A French maid costume

French maid ensembles are an occasional subject of sexual fetishism. They are a form of ladies' fantasywear that depending on design details can be classified as lingerie. They enjoy a wide popularity and are available from many sources. Commonly included in the costume is a push-up bra to enhance the female bust to fit the stereotype which has come to follow with the typical French maid. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (495x708, 100 KB)A girl wearing a french maid outfit in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (495x708, 100 KB)A girl wearing a french maid outfit in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan. ... The basic idea of sexual fetishism is sexual arousal and satisfaction through an inanimate object, the fetish. ... Fantasywear is a style of clothing, usually including lingerie, that people wear in the bedroom usually for living out sexual fantasies. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The name derives from their being worn by stereotypical characters in risqué burlesque dramas of the bedroom farce variety. The ensemble is a stylized version of the typical maid's black and white afternoon uniform of the nineteenth century. Photograph of Sally Rand, 1934. ... A maidservant or in current usage maid is a female employed in domestic service. ...

A wide variety of costumes are manufactured and marketed under the "French maid" description today. These range from comparatively modest dresses extending well down the thigh or above the knees to transparent chiffon nightgowns or outright lingerie ensembles that cover almost nothing. The term dress may refer to any of these:- Clothing or attire in general A specific type of womens garment, discussed in the article on skirt and dress The dres subculture in Poland. ... Pink chiffon nightie A nightgown (also called a nightdress) is a loosely hanging item of nightwear nowadays solely for women, Its length may vary from hip-length (babydoll) to floor-length (peignoir) but is typically knee-length. ...

The classic French maid costume, however, is a very short and clingy dress (ideally silk satin, or closely resembling it) trimmed with shirred white lace. Typically, they include a tiny white apron attached to the dress; sometimes, the apron is even shaped like a heart, with white lace fringes on the hems and revealing neckline. The skirt area of the dress is usually pleated. If knickers are worn with it, they are usually white and ruffled, and the dress is sometimes short enough to display them, especially when the woman bends over. For other senses of this word, see silk (disambiguation). ... Look up Satin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Lace appliqué and bow at the bust-line of a nightgown. ... A full length apron An apron is an outer protective garment that covers primarily the front of the body. ... Knickers is a word used to refer to two very different items of clothing. ...

Common accessories include a frill worn in the hair, or a tiara, a feather duster, and sometimes white lace cuffs and collar. If the dress has sleeves, they are usually short and puffed shoulder puffs. A corset or a layered white petticoat may be worn under the dress. The ensemble is almost always completed with black fishnet stockings and black high heels. Beauty pageant tiara A tiara (from Persian تاره tara borrowed by Latin as tiara) is a form of crown. ... A feather duster is an implement used for cleaning. ... An ordinary hourglass corset from around 1890. ... Madame de Pompadour in an elaborately embroidered gown with matching petticoat, 1760s A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt, dress or sari. ... In the field of textiles, fishnet is a material with an open, diamond shaped knit. ... A pair of dark grey nylon stockings. ... High-heeled shoes are shoes where the heel of the wearers foot is raised to be significantly higher than their toes. ...

The costumes are sometimes worn to costume parties. They are also sometimes worn as part of a BDSM sexual roleplay by submissive women or men, either on brief occasions, or as a routine form of servitude to the dominant partner. A collar is a common symbol in BDSM. BDSM is any of a number of related patterns of human sexual behavior. ... Sexual roleplaying is the sexual behavior of playing some kind of character during a sexual encounter, in order to evoke a sexual fantasy in oneself and/or ones partner. ... In BDSM, servitude is performing tasks and following orders as an aspect of being submissive. ...

See also

• Soubrette