What constitutes a 'fetish'?

[Tickle4444]

I've been wondering about this for the past few days. What makes a 'fetish' different from something you simply enjoy. Like, for instance, I'm probably in the minority here who don't see feet tickling as sexual - and I don't really have any interest in sex or porn. In fact, I'm kind of dismayed by the lack of 'clean' feet tickling videos out there - as many of them do contain nudity.

My interest lies more in feet tickling, then all-around feet or all-around tickling. The other interest that I have is with crying. For some reason, I enjoy imagining Michael J Fox (or one of his characters) crying about as much as I enjoy imagining him getting his feet tickled. I have seen a few people mention about a 'crying fetish' - even though it's not as commonly heard of as a 'tickling fetish'.

I've also got to thinking about other things I really enjoy. I love Christmas lights and lava lamps, yet I've never heard of a 'Christmas lights fetish' or a 'lava lamp fetish'. Also, I really enjoy motion - like swinging, bouncing, or riding - and, again, I never heard of a 'swinging fetish', a 'bouncing fetish', or a 'riding fetish'.

So, anyway, I guess what I'm trying to figure out is - what sets a 'fetish' apart from something you simply enjoy? Is it possible for one to enjoy feet tickling, without it being a 'fetish'?

 

[the_jimmy_james]

Dictionary definition is easy...
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Fetish

Basically, the thing that sets fetish aside from hobby or pastime or whatever, is that a fetish arouses you sexually.

The word originally was used for objects, and didn't necessarily mean anything sexual. An object of obsession which transfixed and/or controlled is a fetish.

Since in this context, fetish means an act or activity or part of the body that causes sexual arousal, that act/activity/bodypart becomes the fetish.

 

[Tickle4444]

Okay, I guess the thing is, I'm not currently interested in sex - so I don't really know what it means to be aroused sexually. In fact, porn is a real turn-off for me - so the question is, is it possible to have feet tickling obsession without it being a 'fetish'?

 

[Cbarton]

yes. in psych terms it would be called OCD or Obsessive-Compulsive disorder. This term is urally reserved for those that cannot control their compulsion, for example, the person who has to wash their hands 25 times a day or can't function of the paper clips aren't stacked "just so"....etc. One can have an obsession without going into the OCD realm

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

The definition of fetish is broad, yet taboo enough in society that its often meant to refer to something sexual.

For example, I am an artist. I have a natural appriciation of the human form and I enjoy drawing anatomy. I like to draw it well, realistically, and put effort, attention, detail and time into specific parts in order to make them more alive somehow and tell the story of the entire figure.

When I draw a foot in a picture it is not necessarily a fetish picture. I think its very clear when it is, because its deliberate. When I draw something, even a foot, theres a certain context in which it was drawn in order to tell the story of the picture.

Just like you'd draw the expression of a person's face a certain way, you'd draw feet and toes in certain positions and expressions in the same way. It becomes necessary to focus on these areas, because they have their own independant personality and character to them. No two sets of feet are exactly alike, just as faces are different. So theres that natural appriciation for the human body.

Is this a fetish for me? Do I have a fetish for the human body, or even specific parts of it like feet?

Well, that depends on the definition.

I think this one is the only one that comes close to being correct:

2. any object, idea, etc., eliciting unquestioning reverence, respect, or devotion: to make a fetish of high grades.

The problem with the other definitions, at large is, again, that it is largely sexual, psychological, and is implied as abnormal.

If you use me as an example, you can see how it is not abnormal or sexual. One could say its psychological, but thats only because I'm in a position, as an artist, to understand the human body in a much deeper way than the average person.

On the other hand however, a person who is obsessed with feet and needs them for sexual gratification (whether during the sex act or for masturbation) most definitely has a sexual fetish.

Theres a huge enough difference in what a fetish is to class it differently from person to person.

You say you love Michael J. Fox. That is similar to how I love art. The reason you love him is because you're attracted to the shape of his face, it's features, and possibly other things, like the sound of his voice, his mannerisms, and his personality and presense as a human.

By paying attention to these things and admiring them to a specific degree, you may have a fetish, but its not at all sexual. You and I would be classic examples of how having a fetish is not abnormal at all and is, actually, normal.

And to answer your last question, I'd say no, its not possible. Because, by definition you are "obsessed" with the object. However that obsession is for foot tickling (sexual or otherwise) it is an attraction to an extreme.

It is still possible, however, to have a fetish, but have it not be an obsession.

For example, I can include a person's feet in a picture and make them part of the picture, but I definitely don't feel the impulse or obsession to do so. The feet are not more important than the entire person, but they may be a focus of interest in any particular picture.

 

[morgandee]

michael j. fox's dna is used for video game rumble paks, because of parkinsons