fetishize
Make an obsession
To fetishize something is to make it an object of excessive devotion or irrational reverence.
The word comes from fetish—originally an object believed to have magical powers, later a source of obsessive sexual fixation.
To fetishize is to treat something with similar intensity: Critics accuse the film of fetishizing violence.
The term often carries disapproval, suggesting unhealthy fixation or inappropriate sexualization: The fashion industry fetishizes thinness.
Viewing as fundamentally different
- orientalismInterest in Eastern aesthetics
- exoticismAllure of the unfamiliar
- romanticizePortray as more appealing
- stereotypeFixed oversimplified notion
glamorization · tokenism · primitivism · mystification · objectification · foreignness · novelty-seeking · escapism
Reducing humans to things
- kinkTight twisted spot
- paraphiliaAtypical sexual interest disorder
- arousalStirring to heightened state
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
desire · eroticism · fixation · gratification · leather · latex · foot · underwear
Persistent mental attachment
- preoccupationAbsorbing mental focus
- compulsionIrresistible urge to act
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
- monomaniaFixation on single idea
hyperfocus · engrossment · absorption · single-mindedness · overemphasis · fascination · captivation · enthrallment
Religious reverence and praise
- adulationExtravagant, servile praise
- reverenceProfound admiring respect
- glorificationElevating praise or worship
- deificationElevation to divine status
hero-worship · lionization · apotheosis · idealization · cult · adoration · exaltation · mythologizing
othering
Viewing as fundamentally different
- orientalismInterest in Eastern aesthetics
- exoticismAllure of the unfamiliar
- romanticizePortray as more appealing
stereotype · glamorization · tokenism · primitivism · mystification · objectification · foreignness · novelty-seeking · escapism · commodification
objectification
Reducing humans to things
- kinkTight twisted spot
- paraphiliaAtypical sexual interest disorder
- arousalStirring to heightened state
taboo · desire · eroticism · fixation · gratification · leather · latex · foot · underwear · dominance
fixation
Persistent mental attachment
- preoccupationAbsorbing mental focus
- compulsionIrresistible urge to act
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
monomania · hyperfocus · engrossment · absorption · single-mindedness · overemphasis · fascination · captivation · enthrallment · consuming
worship
Religious reverence and praise
- adulationExtravagant, servile praise
- reverenceProfound admiring respect
- glorificationElevating praise or worship
deification · hero-worship · lionization · apotheosis · idealization · cult · adoration · exaltation · mythologizing · overvaluation
fetishizeignore
Refuse to notice
neglect · disregard · take for granted · devalue · undervalue
fetishizedemystify
Explain something confusing
normalize · see clearly · secularize · rationalize · disenchant
- commodity fetishismObjects veil production relations