Foot Fetishism

A foot fetish is defined as a marked sexual interest in the feet. For foot fetish, attractive points include foot shape and size, soles, toes, jewelry (toe rings, anklets, etc.), treatments (massage, washing partner's feet, partner's feet) state of clothing (e.g., bare feet, flip-flops, ballet flats, sandals, high heels, socks, feet in socks, etc.), foot odor or sensory interactions (e.g., rubbing feet) , sniffing, tickling, licking, rubbing genitals with feet) This fetish extension includes shoes, socks, sniffing (smell fetish), tickling, etc. Sigmund Freud also saw foot binding as a form of fetishism, but this view was disputed. Smell fetishism (regarding foot odor) appears to play a major role in, and is closely related to, foot fetishism. A 1994 study found that 45% of people with foot fetishism were aroused by smelly socks or feet, making it one of the most common forms of olfaction. In extreme cases, a person with a pronounced sexual interest in feet may be diagnosed with fetishism disorder. With adherence to the following symptoms (characterized by the eroticization of inanimate objects and body parts): Repeatedly experiencing sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behaviors associated with inanimate use for at least 6 months. These fantasies, impulses, or behaviors cause significant distress in social, professional, or personal environments. Fetish objects are not limited to clothing or devices used for genital stimulation.

To estimate the relative frequency of fetishes, in 2006 researchers at the University of Bologna examined 381 Internet discussions about fetish groups that had at least 5,000 participants. Researchers estimated the prevalence of various fetishes based on the following factors: (a) Number of discussion groups dedicated to specific fetishes. (b) the number of individuals participating in the group; (c) the number of messages exchanged; It was concluded that the most common fetishes were for body parts or objects normally associated with body parts (33% and 30%, respectively). Among those who preferred body parts, feet and toes were the most preferred, with 47% of those sampled favoring them. Of those who prefer objects related to body parts, 32% belonged to a group related to footwear (shoes, boots, etc.). A foot fetish is the most common form of body-related sexual fetish. In August 2006, AOL released the database. Part of a search term submitted by a subscriber. After ranking only phrases containing the word "fetish", we found that the most common search was for feet. Foot fetishes may be more common in men than in women. Researchers who surveyed the Belgian public in 2017 using a polling agency found that of 1027 respondents, 76 men (17%) and 23 women (4%) They said they "agree" or "strongly agree" with certain policies. A fetish interest in feet.

As with other forms of sexual fetishism, there is still no consensus on the specific causes of foot fetishism. There is a lot of research on this subject, but its conclusions are often considered highly speculative. In a general sense, sexual fetishism can be caused by many factors, and no single cause has been conclusively established for any type of fetishism. Where different parts of the body are processed, a possible link between the feet, toes and genitals is indicated. Controversy exists regarding this neural bridge, as some medical professionals are known to question the simplicity of the map compared to reality. Foot fetishism may be caused by the foot and genitalia occupying adjacent areas of the somatosensory cortex, possibly resulting in some neural crosstalk between the two. Neuroscientist V. S. Ramachandran proposed that a fortuitous connection between these areas could explain the prevalence of foot fetishes. Desmond Morris believed that foot fetishes were the result of early childhood misimprinting, and foot/shoe tactile pressure was important for this. Freud's interpretation of foot fetishism also involved early imprinting, in which he considered foot odor important, and also considered the foot as a symbol/surrogate for the penis (the castration complex, especially I thought of it as if I encountered it while peeking at a woman's body from below). Otto Fenichel similarly thought castrationophobia to be important in foot fetishism, and in order to protect himself from fear during adolescence, he said, "You must remember this for the rest of your life, that girls have legs too." He gave the example of a future fetishist who told himself, If the fear of the (castrated) female body is too great, then the desire is felt not for the shoes of the female feet, but only for the female shoes without the female. Georges Bataille saw the seduction of the foot as related to its anatomical meanness (abjection).

Some researchers have hypothesized that foot fetishism is on the rise as a response to the spread of STDs. In one study by Dr. James Giannini of Ohio State University, interest in the foot as a sexual object grew during the gonorrhea epidemic in 12th-century Europe and the syphilis epidemic in Europe from the 16th to the 19th century. was observed. The same study measured the frequency of foot fetish depictions in pornographic literature over a 30-year period. The current AIDS epidemic has seen an exponential increase. In these cases, sexual footplay was seen as an alternative to safe sex. However, the researchers noted that these epidemics coincided with a period of relative emancipation for women.

The earliest recorded examples of foot fetishism are found in the erotic poems "To the Barefoot Woman" and "To the Barefoot Boy" attributed to the ancient Greek writer Philostratus. The Hindu god Shiva was thrilled to see Parvati's feet in the 8th-century manuscript Skanda Purana. Another reference to fetishes is made by Bertolt of Regensburg in 1220. F. Scott Fitzgerald was described by his mistress as having a foot fetish and himself referred to the "Freudian disgrace of his feet". Actor Idris Elba has admitted in an interview since 2013. For example, in 2016, he told Esquire in the UK, "I have a foot fetish. It's women's feet," and in 2019, he answered affirmatively to a question related to Vanity Fair's polygraph. Brooke Burke, Enrique Iglesias, Tommy Lee, Ludacris, Ricky Martin, Todd Phillips, and others have all mentioned having different foot fetishes.

Havelock Ellis (1936), A Study in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 1. II, New York: Random House William Rossi (1989), The Sex Life of the Foot and Shoe, Malabar: Krieger Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89464-573-0

Media related to foot fetishism on Wikimedia Commons