Is tickling a fetish, or just a game?

[Sir Bombers]

Hey everyone...

(EDIT: 6/14/2011 I know that wikipedia is not the leading source to get valid info from...the purpose of this thread is to see what people think 😀)

I was looking on wikipedia for info on tickle fetishism, but then I see that the article for "tickle fetishism" has had it's title changed to "tickle games".

Check it out...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tickling_game

The reason for this is because one of the users said that "it is too specific to classify typical tickling as a fetish".

But this doesn't seem right to me...

Last time I checked, a fetish is a sexual arousal to a physical object or a situation/activity. So if this is the case, and tickling is capable of providing sexual arousal, wouldn't that confirm that tickling CAN be considered a fetish?

The info in the article suits tickling as a fetish. A classification of a "game" seems like something more spontaneous and competitive...

What do you guys and gals think?

Is what we love just a big game? 😱

 

[Rothgar1]

well bombers your right cut and dry. I love a good game of xbox of chess but neither make my heart pound in the same way tickling a beautiful woman dose. I suspect while that the user who made the changes to this wikipedia entry did draw an seemly a decent amount of data, he/she just came up with the wrong conclusion. Then again its my understanding that pretty much anyone can start editing or create an article on wikipedia. Therefore I could create a fictitious historical figure ...say a medieval spanish duke, who loved tickling his pretty servant girls. Then in six months from now a kid in middle amercia will be writting a book report on him 😛

 

[CellarDweller]

Actually, I often wonder about the use of the word "fetish".

I once heard a psychiatrist talking about this topic, and he had stated that if someone is able to have an active sexual relationship without practicing their "kink", then they do not have a fetish.

However, if the behavior MUST be there for the person to have an orgasm, then it is considered a fetish.

This could be totally wrong, but that's what I heard.

 

[tickletorments1]

I always understood it to be a fetish in recent years but i think cellardweller may well have the right slant on it.

I asked (tickling with bondage 3 questions) in a thread i started in the tickling section, one of them being about tickling being a fetish or perversion, it may be interesting to compare the replies, if we get enough response.

 

[dalekfire]

Does it really classify a fetish for those kinks absolutely needed for sexual gratification? I always thought fetishes were things that sexually aroused people, but I hadn't known that such a kink needed to be present for sexual arousal in order for it to be classified as a fetish.

Though, I think it's all a matter of definition, and not really meaning. Like, I'm fairly sure there are tons of people out there with foot "fetishes" who can very readily attain sexual arousal by other, more vanilla means. For example, ever since becoming active at these sites, I can claim to have developed a very, ahh...hearty sexual appetite for anything related to tickling. But when it comes down to it, I do believe I can have a "happy time" with my future wife without the stimulation provided by tickling her. So, what does that mean I have? It certainly feels like a fetish, and not just a simple "interest" or whatever. I personally like to see it as different "levels" within the fetish.

But anyway, back to the original topic. I agree with Bombers that "fetish" (regardless of definition) and "games" do have completely different connotations, and the article better suits the former title. It's like the difference between "bondage" and "tie-up games." Both can be used interchangably, but those who like bondage don't necessarily enjoy the "game" of it, and those who like tie-up games don't necessarily attain the same type of enjoyment as those who proclaim to be "bondage lovers."

 

[P[a]pi]

I have heard fetish be strictly defined as only with an object or body part, so I could see some people saying tickling isn't a fetish. Basically, they are just saying a verb can't be a fetish.

 

[dalekfire]

I have heard fetish be strictly defined as only with an object or body part, so I could see some people saying tickling isn't a fetish. Basically, they are just saying a verb can't be a fetish.

'Course, the problem there is that verbs often define it. Take foot fetishes, for example, feet being the noun. Does it make it a fetish to simply have feet? Or the proximity of feet? For many, it's what you do with the feet that makes them arousing. Might be about the smelling of feet, or being trampled by feet, that specifically turns a person on. Both are certainly centered around the verb, not the noun.'

