Foot fetishes are often spoken of with an air of disgust or as the punch line of a joke, but it’s actually one of — if not the most — common fetishes out there. So we thought it was about time we dip a toe into the sexual fascination with feet.
Broadly speaking, a fetish is “an intense sexual fixation on a generally nonsensual object, body part, practice or situation,” according to Kinkly.com. (A sexual fixation on a particular body part, such a feet, is also known as “partialism.”)
Some experts have used the word fetish to refer to something that is absolutely necessary to one’s sexual gratification. In other words, they can’t experience pleasure or orgasm without it. But the definition has loosened over time.
“In the present, it’s less common for sex educators to define fetishes as things that must be part of sex,” sexologist Carol Queen told Healthline. “Instead, a newer definition says that fetishes are things that are erotic superchargers.”
Below, people with foot fetishes (as defined in the more contemporary way) answer your burning questions about their kink.
What Is It About Feet That’s Such A Turn-On?
Different foot fetishists may appreciate different aspects of feet. Some like clean feet; others prefer dirty ones. Some enjoy big feet; others admire tiny feet. Certain individuals appreciate a high arch, a specific kind of toe shape or other physical attributes. Foot adornments, such as certain shoes, socks, stockings, nail polish or toe rings, are also popular. It’s really in the eye of the beholder.
According to a 2023 survey from an online platform where you can buy and sell foot pictures, called Fun With Feet, more than half of respondents said the biggest turn-on for them was the taboo nature of foot fetishes.
“The dirtiness and disgust that’s associated with feet in many cultures just makes it all the more appealing,” one respondent said. “It’s like a forbidden fruit that I just want to savour.”
Others say they’re titillated by the fact that feet are a part of the body that we don’t get to see all that often as they’re typically at least partially covered in public. There’s something intimate about seeing someone’s bare feet since that’s usually reserved for the beach, pool or a private setting, like someone’s home.
Jeremy M., a 40-year-old whose last name has been omitted to protect his privacy, told HuffPost that he was a teenager when he first realised he had a foot fetish and found himself “checking out feet or toes, especially the sexy, bright-painted coloured ones.”
“The summertime is the best because everyone is wearing open-toed shoes or sandals,” he said.
He said he enjoys smaller feet as well as “perfectly lined toes where no toes are longer than the other.”
“Some guys like them dirty — for me, I prefer clean feet,” he said. His belief: If a woman has “well-maintained feet,” then she must take care of herself in other ways, too.
How People Explore This Fetish
Again, there’s no one way to satisfy one’s foot fetish. For some, it’s a concept they might enjoy just fantasising about in their erotic imagination without acting on it. Some like to lick or suck on their partner’s toes or massage, caress or smell their feet. And others might want to have a partner use their feet to stimulate their genitals.
M.K., a 32-year-old man who asked that we refer to him by his initials, told HuffPost that he personally likes to look at anime-style images and videos of feet with “some actual people mixed in there.”
“From there, sometimes I look at bare feet, sometimes I like socks, sometimes pantyhose or stockings,” he said.
Some of Jeremy’s previous partners who knew about his fetish would “do things like sneak their feet under the table at a restaurant and rub them on my crotch when nobody could see it and I had to act all normal,” he said. ”Something about that feeling — it was different than having them just use their hand.”
He’s also had sexual experiences with a few women who instructed him to kneel down and “worship them head to toe,” he said. This kind of dominant-submissive dynamic can be appealing to folks with foot fetishes.
“Sucking on their toes and being told what to do — there’s something about that dominance from a pretty woman just making you show her how much you appreciate every inch of her,” he added.
Foot Fetishes Are More Mainstream Than They Seem
Though some people turn their nose up at foot fetishes, Jeremy has learned “many men and women actually love it.”
Having a foot fetish is not all that different from loving “large boobs or a big ass,” said M.K. “It’s literally one of the tamest and most common fetishes out there.”
As long as a foot fetish, or any sexual desire, is explored in consensual ways and isn’t distressing to the individual, it’s something to be enjoyed rather than looked down upon.