Wetlook consists of enjoying bathing or showering while dressed, and more generally, enjoying wearing wet clothes, whether in the water or out of it.

In the Western world, where swimsuits are often tight-fitting and revealing, wetlook can be seen as a regular or occasional leisure activity, a peculiarity, or fetish, although it can objectively provide relaxation or even self-confidence. Wetlook can be practiced in multiple ways, and in fact, many people enjoy one or more forms of it without necessarily knowing that there is a term for it.

Vocabulary

In the community of wetters ("those who get wet"), there is no widely accepted generic term for this taste for "dressed aquatic activities," or even for being fully dressed in everyday attire (including shoes, jackets...). The following two or three expressions exist but are not synonymous.

Phat dipping

This term, literally meaning "sexy immersion" ^{[note 1]}, comes from a sound from American rap by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal ^[1], released on March 24, 2009 on YouTube, showing people jumping fully clothed into a pool. The lyrics of "Phatdippin’ Rap" also refer to and encourage people to jump into the water with their clothes on rather than a swimsuit ^[1]. The neologism became popular ^[2], especially in the United States thanks to the contest organized upon the release of the song for its promotion ^[3]. The rap duo invites internet users to make their own version, which has led to numerous videos where ordinary people film themselves jumping or diving fully clothed into a pool, a hot tub… Since then, the expression "phat dipping" refers to the pleasure of jumping or diving (all) dressed ^[4]. The sense of phat dipping seems relatively restricted to the action of going into the water, excluding water fights, swimming, christening, showering…

wetlook (or wetfun)

Literally "wet appearance" or "wet look" ^{[note 2]} for the former. Its meaning is much broader and more inclusive than phat dipping (bathing, swimming...) but appears ambiguous.

The sight of clothes clinging to the skin or being wet and dressed at the same time can cause shivers or sexual excitement in some people. (Read the dedicated chapter on sexual connotation.) It's a fetishistic conception, a perspective on wetlook that is not shared by the majority of people who simply enjoy swimming or having fun while dressed ^{[5] [6] [3]}. Aquatic leisure activities cannot be reduced to the sexual pleasure some people feel; there is no possible amalgamation.

On the web, the word wetlook is thus associated with this partial (and therefore biased) view of wetlook, so much so that many websites or individuals use other expressions to refer to this activity, such as:

• allusions or translations into foreign languages:
  • wet clothing ^[4] (German: nasse Klamotten),
  • getting wet with (all) clothes (on)
  • or "swimming dressed" in various forms: zwemmen met kleren (an) (Dutch), (mit) Klamotten baden (German), swimming with clothes (English)… ;
• or generic terms:
  • wet : originally an adjective (literally "wet" or "humid"), it is also used in French as a noun to refer to the leisure activity of swimming or immersion while dressed, but without any fetishistic or vicarious aspect (unlike the word "wetlook," which often denotes the preference for seeing others get wet in their clothes) ^[7].
  • wetfun (contraction into one word of "wet amusement") : synonym of wet in the sense of simple personal or collective pleasure of wet clothes or dressed swimming without the pleasure coming from seeing other people soaked in their attire, nor becoming sexual. A harmless and all-public hobby like any other.

Moreover, some enthusiasts among friends do not use a generic term to describe their passion but may use more specific terms to evoke their appointments, such as pool party (a half-day devoted to clothed swimming in a swimming pool).

As sexual stimuli

Alex Comfort writing in The Joy of Sex suggested that wetlook clothing functions as a kind of superskin, enhancing the visual and tactile qualities of shininess and tightness. ^[8] He offered the 1970s-style advice that if your lover "likes you to look like a cross between a snake and a seal, wear what he gives you". ^[9]

For Desmond Morris, water on the skin is seen as mimicking the sweat of sexual arousal. ^[10]

On the Internet, several companies sell images or videos of hobbyists or models practicing wetlook. There are two types: sites that sell erotic content and sites that target the general public that sell soft images suitable for any audience.^{[ citation needed]}

