What is really afoot with the foot fetish?

The origins of the foot fetish

How the adoration of the human foot began is shrouded in mystery because it is so much more than what it seems; namely, an erotic trigger for sexual arousal. Although never traditional, since the dawn of time feet have been a stimulus for arousal. This is evidenced in the mythology, paintings, sculpture and sacred writings of many ancient civilizations including Egypt, Greece and the ancient rites of Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.

The modern foot fetish

While the practice remains unchanged, the stimuli for the foot fetish in today’s world are vast and diverse because they include all forms of media; namely, art; movies; television and the Internet.

The Antebellum Art Gallery in Los Angeles recently celebrated foot worship with an exhibit entitled: Fools For Feet, which featured, among other things, a foot worship workshop, stained glass art, paintings, ceramic sculptures and drawings devoted to the human foot. There is even a foot karaoke session in which lovers of feet get a chance to sing about related songs such as These Boots Were Made For Walking and Blue Suede Shoes.

Psychological Aspects

To Sigmund Freud, the erotic allure of feet was due to a physical resemblance to the penis, but modern psychological theorists have developed more scientific and sophisticated answers, such as early childhood imprinting and conditioning experiences, which occur when a child unconsciously connects a sexual response with a non-sexual object.

Some famous foot fetishists

The world is full of foot fetishists, some of whom are both famous and infamous. The caretakers of were known to screen women’s feet before they could have a romantic encounter Elvis Presley with him.

Pop artist, Andy Warhol, did many shoe portraits (Untitled Feet, 1958) and kept a human mummified foot by his bed.

English novelist, Thomas Hardy had a fixation with women’s feet as well as talk show host, Jay Leno.  Foot fetishes affect all kinds of people, even those from the darkest side of human depravity, such as serial killer, Ted Bundy.

Why has the foot fetish survived ancient cultures and adapted to modern tastes and predilections? Well, my friends, the answer is not blowing in the proverbial, Bob-Dylan  wind, but lies rather in the words of an ancient adage that reads:

If the shoe fits…