Social Acceptance: Defining and Explaining Fetishes

There are many definitions for the word “fetish.” Put simply, it can be described as “liking something that people would normally consider weird.” You see, in today’s society, there’s a general basis for what’s considered normal and what isn’t. For example, if you’re 18 years old and you don’t have a job, the general perception by the public is that you’re lazy. This may not be the case. For all they know, you’ve sent in your resume to 20 companies and are still awaiting responses from them.

We don’t know why certain people have fetishes whilst others do not. Some scientists believe it has to do with a chemical imbalance in one’s brain. Others think it’s solely based upon a person’s hormones. Regardless of the reason, there’s a general misconception in society that a person who has a fetish is psychologically unstable. Granted, there are certain types of fetishes that involve dangerous acts, but the majority of them do not pose any harm to the person obsessed with the fetish, or the people around them. In fact, having a fetish is a unique quality that separates you from other people.

There are hundreds of fetishes and it would take forever to explain all of them, so instead I’m going to talk about two different types of common fetishes.

Clothing Fetish

Image via Wikipedia

One common type of fetish is what is known as a “Clothing Fetish.” This refers to a person feeling aroused due to the look or feel of a particular type of clothing. It could result in a person’s sexual interest being peaked simply due to seeing a girl wearing a bikini, or a guy sporting blue jeans. The most common type of clothing fetish is with regards to leather. You’ll often see more girls have a clothing fetish than guys, simply because females have a heightened sense of touch.

Let me emphasize that the fetish itself could just revolve around something as simple as hugging a piece of clothing because you like the soft feel of it. As I said earlier, this type of fetish is a personal one and does not pose any danger to society.