foot fetishism and other cultures

[Relent<]

I'm recently learning that foot fetishism is very common in other societies, like france, and is viewed as a normal attractive feature of a woman. In retrospect, a lot of what is considered freaky sex in the us passes as normal in france. I'm currently formulating my own opinions as to the nature of societies sexual normality, and will post later concerning the subject. Until then, anyone can feel free to join the conversation and display your thoughts on the topic.

 

[kopfhorer1]

Funny isn't it, how the French are often touted as the most sexually loose or open-minded (depending on your point of view)? It is generally true that Europeans tend to be more grown-up about sex than Americans, too many of whom have never outgrown the preadolescent notion of sexuality as "wrong" or "evil". Much sexual entertainment mirrors those attitudes by catering to them (check out some typical porn and see what I mean).

I recently heard a P-Funk All-Stars concert which was broadcast on Belgian TV. The song set contained references to genitals and sexual acts plus numerous four-letter words. The Belgian TV station which aired the concert made no attempt to censor the show. Here in the Land of the Free, CBS-TV got hit with a 1/3 of a million dollar fine when Janet Jackson accidentally revealed more of herself than she'd intended to on-camera.

 

[IMxAxMONSTERx]

hah!!!

and americans think the french arent cool

 

[MistressValerie1]

Female feet are or were considered sexy in Spain, China, and India at various times. In renaissance-era Spain, female religious figures were always painted with their feet covered; in imperial China, the purposely created "lotus foot" was considered profoundly erotic, and in some parts of India, women still paint their soles red with henna for modesty's sake.

 

[cosquillero1]

Funny isn't it, how the French are often touted as the most sexually loose or open-minded (depending on your point of view)? It is generally true that Europeans tend to be more grown-up about sex than Americans, too many of whom have never outgrown the preadolescent notion of sexuality as "wrong" or "evil". Much sexual entertainment mirrors those attitudes by catering to them (check out some typical porn and see what I mean).

I recently heard a P-Funk All-Stars concert which was broadcast on Belgian TV. The song set contained references to genitals and sexual acts plus numerous four-letter words. The Belgian TV station which aired the concert made no attempt to censor the show. Here in the Land of the Free, CBS-TV got hit with a 1/3 of a million dollar fine when Janet Jackson accidentally revealed more of herself than she'd intended to on-camera.

Maybe i had to stay living in Belgium 😎, but well, i'm here, for now 😉. In Latin America, many people don't know nothing about fetishism, many people think about us like a kind of weird or include insane persons. There are not so much open mind here, other societies are a bit more open mind, but in a general way, fetishism isn't so known as BDSM or another sexual practices.

 

[scavenger]

Belgium eh? Now, since that is where I live, I can indeed confirm that people are -in a way- more open to things like fetishes. Being a foot-fetishist myself, I can attest to that.
There are roughly two kinds of people here: those that know what a fetish is, and they are cool with it ; and those that don't know, and they don't care about it.
Of the many times I stated to others that I was a fetishist, I never got a single negative reaction. Some even thought it was cool (potential fetishists perhaps?).

To my opinion it is indeed a matter of cultural history; the old centres of enlightment, innovation and art were cities like Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Venice. They had a greater degree of freedom from oppressive teachings like those of the church. It has been an evolution of centuries.
I think more recent cultural/art centres like New York (and america in general) are simply to young to have that state of mind.

just my opinion as an artist, though 🙂

 

[cosquillero1]

Belgium eh? Now, since that is where I live, I can indeed confirm that people are -in a way- more open to things like fetishes. Being a foot-fetishist myself, I can attest to that.
There are roughly two kinds of people here: those that know what a fetish is, and they are cool with it ; and those that don't know, and they don't care about it.
Of the many times I stated to others that I was a fetishist, I never got a single negative reaction. Some even thought it was cool (potential fetishists perhaps?).

To my opinion it is indeed a matter of cultural history; the old centres of enlightment, innovation and art were cities like Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Venice. They had a greater degree of freedom from oppressive teachings like those of the church. It has been an evolution of centuries.
I think more recent cultural/art centres like New York (and america in general) are simply to young to have that state of mind.

just my opinion as an artist, though 🙂

I agree, good point and nice explanation too 🙂.

 

[cletus-factor]

It is generally true that Europeans tend to be more grown-up about sex than Americans, too many of whom have never outgrown the preadolescent notion of sexuality as "wrong" or "evil".

This is not meant to be a flame at all. So if I sound like I'm flaming, sorry lol.

I just wanted to clear something up that was said so far. Americans are not not grown up about sex, it's just that our lead culture is that taken down over the years of the people who originally settled America, mainly the protestants I think, who if I'm right view sexuality and being alive practically as a sin. Now, that part I wasn't completely sure about, but the next point I am sure about. Last night as a matter of fact there was a show on the History channel about sex in the bible. A few things to mention/food for thought. In the hellenistic world (that's the greek world I think, before the Romans) there was much philosophical thought about dualism, which is the duality of the mind (spiritual, and literally our thoughts) and body (the physical, also it became later in Christian teaching the sexual). Augustine one of the earlier church fathers was the first to claim celibacy. However, he was annoyed by the fact that he still couldn't rid himself of the feelings down there and so was born the idea that we must have been born into sin. I have an idea that in Europe for whatever reason they are not holding onto this fundamentalist ideal and that the so called "White" Americans especially living on the East Coast or they were anyway still do hold onto this ideal.

Certainly it can be said that for most people, myself included, sex is a funny topic. It's embarrassing, why, I don't know, but it can be for many of us and thereby we'd rather have a system in place to make it okay, thereby if anything is outside that system, it's not okay. Okay? : P

yeah I'm a man whose values are borderline contradictory.

 

[Relent<]

If America was as liberal as the rest of the world, wouldn't it be so much more wonderful a place? If foot fetishism was accepted the way most sexuality was, then there wouldn't be a need to for foot fetishist to take sneaking looks from under their ball caps to indulge themselves. One might accidentally wander across a young man sucking his girlfriend's toes the same way a you might find a couple "making out." It just seems so weird to have to acknowledge your own sexuality as an annexed lifestyle when in your own mind you don't see it as at all peculiar. I imagine that homosexuality was once treated in the same respect, but in today's society, you see it everywhere and if you're offended by it and make a scene, you're considered close-minded. It almost gives you hope for the future.

 

[highwing]

While it's still true that the French are a tad snooty, their views on romance and sex far surpass the views in the United States. It's a good thing that me and my love are open-minded 🙂

 

[revboy]

hah!!!

and americans think the french arent cool

ya, we think the french suck cause they would always lose in EVERY war-----
google search: "wars won by the french" -it says Did you mean: "wars lost by the french" :super_hap :super_hap :super_hap

 

[Comfort Eagle]

I have always heard that the Chinese and Japanese cultures are (or were) into feet, but I always just kind of dissmissed it as racism. But I've always wanted to tickle a cute asian girl.:super_hap

 

[Relent<]

that makes two of us 😉
In geisha houses, the women weren't allowed to walk barefoot-- they weren't supposed to expose anything above their wrist, so I believe it was the equivalent of showing your ankles back in teh 30's.