72
Populär Culture Review
generates definitions of a subculture (Hebdige, 1979). For uniform fetishists, the
uniform creates a context for the BDSM scene. A Nazi uniform is just one type of
uniform fetish. We suggest for these participants, they are attracted to Nazism as a
movement steeped in violence and evil and the uniform is representative of this
movement. BDSM practitioners use the term “scene” when referring to erotic power
exchange and as such, Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis of social interaction is most
appropriate.
Dramaturgical social action analysis of interaction has had a signiflcant
impact on sociology and related fields (Blumer, 1972; Collins, 1986; Williams,
1986; Bums, 1991; Chriss, 1993; Chriss, 1995; Chriss, 1996; Jaworski, 1996;
Trevino, 2003; Smith, 2006; Jacobson, 2009; Menand, 2009; Brewster & Bell,
2010). Dramaturgy views social life as similar to theater life where societal members
are much like actors on a stage assuming roles and playing them out to full effect
(Elkin, 1958; Goffman, 1959; Manning, 1991). Goffman argues that it is in the
interest of an actor to actively manipulate their performance so they will be viewed
favorably by others (Guretitch, 1984; Batterstill, 1990). For those involved in Nazi
uniform fetish and role-play, to be perceived as “evil” is the favored outcome and
this performance is facilitated by the wearing of a Nazi uniform.
Methods
A social network website designed for those interested in BDSM and fetish
was used as the data source. Consistent with Munt, Basset, and O’Riordon (2002),
and in keeping with ethical guidelines as suggested by those scholars, the actual
name of the public domain site is not divulged here. The postings used as data were
public information readily available to anyone visiting the site. The use of such
public information (including direct quoting) in scholarly research is akin to the use
of other types of public media and poses no ethical dilemma (Basset & O’Riordan,
2002). This site has over 900,000 members and an Alexa ranking under 3,000. Alexa
is
a
Company
that
ranks
websites
based
on
popularity
(http://www.alexa.com/company). The lower a site’s ranking, the more populär the
site is. A ranking of under 100,000 is considered very good (Google is number one
and Facebook number two). Based on the site’s Alexa ranking, it is a very populär
website with a great deal of activity.
Within the site are various discussion groups based on interest. One of
these groups is comprised of members interested in “Nazi Uniform Fetish and Roleplaying.” The group’s creator States the forum is for discussion of “Nazi style
uniforms, race charged psychological BDSM play, and exploitation film style
imagery.” There are at least twelve other groups on the site about related topics,
including “Females of the Third Reich” (114 members) and “SS \Schutzstajfel—
Protection Squad] Uniforms and Those Who Love Them” (162). Nazi Uniform
Fetish and Role-playing was selected not only because it is the largest of these
(whether measured by number of participants, number of threads, or number of
posts), but also because its postings entail the most thorough discussions of the use
of Nazi uniforms as a fetish and in BDSM role-playing.
In studying coming out among lesbians, Munt, Basset, and O’Riordan
(2002) conducted a quantitative survey to assess the demographics of their sample; a