What is a foot fetish, and why do people have foot fetishes? Bring your questions and pull up a seat because the answers here aren’t scary at all. Despite the social stigma that western societies have clouded around all kinds of kinks and fetishes, there just isn’t anything weird about them. A fetish is really just something that people enjoy with a splash of assumptions about it being unacceptable. So what is a foot fetish? It’s literally people enjoying feet. Yes, it’s really that simple. We could slap a label of fetish onto back rubs, and suddenly we’d all have a back fetish. So let’s go. Let’s talk about the foot fetish.

Where does a foot fetish come from?

Since you read the intro above, you probably know where this is going already. That’s right- it’s not a big deal, and the following has boring answers only. It is what it is. 

Remember puberty?

If you’re googling “why do people have foot fetishes,” let me take you on a journey back to middle school. We’ve all been through that confusing, highly hormonal time in our lives. It’s when we first develop our sense of what sexuality is and what it feels like. The very boring truth is that almost absolutely anything can end up associated with our sexuality. Having a foot fetish could mean that you or your loved one spent a lot of time looking down when they experimented with their bodies early on. Perhaps they really enjoyed foot rubs. Again, just very normal stuff. Maybe you/they thought it was really fun to try using their feet to pick things up. Maybe they felt safest as a kid when they were looking down and happened to notice feet often. The foot fetish is just not the scary perverse thing it’s been made up to be. 

Who knows!

If you’re still wondering ‘why do people have foot fetishes,’ I’ll kindly ask you to sit down, please. Yes, the things that we enjoy in this life have an origin story. But the time we spend investigating our likes and enjoyment is time spent not enjoying them. If you don’t know why you or a loved one has a foot fetish, allow me to reassure you. It’s okay. It’s both okay to enjoy feet and to not know why.

What does having a foot fetish mean?

Hey there! Do you enjoy feet? Then congratulations, you are the lucky owner of a foot fetish.

And OMG, you’re so normal!

There’s been research about the good ‘ole foot fetish since Sigmund Freud. While each study shows a different percentage of people with a foot fetish, the resounding result is simply that the foot fetish is incredibly common- like even more common than people being gay. If you or your loved one is a man, then they’re even more normal. This particular fetish is significantly more prevalent in men than in other genders. 

Congrats! You have more fun than other people.

Yes, I mean it: more fetishes = more enjoyment = more fun than other people. Most of the world is still playing the same old song when it comes to pleasure and sex. Most people are following all the rules about what is supposed to be fun. But in an incredibly diverse world, following someone else’s rules about what is supposed to feel good is just severely limiting. And that has an impact. Turning away from things that feel good for us is a straight line to depression-Ville, USA. Consider that roughly half of the men in the US have dealt with some kind of erectile dysfunction. Plus, over a quarter of women in the US struggle with low sexual desire and arousal. With that many people struggling to keep in touch with their sexual desire, I dare you to tell me that people shouldn’t enjoy their foot fetish sex. 

How do I get started playing with a foot fetish?

If you haven’t played with this fetish before, it’s okay if you’re unsure about where to start. Foot fetish sex doesn’t need to be a big scary thing. With a couple of concrete steps to try out, you’ll start vibing in no time. For these tips, and like always, don’t let fear stop you from experimenting with someone else. Let them know you want to try something new and why, and then you’ll both enjoy the journey together. 

Start with a care task.

It can be challenging to get started when questions like “what is a foot fetish” and “why do people have foot fetishes” are swirling in your head. That’s okay. Start small with a typical care task to give yourself an accessible entrance into enjoying your feet in sex. This could be something as simple as offering or receiving a foot massage. This kind of play is one that society already deems normal and okay, so it could be an easy place to start. Not only that, but it also comes along with care. Rubbing someone’s feet is an act of care that would build intimacy in the moment and give both parties that feel-good dose of oxytocin. Here are a few easy to approach care tasks you could integrate without much in the bravery department:

• Foot massage
• Epsom salt bath
• Foot Scrub
• Warm compress
• Painting or clipping nails
• Putting warm socks on

They’re basically another set of hands.

When it comes to foot fetish sex, there’s no need to overthink it. Feet are hardly different from hands. So if you can do it with your hands, you can try it with your feet. It might feel a little awkward or silly, but most new things are. And they kinda should be. Sex is really just playing with bodies. So go for it. Play with your body in a new way and let it have some silly moments. Just like any other kind of play, it will have both the silly and the fun. 

How do I enjoy a foot fetish?

I’m so glad you asked. This is the real meat, the stuff that actually moves us forward and gets us the fun we want more of in our lives. And the great news is that this part is simple. 

Listen to your gut.

YOU KNOW when something feels good. And if it’s something new for you, your body will let you know. Whether or not the sound escapes our mouths, that “ughhhhh yes” feeling will make itself known. I hope you can tell here that it really doesn’t matter what it is that sends a thrill down your spine as long as you listen to it. 

Similarly, your body will also let you know when something feels bad for you. Just like with the good stuff, this will always be different for everyone. Unfortunately, this means that some parts of foot fetish sex that feel good for you might feel bad for your partner or vice versa. So when you’re playing with a partner, as I highly recommend, you’ll want to pinpoint where the feel-good crossover happens. Ultimately, if you’re both listening to your bodies, you won’t go wrong. 

Notice the parts that excite you most and DO THEM MORE

As you experiment with your body and your partner’s, you’ll get more information. And it doesn’t really matter whether that information is about what feels good or what feels bad. More information will lead to more pleasure for both of you. You both deserve to enjoy your bodies, and playing with a foot fetish will only bring more pleasure into your lives.