Fetishes

Understanding Fetishes

Fetishes are explained in many different ways. Instead of getting into the psychological aspect of them and the waging debate about how sexual fetishes are formed and how they can be transformed, we will instead opt for a basic walk-through of fetishes, how you can identify them, and hopefully how you can embrace them.

Also known as erotic fetishism, or a paraphilia, more specifically, sexual fetishes come in a wide variety. In essence, a fetish is when an individual becomes sexually aroused from any specific object or situation. Some individuals’ fetishes simply work to enhance their sexual experience, while others are unable to be aroused at all outside of their fetish.

In terms of paraphilias, you need to understand that people are aroused in different ways by many different things. And unless your paraphilia is against the law or completely immoral—like with pedophilia, raptophilia, or hebephilia—then there is nothing wrong with being aroused by things that others may find to be odd.

Embracing Your Fetish

A fetish may say a lot about who you are as a person, but it does not define you. Having a proclivity for bondage or for exposing yourself doesn’t mean that you’re not a productive member of society, a good parent, and a generally good person. We all get a little wild and out of control when we’re aroused, and some of us are simply aroused by different things.

If you know what turns you on—and you probably do—there are many ways you can work to embrace this fetish instead of running away from it. However, before we go any further, you also need to understand that having an illegal paraphilia puts others in harm’s way, and thus you should seek psychiatric help. Sorry, but no one is understanding of criminal behavior. It’s true that the overwhelming majority of fetishes are perfectly acceptable, but there are a few that are just disgusting and downright evil.

Now, with that out of the way, here are a few ways you can work to embrace your fetish.

Surf the Web

Many people are down on their knees in thanks that the Internet came along. Now it’s incredibly easy to find information about your particular fetish. Can you imagine having to go to the library and asking for help finding a book on navel fetishism? That’s what you get for not learning the Dewey Decimal System!

With the world at your fingertips, however, you can now research your fetish. You will not only find pertinent information about how you can handle the fetish, what you can do to satisfy it and possibly even why you have it, but you will also learn that there are many people out there who share your desire for certain objects or situations.

Find Someone Similar

Keeping with the online browsing theme, you can find plenty of different groups out there for your particular type of fetish. BDSM groups are really big, as well as groups for foot fetishes, erotic asphyxiation, crushing and stomping fetishes, and much more. Finding these niche communities can help you reach out to people just like you. It’s also a great opportunity to find an accepting partner with whom to practice your fetish with.

Experiment with Your Fetish

The more you do something, the more accustomed you become to doing it; i.e. the more natural it feels. This goes for just about anything in life, and it’s especially true with fetishes. As you first discover your particular fetish, you will probably feel odd and out of place. But instead of fighting it, the best way to embrace it is to give in to it. Over time—and after a lot of great pleasure—you will begin to realize that this fetish is just a part of you and that you’re not odd or weird or out of place. You’re just a person who happens to be turned on by (insert fetish here).

Types of Fetishes

There are dozens—if not hundreds—of different types of paraphilias. Some are very commonly known, some are accepted throughout the mainstream, some are obscure, and some, well, some are considered to be quite odd. Others, of course, are immoral and illegal.

Below, we will cover some of the common types of fetishes out there, including their slang names—if any—and modus operandi – their source of arousal. Thanks to Wikipedia for this list of the different paraphilias.

•    Abasiophilia – attraction to individuals with impaired mobility

•    Acrotomophilia: Amputee Fetish – arousal from people with amputations

•    Algolagnia – aroused by pain in erogenous zones

•    Anililagnia: Granny Fetish – an attraction by younger men to older women

•    Autoerotic Asphixiation – aroused by self-induced asphyxiation

•    Autagonistophilia – aroused by being on stage or by a camera

•    Autassassinophilia – aroused by life-threatening situations

•    Biastophilia – aroused by the rape of an non-consenting person

•    Chremastistophilia – aroused by robberies

•    Coprophilia: Scat Fetish – aroused by feces

•    Crush Fetish – attraction to crushing objects, food, or even animals

•    Dacryphilia – aroused by tears/crying

•    Emetophilia – turned on by vomit

•    Exhibitionism – aroused by exposing oneself to others sexually

•    Forniphilia: Human Furniture – aroused by turning a person into furniture

•    Frotteurism – aroused by rubbing against a non-consenting person

•    Gerontophilia – attracted to elderly people

•    Gynemimetophilia – attracted to transsexual/transgendered women

•    Hebephilia – attracted to pubescent children

•    Kleptophilia – aroused by stealing

•    Lactophilia – aroused by breast milk

•    Liquidophilia – aroused by placing genitals in liquids

•    Macrophilia – attracted to larger, giant-like women

•    Mammaphilia – aroused by breasts in general

•    Masochism: BDSM – aroused by suffering, being beaten or bound, humiliated, etc

•    Menophilia – aroused by menstruation

•    Narratophilia: Dirty Talk – aroused by obscene, sexually explicit language

•    Navel Fetishism – sexually attracted to belly buttons/navels

•    Necrophilia – attracted to corpses

•    Olfactophilia  - aroused by smells

•    Paraphilic Infantilism: Adult Baby – aroused by dressing and acting like a baby

•    Pedophilia – attracted to prepubescent children

•    Peodeiktophilia – aroused by exposing one’s penis

•    Podophilia: Foot Fetish – attracted to feet

•    Pyrophilia – aroused by fire

•    Raptophilia – aroused by committing rape

•    Sadism: BDSM – the other end of Masochism, where a person enjoys inflicting pain

•    Somnophilia – attracted to sleeping people

•    Sthenolagnia: Muscle Fetish – attracted to large muscles

•    Telephone Scatologia – aroused by making obscene phone calls to strangers

•    Transvestophilia – attracted to transvestite sexual partners

•    Troilism: Cuckolding – watching one’s partner have sex with someone else

•    Urolagnia: Piss Play – aroused by urination; on others, in public, etc

•    Vampirism: Blood Play – aroused by blood

•    Voyeurism – watching others nude, having sex, etc

•    Zoophilia: Beastiality – attracted to animals

The odds are good that you’ve heard of some of these fetishes. The odds are even better that you actually have a few of them. The thing about sexual paraphilias is that you can have a lot. You can be attracted to breasts, older women, while also being a sadist who enjoys dirty talk. As we said: A fetish doesn’t make you who you are as a person; it’s simply part of your sexual arousal.

Having a fetish is nothing to be ashamed of. As long as it’s legal and moral, everything’s good in the neighborhood – unless you live near Mormons.

So the next time you question your sexual proclivities, just give this list another quick look and ask yourself an important question: Who doesn’t have sexual fetishes?

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