A Global History of Fetish Magazines: From Underground Print to Cultural Icons

Long before digital platforms, fetish culture survived — and spread — through magazines. Printed pages carried coded images, secret languages, and entire communities across borders. These publications were not entertainment alone; they were lifelines, archives, and manifestos of erotic identity.

This is a worldwide timeline of fetish magazines — from the earliest underground pioneers to contemporary titles — tracing how desire became culture.

1950s–1960s | The First Fetish Magazines (Foundations)

Bizarre (USA, 1946–1959)

One of the earliest and most influential fetish magazines, published by John Willie.

Focused on:

• bondage

• corsetry

• stylized female dominance

• illustrated fetish fantasy

Bizarre established the visual grammar of modern fetish.

Exotique (USA, 1955–1959)

A photographic fetish magazine emphasizing:

• glamour

• submission aesthetics

• narrative fetish scenes

It softened taboo imagery, making fetish visually elegant.

AtomAge / Atomage (France, 1950s–60s)

One of the earliest European fetish publications, blending:

• atomic-age aesthetics

• surrealism

• bondage imagery

• fashion and fetish

AtomAge helped position fetish as artistic and conceptual, not merely pornographic — a lineage Atomique consciously honors.

1960s–1970s | Fetish Meets Counterculture

Penthouse (USA, founded 1965)

Though mainstream, Penthouse regularly published:

• fetish-inspired editorials

• bondage themes

• power-play imagery

It introduced fetish aesthetics to mass audiences.

OUI (USA / France, 1972)

A European-influenced erotic magazine that embraced:

• avant-garde photography

• fetish fashion

• sexual liberation aesthetics

1970s–1980s | Leather, BDSM, and Gay Fetish Press

Drummer (USA, 1975–1999)

The definitive gay leather magazine.Covered:

• BDSM

• leather culture

• clubs

• political organizing

• personal ads

Drummer was a cultural institution, not just a magazine.

Honcho (USA, 1977–2002)

Focused on:

• hypermasculinity

• leather men

• fetish identity

Shaped gay fetish iconography.

Skin Two (UK, founded 1983)

Perhaps the most influential BDSM and fetish magazine worldwide.

Covered:

• latex

• leather

• bondage

• fetish fashion

• club culture

Skin Two turned fetish into lifestyle and design.

Dungeon Master (USA, 1980s–90s)

A hardcore BDSM publication focused on:

• discipline

• sadomasochism

• instructional content

Served serious practitioners.

1990s | Fetish as Fashion, Art, and Identity

Dazed & Confused (UK)

Not a fetish magazine per se, but heavily fetish-influenced:

• latex

• dominance aesthetics

• queer subculture

Helped bring fetish into fashion.

Marquis (USA, 1994–2000)

Founded by Glen Hanson and Robert Mapplethorpe’s circle.Combined:

• fetish photography

• art

• high-production values

Marquis elevated fetish to gallery-level aesthetics.

Bound & Gagged (USA, 1990s–present)

Focused on:

• bondage erotica

• serialized fetish narratives

2000s | Fetish Goes Global

Darkside (Germany)

European fetish publication focusing on:

• industrial aesthetics

• BDSM

• alternative fashion

FetishMag (Netherlands)

Blended:

• fetish fashion

• club culture

• photography

AORTA (Germany)

Avant-garde queer and fetish magazine combining:

• radical sexuality

• politics

• art

• underground culture

2010s–Present | Contemporary & Hybrid Publications

BUTT Magazine (Netherlands)

Minimalist queer erotic magazine:

• intimate

• sex-positive

• anti-porn aesthetics

Richardson (USA)

High-art erotic magazine featuring:

• fetish imagery

• photography

• intellectual essays

SLUTEVER (UK)

Digital-first but print-rooted:

• feminist fetish

• sex education

• kink culture

Girls Like Us / STRIPLVGHT (Global)

Queer and fetish-adjacent publications exploring:

• identity

• body politics

• alternative sexuality

Before digital feeds, fetish traveled by envelope, by hand, by trust.

These magazines were more than paper — they were maps to desire.

To know fetish history is to know these publications. And to honor them is to understand that fetish culture was never niche — it was simply underground.

At Atomique, we continue that tradition: curated, intentional, unapologetic.

Written by Otávio Santiago

Founder of Atomique Fetish — exploring fetish design, power, and identity

Cultural designer & researcher