Exotique

{{Short description|1950s American fetish magazine}}  {{Italic title}} {{More citations needed|date=March 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} '''''Exotique''''' was a specialized fetish magazine published by Leonard Burtman<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Chapter 1: Building BDSM Networks, 1946–69|title=Sadomasochism and the BDSM Community in the United States: Kinky People Unite|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VnwSEAAAQBAJ|first=Stephen K.|last=Stein|publisher=Routledge|year=2021|isbn=9781000346077}}</ref> under his Burmel Publishing Company imprint in New York City 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.

''Exotique'' was entirely devoted to fetish fashions and female-dominant bondage fantasies. The 36 issues featured photos and illustrations of dominatrix-inspired vamps (including wife Tana Louise and iconic model Bettie Page) wearing exotic leather and rubber ensembles, corsets, stockings/garters, boots, and high heels. The articles, many written by Burtman using an alias, covered various aspects of sadomasochism and transvestism, with men depicted as slaves to imperious, all-powerful women.

Fetish artists Eric Stanton and Gene Bilbrew, also known by his pseudonym ''ENEG'', were frequent contributors to this magazine and others produced by Burtman.

''Exotique'' had no nudity. Nevertheless, much like fellow publisher Irving Klaw (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 he was 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.

== See also == {{Portal|1950s}} * Charles Guyette * Mara Gaye * Fetish art * Thigh-high boots

== References == {{reflist}}

== Further reading ==

*Kim Christy, ''The Complete Reprint of Exotique: The First 36 Issues, 1951-1957.'' Taschen, 1998. {{ISBN|3-8228-7436-1}}.

==External links== *[http://americanfetish.net A Doctoral Dissertation on American Fetishist and Sadomasochist Subcultures] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010718193127/http://www.americanfetish.net/ |date=2001-07-18 }}

Category:Pornographic magazines published in the United States Category:Fetish magazines Category:Defunct magazines published in the United States Category:Magazines established in 1955 Category:Magazines disestablished in 1959 Category:Magazines published in New York City Category:1955 establishments in New York City