{{Short description|One-piece form-fitting garment}} {{About|the form-fitting garment|the type of animal costume|Cat suit}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}[[File:9-promotional-model-Fenasucro.JPG|thumb|upright|Promotional models in sleeveless catsuits]]A '''catsuit''' is a one-piece form-fitting garment that covers the torso and the legs, and frequently the arms.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catsuit |title=Catsuit – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |dictionary=Merriam-Webster |accessdate=11 August 2011}}</ref> They are usually made from stretchable material, such as lycra, chiffon, spandex (after 1959), latex, or velour, but may use less elastic materials, such as leather or PVC. Catsuits frequently close by means of a zipper at the front or back. They are often worn in a fetish context.

==History and use== [[File:Black Latex Catsuit 777.jpg|thumb|A woman wearing a black plastic zip front latex fetish catsuit and thigh-high boots|left]] Catsuits were occasionally worn as a fashion item at various times from the 1960s to the 1990s. During the 1970s and 1980s, they were worn for aerobics and disco dancing. Around 1980, disco dance catsuits briefly became a street fashion item in the United Kingdom.

Athletes in sports such as speed skating, bobsled, winter triathlon, ski-racing, cycling, bodyflight, skysurfing and gymnastics wear garments similar to catsuits, called unitards, which are specifically geared to the needs of the sport involved. Also similar in appearance are wetsuits and drysuits used by scuba divers, and the speedsuits used by competitive swimmers before the more extreme forms of the suit were banned. Also, in tennis Serena Williams would sometimes wear catsuits, two examples are the 2002 US Open and the 2018 French Open.

The name "catsuit" is attributed only since about 1955 or 1960.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/catsuit?s=t |title=cat suit |work=Dictionary.com |accessdate=27 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catsuit |title=catsuit |work=Merriam-Webster Dictionary |accessdate=27 November 2019}}</ref> Originally, they were called bodysuits.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}} The origin of the name is unknown; it may refer to a slinky, catlike aspect given the wearer by some versions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/catsuit |title=catsuit (n.) |author=The Sciolist |work=Etymology Online |accessdate=27 November 2019}}</ref> It may also relate to the association with antiheroine Catwoman whose costume from the 1950s onward is a modified catsuit.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/32652-catwoman-turns-10-the-history-of-the-catsuit-includes-evening-dresses-whips |title=The history of the catsuit |date=22 July 2014 |accessdate=25 July 2021}}</ref>

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==In popular culture== [[File:Lee Meriwether as Catwoman 1966.jpg|thumb|upright|Actress Lee Meriwether as Catwoman in 1966 is wearing a catsuit that is also a cat suit.]] {{main|Catsuits and bodysuits in popular media}}

==See also== {{Div col|colwidth=20em}} * Bodystocking * Bodysuit * Bondage suit * Fetish fashion * Jumpsuit * Latex and PVC fetishism * Latex clothing * Leggings ** Leg warmers ** Tights * Long underwear * PVC clothing * Spandex fetishism * Unitard * Wetsuit * Zentai {{Div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category|Catsuits}}

Category:20th-century fashion Category:21st-century fashion Category:Costume design Category:Fetish clothing Category:One-piece suits