I'm in complete agreement with Jeff here. We've met and chatted IRL at several NESTs, and I can vouch for his sanity, or at least the fact that he's among the saner members on this site. 😀
I'm ancient compared to most here and first began practical exploration of this hobby in the 70s. I've met some girls (girls in those days but of legal age...) who loved it anyway, some who found themselves interested, some who indulged me and some who absolutely hated it. Above all don't forget that every woman is a human being and approach her accordingly.
That being said, Dr. Seuss's book 'Green Eggs and Ham' is a pretty valuable allegory when explaining how new things might be fun.
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My present wife of almost 14 years confided that when an ex snuck up behind her and gently poked her in the ribs when she was preparing dinner she tried to knife him, declaring very loudly that she hated being tickled. Now though gentle modification of that once- dreaded sensation she can now be brought to orgasm by moderate to vigorous foot tickling and nothing else. It's actually quite fun for both of us, but as we met relatively late in life (mine; she's almost three decades younger and I have every intention of dying first) I'd discovered that it did work with a fair few of her predecessors. I experimented.
Nothing works with everyone because everyone is different, but sometimes people can change. It's best not to judge or be censorious, as has happened in previous posts in this thread.
In conclusion I'll offer the same advice as was offered me when he noticed me floundering badly by a far older (late 30s) and more sophisticated English guy in '75, when I was 19. 'Unfortunately you can't be too nice to women', he said. 'If you are, you'll always have plenty of female friends, but everyone else will be fucking them'. I was in my early 30s before I realised that unfortunately he was right.
I didn't like the long series of rotten experiences I went through to learn it, but he was right.
Don't be a pig, but don't be a pushover either. And that's a real balancing act.
Never force; learn when and how to negotiate.
Good luck. And remember that humanity in general doesn't change but individual people might.
Do not concur. When someone tells you about a horrible experience in the past, that they've only just now been able to tell someone about, you don't counter with how much it turns you on. That just adds another layer of bad feelings to something they've already got a problem with.
Is he supposed to break up with her and not tell her why? At minimum, there needs to be a conversation where he explains what's going on in his head.
Congrats! Happy to hear it worked out for you! (And that you ignored the self appointed morality police)
Do not concur. When someone tells you about a horrible experience in the past, that they've only just now been able to tell someone about, you don't counter with how much it turns you on. That just adds another layer of bad feelings to something they've already got a problem with.
Is he supposed to break up with her and not tell her why? At minimum, there needs to be a conversation where he explains what's going on in his head.
Thanks for saying this. There's some people responding directly to the fact that the girlfriend's reluctance is coming from a place of trauma and saying she shouldn't try to be convinced, and that's the respectful, human thing to do.
But it's really disturbing how others are reading into this like her discomfort is just an obstacle to the fetish or something to be argued against. As if OP's girlfriend doesn't actually know what she wants, and we should try to get as much from her as she's willing to give even if she's unwilling.
There's not really any talk happening about how to support her through trauma for her own sake or for their relationship. Just creepy strategizing.
Without even trying, I find this
http://www.ticklingforum.com/showth...y-LER)-around-my-age!!!&p=4542928#post4542928
First: I am against convincing someone who is "against" being tickled. If it is a hard limit for her, then explore options to sate your tickling needs another way or find a new girlfriend.
Now, pause: the point of this note is not to change anybody's mind. If tickling is a hard limit for you, or if you are convinced you don't like it, that is valid and worthy of being respected. Everybody has had someone with a kink or a fetish say, "but you haven't tried it my way" as if they swing a flogger or tie a rope with that magic touch that will change their perspective immediately and completely. I'm not That Guy, and I don't advocate listening to That Guy.
My post on this thread was categorized in a way I didn't intend to sound, so I'm breaking my normal "no follow-ups" rule to make sure there was no ambiguity.
I am against convincing people who hate tickling to "give it one more try".
I am against coaxing, coercing, strategizing, and scheming to sate a kink at the expense of an unwilling participant.
My commentary, and the associated FetLife post, are meant to serve as explanations to (often unaware) kinksters of why tickling is such a visceral matter for some people and to try to frame the experience in ways that make sense in a broader BDSM context.
The "tips" included in my posts, here and elsewhere, are what I hope is helpful advice for communicating with people who range from "reluctant-but-curious" to "curious-but-inexperienced" to "enthusiastic-first-timers".
I would hope that my general commentary here and on other forums would speak to how I view the kink, potential partners, etc., but if anyone feels that my remarks can be interpreted in another light, I welcome a DM to tell me so, so that I can do better in future comments.