It has been my experience that podophilia (and related fetishes) is one ofthe most common, most commonly hidden, and most misunderstood fetishes of all. It is also one of the oldest; foot and shoe fetishism has roots that go centuries deep and delve into sometimes subtle insights into the sensual psyche. I am by no means an expert. But I have been letting men admire and worship my feet for almost two decades, and loving my own shoes even longer. For those who don’t understand foot fetishes, or who are learning more about the sources of podophilia, it helps to take an overview of this wonderful and erotic group of fetishes. This is by no means a comprehensive look; more of an overview of how the podophilists come to thier love of feet and the basic source of the desire, from my own perspective, research, and experience.

In understanding foot fetishism, retifism, altocalciphilia, and related fetishes, many subjects should be explored. Most important being that podophilia covers a very wide swath of various fetishes relating to feet; and that each of these – while they may intersect or come in tandem with each other in any individual foot lover- have a different source and sensuality all thier own. Foot fetishes can be broken down in to several different categories which can be generally seen as: relating to the foot alone, relating to shoes and footwear, and those relating to the submissive nature of foot/shoe worship. As a whole, foot fetishists seem to be more motivated by the four senses beyond simply sight in thier lusts than the average person…for many it is the touch of the foot, the smell of a well worn sports shoe, the texture of the cotton sock, silky stocking, or polished nail, the creak of the leather shoe and the click of the high heel that sparks the fetish.

Baring the Sole

Fetishes that relate to the naked foot alone are many. Some simply love the femininity of a woman’s well kept feet; they are one of the most obvious ways women differ from men. A woman’s foot is slender and graceful, her ankles small and her toes dainty compared to a mans, the skin soft and delicate … yet a woman’s feet bear more abuse than her counterpart male, and bear her up beautifully anyway. Only women indulge (supposedly) in more than cursory foot care; when a woman thinks of spoiling herself, it is often a pedicure and a pair of nice shoes that comes to mind. There is nothing that feels (or tastes) quite like a polished toe on the tongue; or a pair of bare feet in a delicate place. And there is little more chivalrous means for a man to show his devotion to his lady than to heap admiration upon her most lowly feature of all, the feet that touch the ground she walks upon. Some people are particularly affected by the natural scents of the body; for example most everyone can understand the allure of the smell of a woman’s hair. For some men, this goes to a deeper, more base chemical level, and they are attracted by body scent, odor, and flavor, which is often most concentrated at the feet. And feet are the one part of the body that is not ‘vulgar’ but are still “forbidden” in public. Any cursory study of psychology includes the fact that prohibiting an act or an item often creates an overwhelming desire and need for it, and imbues it with more value. The fact that feet are so private within public society, that they are often considered unattractive, dirty or gross, and that women’s feet are specifically viewed differently from men’s make them a natural subject for sexual objectification and fetishism at many levels.

Shoes Make the Woman

Love of shoes and boots in particular- retifism, and love of high heels- altocaliphilia, can come from many sources. Women the world over love thier shoes from an early age, even those who don’t sexualize the love. It only makes sense that men loving women in thier shoes follows suit.On the obvious level, high heels accentuate the feminine curves that men love to see; thrusting the hips forward and giving a nice sway to the small of the back. And, specifically for little girls, some footwear is literally a rite of passage; reaching an age at which she is allowed to buy and wear her first pair of high heels is important to almost any girl in modern society, marking her transition into womanhood and a memory she will cherish for a lifetime. Young women who take dance lessons put years of hard work towards earning the right and strength to wear the satin covered toe shoe of a true ballerina; until she wears them a ballet dancer can only consider herself a student, and underling at best. More specifically from the viewpoint of men- memories of mother, attractive teachers in high heels, comic book and sci-fi heroines and villainesses in knee high boots, the ‘stripper shoe’ that ubiquitously represents adult entertainers of all flavors the world over… in so many ways our society tells men that special footwear relates to a woman being powerful, special…sexy. And alternatively, some footwear relegates women to the ranks of the undesireable simply by wearing them: think ‘women in sensible shoes’. Consider all the figures of speech that relate to footwear, feet, and sensuality, sex, power and intimacy…”Fuck me pumps”…”worship the ground she walks on”…”walk all over me”…”under her heel”…”put my foot down”…the list could go on and on. Authority figures, too, wear special shoes…namely, boots; and thus the worship of boots is often an integral part of BDSM practice. Everyone knows the addage “you can tell more about a man from his shoes…”; and it tends to be true. Sports stars, rock stars, television and movie stars, soldiers, cowboys, indians, even gangsters… all have specific, identifying footwear within our society. Shoes remain the most expensive – generally- article of clothing worn in a day by most people (barring jewelry); and in poor cultures are a rare luxury. We place an extraordinary value on sexy footwear, and it can be proven in two words…. Manolo Blahnik. Some footwear equals power. The Pope in Prada. Need more be said? And then there is the subject of hosiery, which deserves an article all on its own.

