Chronicling a Global Fetish: A Linguistic Analysis of the Pseudo-Italian Internationalism Stiletto

Abstract

Mostly based on lexicographic evidence – approximately seventy dictionaries were consulted – this contribution is an attempt to narrate the quincentennial transatlantic journey undertaken by the word stiletto, now referring to a globally-recognized emblem of femininity, eroticism and fetish. Occasionally, even the analysis of a single lexical item may in fact reveal unforeseen developments in the evolution of looks and styles and their attendant vocabulary: this enquiry indeed shows how in time stiletto may be interpreted as a false Italianism, as a reborrowing and as an internationalism. In spite of the fact that fashion lexicon, due to its close bond with the culture of mass consumption, is mostly short-lived, stiletto heels represent one of those rare instances where must-have cult objects, ladies shoes in this case, rightfully become members of the collective cultural and linguistic heritage, thus being permanently associated to the vogue of a certain époque. false Italianism; fashion; fetish; internationalism; reborrowing

Keywords

• false italianism
• fashion
• fetish
• internationalism
• reborrowing