Fetish 101: Podophilia (Foot Fetish)
Polished nails or bare? Silver toes rings or sparkling
jeweled anklets? A graceful high arch? Pretty long toes? Cute short ones? Sexy
high heels? Fun flats? You get the idea. When it comes to feet there is much to
consider with many options for preferences. But one thing we can all agree on:
feet are intriguing.
According to Wikipedia, the ultimate source on such matters,
foot fetishism is “the most common form of sexual fetishism for otherwise
non-sexual objects or body parts” and is most commonly a male interest.
It’s worth mentioning that a fetish and a
kink are not the same thing. Fetishism is the use of an object or a
“non-sexual” body part or situation to create one’s own sexual arousal. A kink
is a practice that goes beyond what is considered “typical” and often has an
end goal of enhancing intimacy. And so, it seems to me, a man who enjoys a
woman’s feet, ankles, shoes… is not necessarily a foot fetishist. He may just
be a guy who thinks women’s feet are…inspiring.
Still, it’s interesting to ponder the question: why is foot
fetishism the number one fetish?
Some studies
suggest that suggest foot fetishism increases as a result of epidemics
of sexually transmitted diseases. For example, in the 16th and 19th centuries,
Europe experienced significant syphilis epidemics and as a result, there was an
increase in sexual attention paid to feet. The same has been said about the US
in the 1980’s due to the AIDS epidemic. The increase in all instances was
measured by the amount of sexually charged material, be it illustrations,
photographs, videos and online chat rooms, available. The theory is, feet are
safe, no diseases from foot porn.
Another
explanation, this one offered by neurologists, is that feet are nerve-rich
body parts. From a
practical standpoint, this makes sense. The soles of your feet are responsible for balance; it takes only milliseconds for the nerve endings in your feet to transmit sensory information to your brain. This transmission is necessary and gives your brain the information needed to adjust legs, hips and spine for movement. And so, there is a intuitive association between feet and sensory sensitivity.
practical standpoint, this makes sense. The soles of your feet are responsible for balance; it takes only milliseconds for the nerve endings in your feet to transmit sensory information to your brain. This transmission is necessary and gives your brain the information needed to adjust legs, hips and spine for movement. And so, there is a intuitive association between feet and sensory sensitivity.
When considering the politics of women’s’ feet, many
think of the Chinese custom of foot binding. There are current
politically charged practices. “Crush
freaks” are people with a crush fetish. They become sexually aroused when
someone, often a woman, crushes something, typically with her foot. Their
interest may include being crushed underfoot themself. No doubt, such
practices wander far from the fun, simple aesthetics of a woman with painted
toenails in strappy sandals. I mention it to show the complexity of issues
related to seemingly simple feet.
My own opinion on why so much attention is paid to feet is
that, as I started with, there are a lot of variety possible. A bonus to
that variety, you might even be able to get an idea of what’s on someone’s mind
by the shoes they’re wearing. Another fun thing about feet, it’s totally possible
to look at and comment someone’s footwear without appearing overly forward.
Maybe that’s why shoes are popular and common conversation topics.
Want more? Check out:
Sophie Saint Thomas’ article, Advice About
Secret Foot Fetishes.
The graphics on this one made me laugh, but could be some
useful info: How
to Admit to a Foot Fetish.
Check out #footfetish on Twitter. There are a couple more
hashtags, but I don’t want to spoil your fun…so I’ll let you find them on your
own.
And, of course, there’s always YouTube.
Comments
When the Empire fell, the women who suffered the most were these who had no means of support, literally and figuratively. Many Westerners would comment for the next 5 or so decades about these women who were seen begging on the streets, pushing themselves around by their hands on wheeled flatbeds.
Nice POST!!!!!