Foot Fetish Research

Research Work

An Australian University had carried out a research and had a paper published on foot fetishism. I accidentally discovered it while surfing a fellow foot-lover’s web page and thought of sharing it with you all. Comments in bold font in brackets are of the gentleman (Samir a.k.a. Sam) whose page I visited. I unconditionally agree with them. The blog page is titled ‘SAM’S VIEW’. Those who wish to visit the page may do so at http://itssamsview.blogspot.com. For the complete study, you can visit http://podiatry.curtin.edu.au/fetish.html.

Profile of a Foot Fetishist

Published research indicates fetishists have poorly developed social skills, are quite isolated in their lives and have a diminished capacity for establishing intimacy (I do not agree). Rossi (1990) reported the majority of male fetishists were married, living perfectly conventional lives with their spouses, who in turn were fully aware of their partner's behaviours and preferences. In most instances the author reported that the fetish did not interfere with normal sexual relations (true). Clearly there seems to be a dichotomy of thought. However, there remains a dearth of informed opinion within the scientific literature and as such no hard and fast conclusions can be made. Not all foot-lovers (or podophiles) are shoe fetishists, or vice versa, and seldom will they be attracted to both. The majority of fetishists are completely unaware of the beginnings of their love of the foot. Foot fetishists tend to keep their inclination concealed for fear of social ridicule or other apprehensions (this unfortunately is true). They maintain a close network of fellow fetishists wherein they function comfortably. Clubs and now websites have sprung up on the entire globe catering for these special interests. Foot fetishists can be found in every sphere of society, and this includes many famous and influential people, including Casanova, von Goethe, Charles Pierre Baudelaire, George du Maurier, Thomas Hardy, F Scott Fitzgerald and Quentin Tarantino.

What turns them on?

Fetishists view the foot as others seek aesthetic pleasure from some other erogenous form. Points of attraction include the size of the foot, curve of the arch and instep, the length and straightness of the toes, the texture and complexion of the skin, contours of the heel and ankle, the softness of the sole, and if possible, even the foot odour. Each segment is an exquisite part to kiss, bite, caress, lick and fondle. Even the toes are used to simulate fellatio (Stekel, 1964). The fetishist's attraction to the foot (or shoe) is because it has exactly the characteristics considered most attractive and elegant in the female personality. Unless these features match completely, no attraction will take place (Ellis, 1936). The fetishist is usually meticulous about cleanliness although there have been reports in the scientific literature about dirty feet being of particular attraction, especially in homosexual foot fetishists. Foot odour is a powerful sexual arousal factor for podophiliacs. Aigremont reported in Rossi (1990) that the smell of feet was to the fetishist the same as the smell of the genitals to others, and the olfactory stimulus added to the sexual excitement. Foot-lovers like to be stimulated visually and will gaze at pictures of feet. By and large foot lovers enjoy relatively gentle aesthetically pleasing scenes that concentrate on soft caresses, kissing or licking and worship. They revel in the sensuality of the object of their desires.

The fetishist experiences intense sexual excitement and arousal from direct pedal lovemaking, which is either used as pre-coital behaviour or a substitute for coitus itself. Most shoe and foot fetishists are relieved to learn that their partner will usually accommodate foot loving into normal intimacies. This is probably because foot fetishism is usually considered non-pathological and a variation of normal intimacy. The foot is a very tactile organ, which gives sensual pleasure to both partners. Foot-tickling can itself provide a pleasant foreplay as well as an erotic response. The devoted foot fetishist will voyeur feet in the same way others seek the opportunity to view people dressed in tight clothing. They are naturally attracted to feet dressed in open-design footwear such a high-heel sandals. The focus of their attention is on the behaviour of the owner, especially in the way the person uses their feet in non-verbal ways.

My comments

Being a foot-lover myself, I know that fetishism is a normal offshoot of the human sexuality. However, it is difficult to isolate its point of origin in an individual’s life. More often than not, it forms during the time when a person is attaining puberty. In many cultures such as India, social mixing of boys and girls is still somewhat of a taboo (though things have brightened in recent years). Also, not much skin is on show (on this front also, things have surely brightened in recent years). Indeed, the only parts of the female anatomy that can really be said to be visible are the face, the hands and (ahem!) the feet. Hence, the El Dorado of admiring the female body in its barest form is hardly ever available to the resident voyeur in every man worth his genitals. Now, feet being the most unreachable part of a woman’s body (unless, of course, you choose to bend down to touch them which, in all likelihood, will invite the most unpredictable reaction from the owner of the feet and, God forbid, from chivalrous bystanders if you happen to be in a public place) – and hence potentially the most attractive – the subconscious creates a mental sexual aura around feet. Also, the subconscious desire to worship the human female form seems to be innately present in the male mind since the history of humankind. Since a woman’s graceful feet, with their fluid contours and exquisite curves, have a peculiar inexpressible beauty of their own, they hold a definite mystique in male eyes. Thus the curves and contours of the feet become a miniature manifestation of the nude/semi-nude female form. Further, many cultures have recognized the erotic attribute of the female foot since ancient times. Foot adornment by toe rings and anklets and tattooing with henna are a part of the ancient culture of the Indian Subcontinent. And then one hears about foot binding of young girls in China to make the feet more beautiful (small feet are traditionally considered sexy in China). Even the ancient Greeks acknowledged the female foot as a subject of sexual interest. Hence the fetish!