Social Acceptance: Defining and Explaining Fetishes
As our society gradually becomes more accepting of different types of people, we should also learn to accept people who have fetishes. I’m referring to people that pose no threat to society, but are classified as outcasts due to their actions being deemed as weird or abnormal.
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.
Foot Fetish
Image via Wikipedia
The second common type of fetish is what is known as a “Foot Fetish.” This involves fascination with a person’s feet due to their shape, curvature or toenails. People with this fetish often enjoy giving and receiving foot massages. Just because a person is often seen wearing flip flops does not mean he/she has a foot fetish. Some people who like walking barefoot have foot fetishes.
Where this fetish extends into the weird category is with regards to the fact that some people actually like the smell of stinky feet. Society would generally deem this disgusting, but then again, every person’s sense of smell is different. A scent that one person might smell as fragrant flowers could be breathed in as a completely different odor by another person.
There are many celebrities in society that have a foot fetish. Some of the more well-known ones include Jay Leno, Jack Black, Brooke Burke, Elvis Presley and Quentin Tarantino.
Closing Remarks
As I mentioned earlier, these are just two of the many different types of fetishes that currently exist in the world. As you can see, neither of these are harmful to anyone. Your next-door neighbor or best friend could have a fetish and you wouldn’t even know it.
The reason why fetishes are kept hidden is because people tend to make fun of others who are different and unique. People with a foot fetish aren’t going to go out and commit a crime or traffic in drugs. They’re not going to salivate every time they see someone wearing flip flops or walking barefoot. And they’re definitely not going to act psychotic and shove their feet in front of everyone they meet. These people are just like every other person in the world, except that they like feet, and that’s all there is to it.
If your best friends in school had clothing fetishes, chances are that they wouldn’t tell you, because if the word ever got out, they’d be pointed and laughed at for being different. Real friends are people who accept you for who you are. And maybe they will even partake in your fetish as well because they like being with you.
We now have a black president governing our country. We should all realize that the times for racial prejudice and group classification are now over. We as a society need to stop judging other people based upon what they like and dislike.
Personally, as long as a group doesn’t deal in drugs, violence, or some other form of criminal offense, then I don’t have any objections to them existing.
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User Comments
Alina Beck
On March 14, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Whatever the opposite of a fetish is, that’s how I feel about other people’s feet!!
CutestPrincess
On March 16, 2009 at 7:29 am
hmmm… sounds interesting…
redkathy
On April 1, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Interesting post. I think we all need to be more loving and less judgmental. So what if someone likes to an extreme feet or a specific color, they aren’t hurting anyone.
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