Worshiping the Ground She Walks On

Many foot fetishist love of feet and/or footwear comes from a submissive and/or masochistic place (the two are not mutually exclusive, contrary to popular belief). Ranging from worship to being damaged by them, there can be little doubt of how one can demonstrate power over another through feet and footwear. Simply being made to kiss a foot brings a person to the level of the floor- below the owner of the foot, and face to face with the part of the body that comes in contact with the ground…dirty, and filthy. Then there is the aspect of being made to place a part of the body many consider dirty or unattractive in one’s mouth, on one’s body, or to worship and sexualize it while being denied traditional sexual pleasure. Deeper into the torturous and painful aspects of foot fetishes, how can one not feel dominated when literally walked upon, chained to a Domina’s boot, or made to be so lowly that one must service her footwear rather than be allowed to actually touch her person. There is danger in being face to ‘face’ with a pair of boots or high heels, in offering your body for use and damage under the feet of a powerful woman or simply a powerful boot- a well placed steel toed pair could kill a person; and this sort of danger offers powerful eroticism for some. Pain lovers know that a foot is a powerful pain tool; from kicking to stomping, and standing upon…much damage can be inflicted at the end of a foot or a stiletto. Filthy feet offer further opportunity to humiliate and degrade. While being made to lick the mud and filth from a woman’s heel or even literally the ground upon which she has walked may sound disgusting, for a submissive this can be a powerful expression of his devotion and worship, and a genuine lesson in humility and surrender…and an equally erotic empowerment for the dominant. There are few more tender expressions of submission to a dominant than kissing and servicing their foot or boot.

Walking Through the Halls of History

Delving deeper into researching the sources of foot fetishism, history offers a wealth of avenues to explore. Washing of feet has been a tender means of showing reverence and hopsitality since long before the time of Jesus. Prisoners most always find themselves facing a boot, a kicking, dirt in the face. Tiny feet have been highly valued in desireable women since the Chinese began binding little girls’ feet thousands of years ago; choosing to break the bones in toddler age girls feet to achieve the desired effect into adulthood. Footwear has identified prostitutes since Roman days when enterprising ‘women of the night’ inscribed the words “Follow Me” backwards on the bottoms of thier sandals, allowing them to leave the imprint of the words in the dust of the unpaved road for the traveller behind who might be looking for an hourly companion. And, one finds most fashion statements made by shoe begin with men… it was men, not women, who first began wearing ‘high’ heels, all manner of implications arise with the medieval trend of ‘poulaine’….long, pointy shoes meant possibly to imply the length of the wearer’s… hidden agenda. Papal footwear has almost always been red slippers or shoes of either silk or leather- depending upon the purpose; both the color and the material expensive and difficult to obtain for most of history. And the custom of kissing the pontiff’s shoes has been observed for centuries, discontinued only decades ago. Corsetted upper crust women of ages ago required slave or servant labor to fasten foot wear; and for centuries it was considered scandalous and sexually wonton for a woman to display her ankles in public. The mental image of a 50′s housewife isn’t complete without those high heels; nor that of a drill instructor without those boots. It is believed in holistic practices that the foot contains a corresponding area or nerve ending for every organ and important process in the body, including the sexual organs. Once you begin to look, podophilistic sources are everywhere and it is no wonder that the foot and footwear is fetishised in so many ways.