feathers and feet

[luvwomenfeet]

Tickling media is saturated with the iconic image of a helpless pair of feet being made to wiggle and squirm under the tormenting ministrations of a feather; and not just in tickling fetish media, but in popular culture as well. We've all seen it extensively on television (especially cartoons), literature, and even myth.

But there is a substantial sect of ticklephiles who scoff at the idea that something as light and whimsical as a feather could be an efficient tickle tool.

But if feathers are not great for tickling, then why has this "feathers-on-feet" phenomenon been so consistent and pervasive?

It's almost like you could taunt your tickle partner by waving a feather close to their bare feet, and saying something like, " the effects of a good stiff feather stroking the human foot have been substantiated through the mists of time, pretty much since we climbed down from the trees and began to walk upright- so what makes YOU think YOUR feet will react any differently! "

And if you really do a good job with your pre-tickling taunt, REALLY making them contemplate that feather your holding, I've seen that a lot of times when that feather tip touches their feet, their reaction is pretty..... ROBUST, for lack of a better term.

*** Sorry that was kind of a rambling thread; I neglected to take my ADD medication this morning 😛

Any thoughts, opinions?

 

[FeatherEndeavor]

Some people are very sensitive to feathers, some aren't. I think the people that say feathers are not an effective tool are those that aren't feather ticklish. They're applying their own experience to everyone else. I've heard the same arguments with brushes and bullet vibrators. People just have to realize that not everyone is the same as them.

 

[maniactickler]

Feathers suck

 

[m/m_ticklee]

Personally I love the feather + foot combo! I know it's not for everyone but I think that's because feathers only seem to tickle the most sensitive of feet. That's probably why it seems so iconic, because someone laughing while getting their feet feathered is an image of someone who's SUPER ticklish.

 

[tklfeather10]

To me it all hinges on just how and where the person is ticklish, the type of feather and wither the quill end is used or the feather is soft or stiff.

Blindfold a person and use a selection of tkl tools, including feathers, if the feet are ticklish try tapping the sole with a thin whippy cane very lightly to bring the blood to the surface,use a quill up and down the sole at various pressures, use a feather duster on the shins and instep, the contrast of of hot/cold (ice cubes/hair drier) if not using feathers try oil after tickling.

Unless the person is super ticklish around the feet feathers alone may not work that well on the feet, but in a combination with other methods and places if there is no response the person is just not ticklish.

Imagine being tied down and say four people using feather duster all over your body it must tkl some place lol

The origin of feet and feathers plus stocks may well go back a long time in history birds and feathers have been here for hundreds of years, but when people were bare footed would not their soles have been hardened off so a feather would have had no effect on them, to me its a very interesting topic thanks to the person who raised this post in the first place.Well done (Featherbandit)

 

[Wade]

I've never experienced the sensation of a feather on my feet, and it's true that it seems like it wouldn't tickle very much. That said, my feet are off-the-charts ticklish -- apply a single fingertip to my sole and I'm done for -- so I wouldn't be so foolish as to make any boastful guarantees.

 

[JaySnow]

My wife's feet are extremely ticklish and are in fact feather ticklish. Now, a soft feather like those on feather dusters or feather boas don't work but drag the tip of a stiff feather up and down her soles, at the base of her toes and in between she will be a giggling mess.

 

[FTickler]

My wife's feet are extremely ticklish and are in fact feather ticklish. Now, a soft feather like those on feather dusters or feather boas don't work but drag the tip of a stiff feather up and down her soles, at the base of her toes and in between she will be a giggling mess.

Same with my wife

 

[tickltulz]

Most people aren't feather ticklish. It's a rarity. When you do find a mate who is you're a lucky dog. I know I am. Met my GF at a bdsm party that had tickling and she is wholly feather ticklish and not really into the tickling end of things at all. Yet we do indulge heartily.

I feel that the truth is most people IN the tickling fetish aren't ticklish at all and put it on so to speak to live out their fantasy. They can't feel much on their feet so they turn to bristle brushes and shavers with heads removed and everything to compensate.

 

[GirlMeetsTickle]

I think it's iconic because if you only have a still image to work with, as opposed to a video...it can be hard to illustrate the act of tickling. Having a picture of a foot with 'wiggling' fingers on it...people might see that as scratching or massaging. You'd probably need a panned-out image of the ticklee's face laughing, with perhaps 'HAHA It tickles!' in a little word bubble to make the message clear. Whereas with a feather, what ELSE would it be doing on someone's foot, if not tickling? They're easy to draw as well.
I suppose you could make the argument that a brush (or some other item) could be used as the tickle tool. But if we're going by all of history...feathers are easy to come by. They're natural, free. They won't really wither. AND a person being affected in such a way (laughter from something as 'harmless' as a feather) adds to the fun.
I'm sure there've been tickle fetishists all throughout human history. No doubt such people were around in Medieval times, and probably tickle tortured the bare soles of people sentenced to the stocks. I'm sure ticklish people who faced such a punishment (probably men in particular) were not fond of being driven to submission in such a way. Defeat by feather...that's not gonna make you feel so tough. I think that might be why the whole idea of tickling a foot specifically with a feather became so pervasive. People probably favored it for the purposes of teasing/humiliating. Heck the phrase is "light as a feather".

 

[SoleOfTickling]

It it's a big soft feather or a feather duster and the lee has very ticklish feet.

 

[Wade]

It's almost like you could taunt your tickle partner by waving a feather close to their bare feet, and saying something like, " the effects of a good stiff feather stroking the human foot have been substantiated through the mists of time, pretty much since we climbed down from the trees and began to walk upright- so what makes YOU think YOUR feet will react any differently! "

And if you really do a good job with your pre-tickling taunt, REALLY making them contemplate that feather your holding, I've seen that a lot of times when that feather tip touches their feet, their reaction is pretty..... ROBUST, for lack of a better term.

Y'know, you're not wrong... if I were immobilized, and someone delivered a version of that speech to me, by the time they were done I'd probably be so worked up that the feather would send me into hysterics.

 

[Mac]

A hair brush does not really tickle me at all, but a feather has me clinging to the ceiling like a cartoon cat. I can be driven mad with a feather to my arches! Everyone is different...