Fetish comes in many forms. And as fetishism becomes more accepted within society, it’s something that continues to grow and grow — but arguably the most fetishized of all is the human body itself.
Officially known as “partialism,” it is a type of paraphilic activity where the person focuses upon one part of the body for sexual gratification. There isn’t a part of the human form that isn’t the subject of partialism, from the hair on the top of our heads, to the soles and the toes on our feet, and of course, all parts in between. There really are no rules as to what we as individuals find attractive about various parts of the human form. While we are all programmed to like the “regular” things like boobs and butts, there are many people who have the same, if not greater attraction to various other parts of the human anatomy.
Boobs and Booty? Nope. Feet Are Where It’s At!
Take feet as an example. This may surprise you, but feet are easily the most common part of the body to be partialized and sexualized, more so than even boobs and butts! It’s something that has fascinated and, dare I say, bewildered experts for decades.
The truth is that nobody really knows exactly why we like what we like, but there are theories. Take this beauty from Freud for example. He theorized that people sexualized feet because they looked like penises. For Freud, it always came back to the penis, or the mother, or both!
Credible, definitive answers on the subject of why we have partialisms are few and far between. One thing psychologists do agree on is that neither partialism or fetishism are considered abnormal unless they cause significant impairment or distress to the individual, or cause issues with the individual’s lawful functioning in society.
You Are Not Alone!
It is often said and it’s generally accepted that some fetishes of non-living objects, like shoes or gloves, develop at a young age, and that something in childhood sparks the increased interest in these objects as we mature into adulthood. The same cannot really be said for partialism though.
The most recent theory for foot fetish is that the brain areas associated with genitalia and feet are adjacent to each other in the brain’s body image map — which means a simple cross wiring can lead to some interesting and seemingly impossible sensations. Apparently, it’s all related to “Phantom Limb” Syndrome. It’s a theory put forward by neuroscientist Vilanayar Ramachandran, director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California. Of all the theories out there, it’s the one that seems to make the most sense, but it also doesn’t apply to all the other parts of the body that people really, really love, like say, armpits or hair.
In truth, it doesn’t really matter. While we do like to understand why we enjoy certain things, it’s not essential that we know why. It is possible to take something for what it is, and find other like-minded people to enjoy it with. The one thing that is for certain, you are not the only person who likes what you like!
You Know What You Like, But What’s The Medical Term?
Most partialisms have a medical name, and you might be interested to know what they are? So below we’ve listed the most common partialisms and their medical terms :
Podophilia — Foot Fetish
Oculophilia — Eye Fetish
Maschalagnia — Armpit Fetish
Mazophilia — Breast Fetish
Pygophilia — Buttocks Fetish
Nasophilia — Nose Fetish
Trichophilia — Hair Fetish
Alvinophilia — Navel/Belly Button Fetish
Alvinolagnia — Belly/Stomach Fetish
Flip Your Switch To Hot
You can have a partialism related to any part of the body. It can be the brushing of long, straight hair or equally the flexing of tight, flat stomach muscles. Long legs, soft tummies, red painted fingernails, strong calves — you name it, and somebody somewhere will like it!
Whichever part of the human anatomy flips your switch to hot, there are countless online resources available now that allow you to indulge in your specific fetish. People also take partialism a step further. Watching people gain weight is a popular fetish, and like many fetishes, it crosses paths with another common fetish, transformation. The transformation of watching somebody’s body increase in size and weight is surprisingly popular. And the excitement isn’t always just that of the viewer. The person gaining the weight can also achieve sexual gratification from the process and prospect of piling on the pounds.
Celebrate The Bits You Love!
Body partialisms are not straightforward, but then what fetish is? We all have our own reasons for our predilections, and often we don’t even know what those reasons are ourselves. When you start to dig a little deeper you realize that body partialisms are many and varied and extremely common.
Enjoy what you enjoy, find other people who dig the same thing, and celebrate all the bits you love! And a great place to start is Loyalfans.com!