Foot Fetish and Foot Worship at a Glance

Having a foot fetish means being attracted to, and sexually aroused by, the look and feel of the feet and sometimes the ankles. In the same way that some people are attracted to bums, chests, shoulders or legs, so others find their eyes drawn toward the feet. The official name for this is podophilia.

In terms of popular fetishes, tootsie love is way up there, with a number of studies finding that feet and toes are the most commonly fetishized body part.

But where does the pleasure of playing with feet, or indulging in foot worship come from?

Science steps in to explain why you're head over heels...

Finding an absolute answer as to why someone might favour a particular fetish isn’t easy. However, there are a few scientific findings and studies which could reasonably explain why some people find feet sexy and become foot fetishists.

At the heart of the theory is neuroscientist Wilder Penfield’s brain mapping. During his work in the 1950s, Penfield discovered that different areas of the brain are responsible for different functions, like receiving picking-up sensations from different areas of the body or recalling specific memories.

By mapping which parts of the brain are responsible for different body parts, he revealed that those for the feet, toes and genitals are located next to each other. Could foot fetishes occur as a result of crossover messages within the brain between the areas responsible for feet and those responsible for the genitals?

It’s likely. A more recent study by neuroscientist Vilanayar Ramachandran into phantom limb syndrome — when the brain causes the body to imagine an amputated limb is still there — discovered that patients who had their feet amputated reported being able to orgasm by thinking about their foot, or that it felt sexy and arousing to them. The suggestion is that the brain rewired itself and because of the proximity of the brain’s sensory areas for feet and genitals, it crossed messages.

This is just one theory and won’t explain why everyone who loves feet, does so. I mean, foot fetishism and worship can also be linked to dominance (foot domination) and submission. When we think of worshipping a higher being, we often think about kneeling at their feet or kissing their toes as a sign of subservience or even respect.

One thing to note is that as sexual fetishes go, a shoe fetish and a foot fetish are completely different things. So if you are into the look of a high heel or even a flip flop, then likely you have a shoe or boot fetish as opposed to, or as well as a foot fetish depending on your preferences.

Keeping it safe

If you wish to explore a foot fetish the first thing is to establish whether or not your partner is happy to dip their toe in the water and explore with you. Feeling self-conscious about feet, or if the soles are extremely sensitive and ticklish might make foot-play a no-go zone. Discuss these boundaries to decide what each of you is comfortable incorporating into your sex life so no one ends up with a heel to the face.

Not everyone is going to be into your sexual interests so some men and women’s feet are going to be off limits, which you will need to respect. In these cases, you might have to limit your sexual activity to pics or some POV videos on the subject matter.

Introducing foot play

Exploring the pleasures of the sole and toes doesn’t have to mean diving straight in with a foot job. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: a hand job or genital stimulation but using your feet. Or having your crotch and clitoris rubbed by your partner’s toes.

If you think having your toes teased is something you might like, here are three other arousing kinky foot-play options you may wish to explore.

1. Dress them up. The movement of the foot and toes in certain shoes, socks or stockings can be very alluring. Slipping them into a new pair of shoes or hosiery and allowing a partner to kiss, touch or undress them can be thrilling.

2. Pamper them. Exploring a foot fetish could also mean massaging your partner’s feet, giving them a pedicure, bathing and moisturising the feet, or even painting your partner’s toenails. Move it to the bedroom, or add low lighting and sexy background tunes and suddenly it will take on a much more erotic air and become part of foreplay.

3. Stimulate them during the main event. Making the 10 little piggies the centre of attention might be intimidating or not even all that pleasurable when you first start to explore foot play due to all the nerve endings. If that’s the case, introduce the touching, tickling, kissing and licking of toes and feet while engaging in other types of sex or fetish play that you both enjoy.

Taking the next step

To make sure your foot play gets off on the right, erm, foot, then you might want to stock up on:

Scented massage oil to help ease any foot aches before play and leave tootsies feeling soft and smelling delightful.
Silicone lubricant if giving a foot job is something you want to try. Long-lasting silicone lube will help ease unwanted friction for tip-top toe play.
Stockings and tights to give your feet a different look and feel. Either leave them on during sex, or allow your partner to undress your feet, seductively rolling them off.
Alternatively, head back to the Harmony blog to read about more fetishes, kink and play.