Foot Fetish: What Turns People On About Feet

How common are foot fetishes?

Sigmund Freud, never shy to apply a penis to the world, claimed that feet fetishes are common because they remind us as penises. Sex therapist Dr Liz Powell gets straight to the point, saying foot fetishes are “shockingly common”.

Just how common?

Academic studies are pretty certain that feet, shoes, and socks are THE most fetishized non-genital body parts and accessories, accounting for almost half of all fetishes.

What are foot fetishes really?

Like all fetishes, a foot fetish is a sexual attraction or interest in feet.

Some might be more into toes, others a high arch, for some it could be nails painted in a sexy red.

Given how many people are into feet, there’s a huge range of interests and ways to express those interests.

What attracts people to feet

There are different theories on why people like feet, and it’s easy to get lost in wondering.

But it’s important to remember that we don’t always know why we like. Some men have a preference for small nipples, one woman might like veiny balls, while another would think it’s a turn off. Feet are no different.

But we do have some answers!

What type of feet are seen as sexy?

Delicacy, in the form of well pedicured and stylishly painted nails tend to be popular.

Dirty/smelly feet are not as popular as clean and elegant. Sleekness and femininity are highly prized within the fetish spectrum.

Nail painting gives different impressions within the world of foot fetishes. Unpainted nails appeal to the naturalist or purist range of fantasies. While black and especially red will tantalize the subservient fetishist more.

Others are stimulated by ankle bracelets and similar adornments.

Sensation

The reason someone might like their foot to be touched is because they can be so sensitive.

Overall, the sole of each foot has around 20,000 nerve endings.

While that might sound like a lot, a clitoris has 8,000, and is a lot smaller than a foot! But there’s still a lot of sensation down there to excite.

Subservience

On the giving end of things massaging feet, and foot worship is at the “introductory” level to foot fetishism.

It’s a simple way of showing appreciation for the female form.

When we think of the fetish, it’s not really the foot itself that people are attracted to, but what it represents.

The foot represents the lowest part of the body. The English language is full of references to feet and power “put your foot down”, “boot licker” and “to wait on someone hand and foot”.

Humiliation & dominance

Nothing demonstrates this better than how sexualized a stiletto heel is.

Think of all the movie shots that trace a woman’s body, starting with a high heel and leading up the body.

Samantha Leigh Allen, a sexual fetishism researcher talks about the stiletto as a “symbol of feminine power and aggressiveness – of men’s craving for female dominance”.

Further down the spectrum of BDSM-foot fetishes, there’s role play like stepping on hands. These really get to the heart of the power spectrum, where the foot fetishist is literally under the heel of a powerful woman.

Some people might like to have their partner, literally walk all over them, or to be used as a human footrest.

The further end of this spectrum extends to forcing your sexual partner to gag by pushing your foot towards their tonsils. This can be part of a fetish desire from either the giver or taker of the foot.

Eroticism

Once something becomes sexualized, for many men this will lead to a few predictable outcomes.

An obvious one is using feet to get a man towards orgasm.

For foot fetishists, this will be incredibly hot, it goes beyond worship and into direct pleasure and stimulation.

This can be achieved either actively (thrusting into feet) or passively (sexual partner uses feet to perform a “footjob”).

Men may also desire to ejaculate directly onto their partner’s feet, or shoes. Pornhub has over 1,000 videos and compilations of men ejaculating into shoes alone.

So what?

Acceptance of sexual difference is at an all-time high.

So if you have a foot fetish, or just want to spice things up a bit, talk to your partner and see if they’re up for exploring this popular kink.