Other words related to wetlook

• walker (literally "the one who walks"): enthusiast who enjoys getting wet slowly.
• jumper (literally "the one who jumps"): enthusiast who enjoys getting wet quickly or in an unintended or undeserved manner (being pushed into the water).
• stay-wet (literally "the one who stays wet"): enthusiast who keeps their clothes wet once out of the water.
• get-wet (literally "the one who wets"): enthusiast for whom the manner and conditions of getting wet are very important, plunging them into a deep emotion ^{[11] [12]}

Fashion and pop

Some people enjoy jumping into the water fully clothed on occasions such as the last day of school, national holiday, wedding, sports victory... or when challenged by a friend, for fun, as a "craze" or due to intoxication.

Throwing someone into the water against their will is also sometimes seen as a game, a way of joking, playing, teasing, annoying, or even punishing. It can be perceived as a physical assault or, conversely, as a fun or friendly practice. Schools, universities, or student clubs practice this "baptism" during integration sessions or hazing rituals. Some professions incorporate it into their customs, such as civilian or military airplane pilots (after their first solo flight) or firefighters^{[ citation needed]}. It is also a tradition in the paper and publishing industry in Germany^{[ citation needed]}.

In summer, firefighters and lifeguards sometimes use fire hoses to spray the public during a concert or other event, to refresh and entertain them^{[ citation needed]}. Several amusement parks offer the opportunity to get sprayed in various water attractions: splashing rafts on rough rivers, passage of a boat falling down a slide creating a spray several meters high ^[13] · ^[14]… In southern France, there are events called "Toro Piscine" (Bull Pool): in a bullfighting arena, a small pool filled with water is placed. Young people run around, in front of, or provoke a heifer, trying not to step into the central pool but sometimes taking refuge by immersing themselves in it.

In the media

Some advertisements use the imagery of wetlook, starting with the textile industry ^[15]: clothing clinging to the skin or changing color when soaked, prominent muscles due to "molding," play of reflections with water and light, exploitation of the "victim" status of a person fallen into the water (pathos, pity) or the courage of a person jumping in (to save someone) and emerging looking injured, tired, uncomfortable due to a less neat, less comfortable outfit, which will make them cold...

Several game shows include or rely on challenges where participants fall into the water if they fail: Intervilles, Le Bigdil, ter Land, ter Zee en in de Lucht ^[16] (for almost 40 years) ^[17].

Cultural aspects

Netherlands

Opportunities to be in the water abound in this country, one of the few whose territory is partially located below sea level. The country is crisscrossed with canals, small ponds, lakes, rivers. When it's cold, people go ice skating on natural ice.

Numerous entertainments or sports around water take place throughout the year: Sprietlopen (crossing a watercourse while balancing on a beam) ^[18], Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) , Overvliegen (overcoming a high obstacle), Tonnetjesteken (aiming and tipping a barrel of water over oneself), Spuitvoetbal (kicking a ball with a water jet)...

Some activities seem reserved for children or teenagers: Balkvechten (dueling on a beam, bare-handed or with a sack), Jeugdsurvival (floating obstacle course), Vlottentocht (rafting on a river). ^[19]

Dutch swimming certificates are adapted so that one can rescue someone on the street, fully clothed. There are more water-related accidents simply because there is more water. Society has adapted, and so have lifeguards.

There are also Schuimfuif (foam parties), a term also used in Belgium. The foam is wet because it contains water. These parties sometimes include shallow above-ground inflatable pools (inflatable pool in English) for rinsing off or immersion ^[20].

United States

A popular game is the dunk tank (literally the "tank where someone is submerged"): a willing person sits on a seat suspended above a tank filled with water (about 1 meter in diameter or side, about 1.3 meters high). The objective is to throw a ball at a target, connected to a mechanism that releases the seat or board and drops the "willing victim" into the tank. A small ladder allows them to get out or climb back onto the board.

The mechanism can also be manually activated, for rinsing off after a foam party or just for the simple pleasure of being "dunked," for example (meaning to let oneself fall into the water or be plunged into it by a third party). The dunk tank is used, among other things, for fundraising and televised entertainment. In all cases, the willing person is directly exposed to the public's eyes, being placed at a height, except for a mesh that protects them from poorly thrown balls.

