Catsuit

A catsuit is a one-piece form-fitting garment that covers the torso and the legs, and frequently the arms.^[1] They are usually made from stretchable material, such as lycra, chiffon, spandex (after 1959), latex, or velour, but may use less elastic materials, such as leather or PVC. Catsuits frequently close by means of a zipper at the front or back. A catsuit is regarded as outerwear, but not normally street wear. Catsuits are also used for sexualization or other types of sexuality.

This article is about the form-fitting garment. For the type of animal costume, see Cat suit.

In comics and their movie adaptations, catsuits are often worn by and supervillains, including the iconic Catwoman; other examples include Batgirl and Black Panther.

superheroes

wears a catsuit portraying Natasha Romanoff-Black Widow in several films, beginning with Iron Man 2 (2010).^[6]

Scarlett Johansson

The lead female characters of the film series and The Matrix wore catsuits.

Underworld

Female villains and heroines in may wear catsuits, such as the Baroness and Scarlett in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

spy films

An iconic use of catsuits in popular media was on the British television show , where Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) and Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) wore tight leather catsuits; leather was chosen because it lit well in studio lighting and did not split during action scenes.

The Avengers

wore a sleeveless chiffon catsuit for a gatefold album photograph, and in concert.^[7]

Shirley Bassey

has worn catsuits in concert.^[8]

Cher

In popular culture, catsuits have become the stereotypical costume of .

dominatrixes

heroine of the Tomb Raider franchise, has worn catsuits in specific segments in Tomb Raider 3 and Tomb Raider: Chronicles.

Lara Croft

In the TV series, the Vulcan commander T'Pol (portrayed by Jolene Blalock) wore a uniform sometimes described as a catsuit.^[9]

Star Trek: Enterprise

In the fighting game and its enhanced port, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, the character Mitsuru Kirijo wears a black catsuit under a big white fur coat.

Persona 4 Arena

The music video of 's 2002 smash hit "Just a Little" features two of its members, Jessica Taylor and Kelli Young, wearing tight black latex catsuits.^[10] On occasions where the group has performed the song live on television, both Taylor and Young wear their catsuits from the original music video.^[11]^[12] In 2013, when the group performed during the Big Reunion, both members wore a different design of their catsuits.^[13]

Liberty X

The catsuit is often worn in movies, television, music videos, and computer games.