified that some might gain pleasure in pain. He defined Masochism as mostly imaginary pleasure in pain. Krafft-Ebing coined the words Sadism and Masochism from the names of Marquis de Sade and Sacher-Masoch. Krafft-Ebing connected them as two sides of the same coin, but were the desires of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch the opposite match of the fantasies of Marquis de Sade?