“O thrice charmed would I be and blessed, if you would tread on me.”
That’s an excerpt from a poem titled “To a Barefoot Woman”, written by the Greek Philostratus sometime between 170 and 240 CE. The “you” he’s talking about are a pair of women’s feet that are so perfect, they’re better than Aphrodite’s. It should be noted at this point that Aphrodite’s feet were so perfect that grass would grow wherever she stepped.
This is one of the earliest examples of foot fetishism, but by no means the only one. Brahma, the Hindu god, for example, was aroused at the sight of the love goddess’s feet in the eight century, and there are plenty of others. It just goes to show that the foot fetish has been around for a very long time and it’s probably going to be around for a long time to come.
With that said, let’s offer a brief explanation of what it is and some conjecture as to why it might exist. The numbers vary greatly, but it can be estimated that 5-7% of people have a foot fetish while a greater 15% have fantasized about feet at some point in their lives. So, let’s get into it!
How Foot Fetish Works
Just like it says on the packaging, a foot fetish is defined as a pronounced sexual attraction to feet. There are no surprises there, and it can come in a few different forms. A man or a woman can be attracted to the shape and size of feet, specific parts of the foot like the toes or soles, and adornments, such as ankle bracelets and toe rings. They can also be attracted to footwear, foot odor, and foot interactions. When it comes to the footwear and foot odor, those are easy to explain and the reasons why high heels and used socks are obviously sold on OnlyFans. Both men and women can fetishize these things, and many do.
Then we get to the foot interactions and that’s where you get lots of levels of fetishism for feet. Most people are going to come in at the more casual forms of the fetish. This can involve attraction to acts like massaging a person’s feet, painting their toenails, or washing them. Then you get into the higher levels of fetishism, like tickling feet, licking feet, sucking toes, smelling feet, and rubbing a person’s feet on the fetishist’s genitals. Just run a porn search of “footjob” and you’re going to be inundated with examples of this.
Foot Fetish and Women
Foot fetish is more common in men, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only ones who have it. In a 2017 study, 76 out of 459 men, or 17%, agreed to having an interest in feet. When 565 women were asked, 4% of them agreed. One common misconception is that fetishists are only interested in women’s feet. That means the women who have it either fetishize their own feet or the feet of other women. That’s not the case, though. Women fetishize men’s feet just as much as men fetishize women’s.
Not only do female foot fetishists seek out photos and videos of male feet, they can also be attracted to their smells. It’s not uncommon for a woman to exhibit all the hallmarks of a male foot fetish, simply for the opposite gender. In fact, web sites exist solely to exhibit nude celebrity feet, and sweaty socks are always a sought-after commodity for female foot fetishists.
That’s why being open and honest about a fetish should always be the goal. There’s always going to be someone else in the world who shares it, even if it’s uncommon or less known about.
Foot Domination
Another common misconception is that foot fetishists fantasize about being dominated by another person’s feet. Once again, this isn’t true. Not all foot fetishists wish to take on a submissive role and it shouldn’t be assumed that they do. It stems from the notion that engaging in the fetish puts you at another person’s feet, on the ground beneath them. It also comes from the assumption that a subset of foot fetishists is the majority and not just a part of the larger fetish. Foot domination certainly exists, but it’s not the rule for everyone.
Foot Fetish in Pop Culture
Foot fetish is part of the popular culture and has been around in some form for a very long time. Sometimes it’s pretty obvious, like when you watch a Quentin Tarantino movie. Not only has he actively sucked on an actress’s foot in a movie, but he’s also famously dedicated scenes to Uma Thurman’s and Margot Robbie’s feet, as well as others. Even family friendly movies, such as The Addams Family have portrayed foot fetishes in their characters. This does a lot of work in destigmatizing the fetish, but it also keeps it on the fringes of “normal” behavior for their audiences.
STDs
There’s an interesting correlation between the rise in foot fetishism and disease that’s been going on for a few centuries. It turns out that sexualizing feet becomes more popular during times of epidemic. For example, there was a gonorrhea epidemic in 12th century Europe. During this period there was a greater interest in feet as sexual objects, and that’s just one example of the correlation. The same thing happened in the 19th century and during the AIDS epidemic in the 20th. It’s been theorized that sexual activity with feet is practiced as a safe sex alternative, although it could also be due to other factors and trends.
Accept your Fetish
This is all to say that a foot fetish is just as common as any other sexual interests and shouldn’t be seen as shameful in any way. It’s a part of the popular culture and there’s no reason to stigmatize it. Actresses like Alison Brie not only accept their fans fetishizing their feet but enjoy and encourage it. If you find yourself attracted to feet, just run with it. If you fantasize about other people fetishizing yours, there’s nothing stopping you from finding a fetish partner and enjoying yourself. It’s just good, clean fun!