Skin-tight garment

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For a skintight spacesuit, see spacesuit.

A skin-tight garment is a garment that is held to the skin by elastic tension. Many skin-tight garments are also one-piece garments.

In athletics and performance applications, skin-tight garments -- or 'skinsuits' provide protection from injury from dancing, gymnastics, swimming, cycling, skating, skiing, and running by enhancing muscle support and reducing muscle vibration, lessening wind and friction drag, and it also serves as protection from cuts, stings and abrasion, and as effective protection from UV rays of the sun. These also include other related athletic clothing.

The United States military has also utilized skin-tight bodysuits for use in mission specific environments, for both the benefits listed above, but also because skin-tight garments are not as susceptible to snagging or catching on branches, wires, or other obstructions.

In an individual sense, skin-tight garments are often considered sexy on an attractive body, as they allow the exhibition of the natural curves of the form. People who are on the lookout for a mate often start wearing clothes that are tighter.

Skin-tight garments are fetishized by some people, perhaps on the basis that the garment forms a "second skin" that acts as a fetishistic surrogate for the wearer's own skin. Skin-tight garments are often a persons first sight of the body's sexy curves, and this mind imprint can easily develop into a fetish in later life. The most common forms of this are spandex fetishism and rubber fetishism, in which the skin-tight material is also shiny.

Skin-tight garments are often depicted as "futuristic" clothing in science fiction: see also sex in science fiction.