All About Foot Fetishes

A guest blog by Luna Matatas

Is sandal season the happiest time of year for foot fetishists?

Foot fantasies are a popular fetish - lots of people get turned on by the desire to connect erotically with feet and feet related things. What’s sexy about feet? What does it mean if I’m turned on by shoes, toes or hosiery? If you’re curious about foot fetishes or have a partner who is, it can be exciting to learn how to satisfy foot pleasure. It can also be intimidating because sometimes shame tags along with our sexual fantasies.

Why are some people aroused by feet?

Feet have lots of nerve endings, so it makes sense they are connected to pleasure. Think about a good foot massage. While the foot massage itself might not always be erotic, it is delivering sensations and sending relaxation to the feet and beyond. 

Fetishes describe a heightened attraction to objects (e.g. shoes) or non-sexualized body parts (e.g. feet, forearms, elbows). Podophilia (foot fetishes) can involve different types of sexual gratification. For many foot fetishists, the fetish is required for arousal. While for other people, foot fantasies are part of other erotic desires and can happen with varying arousal intensity. 

What’s sexy about foot fantasies?

Foot fantasies might be about:

• Foot jobs - using feet to stimulate genitals
• Foot porn - watching other people do things with feet or images of feet
• Foot accessories - heels, boots, hosiery, toe rings
• Foot parts - toes, in between toes, pedicured toenails, crinkles of the sole, heels, ankles
• Humiliation - feet can be seen as a dirty or lowly part of the body
• Worship or service - kissing, sucking, massaging feet
• Erotic power exchange - feeling dominanance or submission involving feet

If you have a foot fantasy - think about what parts of your fantasy are important for you. Is it about toes in your mouth? Sniffing used hosiery? Seeing your partner’s pleasure as they massage your feet? Tell the story of your fantasy. 

What if I’m not into my partner’s foot fantasy?

That’s ok! Some people are completely turned off or disinterested in feet. Other people don’t get pleasure directly from the foot fantasy, but they get pleasure from watching their partner aroused. If the foot play your partner is into makes you feel unsafe, triggered or inspires a hard ‘no’ inside you - honour and communicate that. Without shaming your partner, let them know you enjoy learning about their pleasure and erotic imagination, but foot fetishes don’t do it for you. It’s also ok to say, ‘hey, love learning about your desires - I am going to need a little time to research this and figure out how I feel about it.’

If you’ve learned through your partner’s foot fantasy that they are into power exchange, for example, then maybe the conversation can continue about other ways to bring erotic dominance and submission into your relationship. 

How do I get started exploring foot fetishes?

Ask your partner if they’d be open to hearing about a fantasy of yours. Use a non-sexual time to talk about the fantasy and be prepared to tell the story of your fantasy. Consider questions like: 

• What turns you on about feet?
• How do you want your partner to feel? (e.g. worshipped, dominant, submissive)
• What foot activities do you want to do? (e.g. feet on your face, sniffing, footjobs)
• How does this fantasy make you feel? (e.g. humiliated, powerful, objectified etc)
• Are there any positions (e.g. kneeling) or props (e.g. smelly shoes) that are important to this fantasy?

Communicate without obligation or expectation to your partner. Invite them to share any fantasies of their own. Learning about each other’s desires and practicing communication can inspire connection, empathy and the discovery of new ways to turn each other on!