Dark fetishes part three: foot fetishes
By Ali the Sexpert
October 31, 2007
 Welcome to the third and final installment of the dark fetish series. People are fascinated with fetishes because they do not understand them, especially those that are considered to be taboo—such as foot fetishes.
Definition of Foot Fetish
A foot fetish is also referred to as foot partialism, or the formal term for foot fetish which is podophilia, because fetishes are usually a sexual focus on an inanimate object. Since the foot is a body part, it is more correct to call it podophilia, however, it is most commonly known as foot fetishism. The fetish itself involves a sexual interest in feet, shoes, boots or any accessories that may be associated with the feet. Even nail polish, panty hose or anklets can be part of this foot fetish.
About Foot Fetishes
In 1887, Sigmund Freud was the first person to define and discuss foot fetishism. Freud defined fetishism as the displacement of sexual desire onto inanimate objects or body parts which was caused be the person’s struggle with the confrontation of the castration complex (when a child’s sexual activities are stopped by his father who he fears castration from because the young male child is considered to be in love with his mother). Freud also described the fetish as occurring through exposure over time to an object (feet) while being sexually aroused. This form of conditioning is still theorized as the reason why people have foot fetishes today.
Foot fetishism in the modern world is understood to be on a continuum where a person may be aroused by the sight of feet, to more extreme forms of sexual arousal such as the desire to use the feet for sexual gratification. What is arousing for a person with this fetish is the shape and size of the foot, toes, toe nails, the texture of the skin, the cleanliness or dirtiness of the foot, if the foot is clothed or not, and the odor. People who enjoy feet may also enjoy touching, kissing, licking, sucking, smelling, massaging and/or lovemaking with feet or their accessories. However, if a person is attracted to feet and enjoys these activities but can still get aroused by other forms of sexual contact (kissing, hugging, fondling etc), then the person is not considered to have a clinical condition that needs treatment.
 Altocalciphilia refers to the sexual obsession with wearing or seeing someone wear high heels. This is a specific sexual fetish along the continuum of podophilia. Foot fetishism can also include the sexual interest and arousal by someone’s lower limbs such as legs, knees or calves, however it is most common for the person with the fetish to be interested in the feet in particular.
Foot fetishism is considered to be unappealing to some people, because their experience of feet has been negative. They think of the sweatiness, smelliness, of blisters, corns and fungus that are on feet. However, for some people, this is not a concern as the feet are very appealing to them.
A common and more appealing fetish related to podophilia is retifism, which refers to an obsession with shoes. This fetish is not a sexual fetish, but is displayed with the obsession of purchasing and wearing shoes or boots. Women often have this fetish. This fetish is more about the sexy connotations of shoes in mainstream Western culture, not about the sexual arousal of shoes for the people who have this fetish.
Prevalence
Foot fetishism has been documented to be the most common form of sexual preference for non-sexual objects or body parts; however there has not been plenty of research on this fetish. Since it is considered to be taboo (despite its common occurrence), it is likely under-reported. It is also reported that men usually have foot fetishes, however, there is no information about the demographics of the men with this fetish, or any percentages of how many men have this fetish.
In August 2006, Wikipedia found that the top fetish searched on their site was for feet. According to Dobson (2007), scientists obtained a sample of approximately 5,000 individuals worldwide from 381 different Internet discussion groups. The prevalence was rated from these sites based on the number of groups devoted to a particular fetish, the number of individuals participating in the groups, and the number of messages exchanged about these fetishes on the websites. From this data, feet and shoes were found to be the most common preference where 47 per cent of the sampled population had a preference for feet and toes.
Treatment
 Foot fetishism becomes a clinical concern when it interferes with the normal sexual or social functioning of a person. The DSM-III-R defines fetishism as a pattern of recurrent, intense sexual urges and sexually arousing fantasies...involving the use of nonliving objects that interferes with the person’s capacity for reciprocal sexual activity.
Cognitive therapy and psychoanalysis therapy are considered the main therapeutic treatments for this condition when it is considered to be a mental illness. In extreme but rare cases of fetishism as well as the presence of other serious conditions such as epilepsy, surgery was used as a corrective measure to treat the person. Foot fetishism is considered to be a series condition if it is interfering with people’s lives, so it should be taken seriously by others if it is affecting a person’s functioning.
Conclusion
Therefore, foot fetishism may be considered to be a taboo or dark fetish, however, modern evidence shows that it exists on a continuum and that it is much more common than people realize. Whether you love to buy shoes, or you think feet are sexy, foot fetishism has its place in modern sexuality and it seems to be much less atypical than originally thought. However, if foot fetishism is interrupting your daily life or sexual functioning, then you should talk to the doctor to get referred for a psychiatric assessment and future diagnosing to get the help you need.
Ali the Sexpert is a researcher and teacher in the field of sexuality. She has an Honours B.A. in Sociology (Windsor); a MA degree in Sociology (Windsor); is currently pursuing a second MA in Social Work. Campus Kiss is currently syndicated at universities across Canada.
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