Why Do People Have Feet Fetishes
It’s not uncommon for me to be at a party and hear someone mention how much they love feet. The conversation might turn into something like this: “I have such an intense foot fetish! I’d give anything just to lick them!” or it could sound more extreme like this: “My wife has the most gorgeous feet I’ve ever seen. If she were wearing sexy stilettos right now I would rip off my pants and lick her toes.”
While these statements are certainly common (and true), there’s also another type of foot lover that seems to exist specifically to take their foot-fetish beyond mere appreciation — one that is willing to go so far as to actually act on their desires by engaging in foot worship practices. These types of foot lovers tend to feel compelled to do things like put their mouths on other peoples’ feet, suck on their toes, bite their heels, and even stick their entire body up against other people’s legs. In fact, some researchers believe that foot fetishes may help us understand human sexuality better than any studies conducted using penises or vaginas.
Wilder Penfield, Ph.D., a neurosurgeon who pioneered research on brain function while awake during surgery in the 1920s, established the “body image map” in the 1950s. This method involved stimulating different parts of the brain through implanted electrodes, allowing him to see what areas of the brain lit up when he stimulated various points on his patient’s scalp. He later developed the “conscious awareness map,” where he was able to record electrical activity from specific regions of the brain when patients reported different sensations, including feelings, thoughts, emotions, movements and sounds. One part of the conscious awareness map included stimulation of the left side of the frontal lobe, and Penfield noticed that patients describing certain sensations seemed to get excited when thinking about those particular locations being touched.
Penfield went on to discover that stimulation of the anterior cingulated cortex — a small region in the front of the brain — elicited pleasurable sensations similar to orgasms in both men and women. He hypothesized that this area of the brain contains the somatosensory cortex, which processes information about touch. So it makes sense that people with foot fetishes would find pleasure in touching other people’s feet because this area of the brain is responsible for processing sensations related to touch and pressure.
This hypothesis is further supported by studies showing that people with foot fetishes usually report feeling aroused by having their own feet massaged. And if you think this kind of foot fetish only exists among heterosexual males, think again. A woman named Jody found herself addicted to giving her boyfriend BJs after tasting his salty sperm on her tongue.
So why do we have foot fetishes? Is it possible that humans have been evolving this way since prehistoric times? Keep reading to learn about the evolutionary reasons behind foot fetishes.
Foot Fetishes and Evolution
According to Dr. Michael Roloff, author of Foot Fetishes Are Not Unnatural, humans have a tendency to develop foot fetishes due to evolution. We’re born with five senses, but over time, we lose use of three of them — hearing, sight and smell. When we don’t need them anymore, we stop paying attention to them. But touch remains important throughout life. For example, babies depend solely on their mother’s skin for protection and warmth. As we grow older, we still require physical contact to maintain healthy relationships with others, particularly romantic partners, family members and friends. Our hands constantly perform tasks that require fine motor skills, whether eating, typing, writing or playing sports.
The constant dependence on touch also helps support the theory that humans have a natural foot fetish. Because our ancestors needed to walk long distances on rough terrain, their bare feet were exposed to germs, dirt, rocks and thorny plants. It wasn’t uncommon for people to catch diseases from exposure to all sorts of unsanitary conditions, so it made sense that our bodies would crave touch to keep them clean.
But does that mean everyone has a foot fetish? On the next page, we’ll explore the psychology of foot fetishes.
Psychology Behind Foot Fetishes
When asked about their foot fetishes, lots of people will say they want to suck on other people’s toes or eat other people’s feet. While this type of foot desire may seem strange to some, there are plenty of perfectly reasonable explanations for why someone would want to engage in this practice. Many foot worshippers claim that it feels good to connect your mouth to another person’s bare feet. Some theorize that it gives them a sense of connection to someone, while others simply enjoy the sensation of getting heady tastes of saltiness. Whatever the reason, many foot lovers report experiencing euphoric sensations.
Other individuals prefer to rub the soles of other people’s feet while they masturbate. There are numerous theories surrounding why this happens, such as the idea that rubbing your genitals against a surface stimulates nerve endings in the same area of the brain that responds to orgasm, or that rubbing your genitals against a smooth surface activates the brain’s reward system. Either way, it appears that rubbing yourself against another person’s leg is pleasurable, and some people even consider it an aphrodisiac.
If you’re curious about trying out some toe sucking for yourself, try asking your partner to let loose. Just make sure you’re comfortable with whatever activities you decide to pursue together.
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