Other Western regions

In Denmark and especially in Germany, wetlook enjoys the status of a cultural movement ^[6]. Meeting groups ^[21] or associations organize events ^[12]. The annual end-of-summer beach party in Borgentreich (North Rhine-Westphalia) ^[22] · ^[23] is a major event for wetters, and some people travel hundreds of kilometers to participate. Similar events take place regularly ^[24].

On Easter Monday in Poland, women of all ages are sprayed with water by men and boys, according to the tradition called Śmigus-dyngus^{[ citation needed]}.

In Spain, there is an annual water festival ^[25].

Other geographical areas

In the countries of Southeast Asia with Theravāda Buddhism tradition, the Buddhist New Year is an occasion for people to splash each other with water and sometimes with talcum powder, as a sign of respect and blessing. Westerners call this the "Water Festival" (article in English: Water Festival), although this tradition is often associated with the Thai term สงกรานต์ (Songkran)^{[ citation needed]}.

Self-confidence and mental health

In Western culture, swimming fully clothed is often prohibited in public places ^[26] and considered socially abnormal, incorrect ^[6], non-conformist, or even a ridiculous hobby ^[27]... Asserting that one likes or practices wetlook, defying or transgressing this social "ban," improves self-confidence. Experimenting with wetlook allows for the discovery of new sensations, which is stimulating for the brain because it breaks the routine.

Furthermore, the practice of clothed swimming contributes to an acclimatization to accidental submersion (i.e., falling into the water unintentionally) and thus reduces the risk of drowning.

A Fetish Branch

On the Internet, search engines most often redirect to sites or documents showing wet women, dressed and all wet, striking suggestive or lascivious poses ^{[28] [29]}. Many commercial websites sell galleries of photos or videos of these shoots. There are also some commercial sites that are "family-friendly." (Read more in the dedicated section on the economic activity surrounding wetlook.) Some people consider wetlook to be a form of fetishism, related to aquaphilia, salirophilia, the fetishism of tight clothing, or that of feet, socks, or sneakers… Some individuals feel excitement at the sight of people in soaked clothes or swimming fully clothed ^[3]. The excitement can also be felt by getting oneself wet while fully clothed, regardless of the context: showering, bathing, swimming in open or flowing water ^[11]…

The term wetlook can also be interpreted as the erotic branch of phat dipping, somewhat akin to yiff, which is the erotic art of the furry fandom.

Related Practices or Leisure Activities

Some activities or events are similar to wetlook, in the sense of currents, branches, or variations:

• Gunge, literally "viscous product": being poured or immersed in other liquids (slime).
• Wet and messy (WAM), literally "wet and messy": having food products poured or spread over one's bare or clothed skin ^[11] (see the anglophone article wet and messy fetishism).
• Sports activities involving mud:
  • Mud run (obstacle course with several obstacles based on water-filled or muddy trenches)
  • Sliksleeën (crawling or surfing in mud at low tide)
  • Modderboard (going down a muddy slope without a board, just on foot)

A business

Several companies sell images or videos of amateurs or models practicing wetlook on the Web. This often involves staged scenes since, in the context of couple photoshoots, the same person changes partners from one series of photos to another. There are two schools of thought: sites selling erotic content and those targeting the general public, which sell "soft" images suitable for all audiences. This latter point is sometimes explicitly stated to dispel any doubt about the precise nature of the audience targeted by the publisher ^[30] · ^[31].

Classical prototypes

• New Kingdom of Egypt poetry has a girl telling her lover: "It is pleasant to go to the pool...That I may let you see my beauty in my tunic of finest royal linen When it is wet". ^[32]
• Foam-born Aphrodite rising from the waves— Aphrodite Anadyomene—initiated a long sequence of similar wetlook images. ^[33]

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

• Alex Comfort and Susan Quilliam (2008). The New Joy of Sex. Mitchell Beazley. ISBN  9781845334291. See the "Clothes" and "Wet look" entries.

External links

• Media related to Wetlook at Wikimedia Commons