Hell, I have a foot fetish, but when I see pair, I don't get all drooly-in-the-mouth simply by thinking of how sexy they may look. What does it for me is then imagining what I could be doing with said feet, or what they can do with me. Otherwise, I'd simply view them as...well, a cute pair of feet. That certainly helps keep me in control in the public arena, in any case. 😉

 

[Dovalys]

I think that no matter how you view a 'fetish' there are always shades of grey, so there'll be the people who can't get their kicks without tickling added to it, and there'll be people who simply view tickling as a bonus, per say. Everyone's different in that regard.

Technically though, I suppose you could view this whole thing as a game, just one you get a serious amount of pleasure out of. Depends on how we define each word. 😉

 

[MistressValerie1]

According to mainstream psychiatry, a "fetish" is an inanimate object which is preferred for sexual arousal, "partialism" is sexual attraction to a supposedly non-sexual body part, and a "paraphilia" is sexual arousal from fetishes, partialism, or activities not typically considered sexual. Colloquially, especially on the Internet, the term "fetish" is used as a catch-all in place of "paraphilia." A tickling "fetish" is, by definition, sexual, but a tickling "game" might or might not be sexual. Wikipedia should not be regarded as a primary source because literally anyone can edit it.

 

[Miss Sassy1]

I don't think of tickling as sexual at all unless you guys actually go near private areas...and even then, that's just sexual assault....><

 

[oman]

Here's a good rule for fetishes, if it gives you a boner, it's a fetish

 

[Miss Sassy1]

Can girls' even get a boner? oO

 

[oman]

Ok, for girls if you get tingly downstairs it's a fetish

 

[Miss Sassy1]

I don't want it to be a fetish.....>< My dog decided to lick me where I'm really ticklish while I was trying to sleep, and I got tingly downstairs....>.> but does that really count?

 

[oman]

Possibly...

 

[Miss Sassy1]

I don't want it to ><

 

[oman]

Well then here's another rule, if you tingle and you don't want to around certain things, seek a therapist

But seriously, I think you like having your feet licked

 

[Miss Sassy1]

A...no, I wear socks, he was licking the skin that was showing a bit through my shirt >< Stupid dog and I'm not seeking a therapist....I can just avoid it allll together! ^.^

 

[oman]

Oh, ok

 

[Miss Sassy1]

^.^ thanks for the suggestion though sir.

 

[Rox_My_Sox1]

Tickling isn't just a fetish...it's a way of life! ^_~

 

[Tickler Bart]

I don't want it to be a fetish.....>< My dog decided to lick me where I'm really ticklish while I was trying to sleep, and I got tingly downstairs....>.> but does that really count?

Miss Sassy, regardless of who or what is causing the tickling sensation, the fact is that it arouses you. It's the sensation of being tickled that gives you that tingling feeling, not who (or what) is tickling you.
If being tickled is the only way for you to get aroused, then it is a fetish, regardless of how you're being tickled.
For me, tickling IS sexual, NOT because there are 'private parts' involved, but because the ACT of tickling arouses me. I don't know why. It just DOES.
When I was about 5 years old I saw a Popeye cartoon. it was the one where Olive Oyle is dangling by one foot upside down & Bluto peeled back the sole of her shoe & tickled her sole.
I stared at that scene, pointed to the TV & yelled, "THAT'S FOR ME!"
Now other kids (& adults) would watch this scene & just laugh it off or it would have absolutely NO effect on them whatsoever.
Why did that scene ignite my love/passion for bare soles & tickling? I do NOT remember at all ANYONE discussing or doing ANY kind of tickling. So WHERE did this 'spark' come from? From that moment on I would get excited when Popeye would be on TV, most of the time being VERY disappointed because there were no more tickling scenes shown for a LONG time.
Tickling & bare soles (I also have a passion for female bare soles) have been 'ingrained' in my memory since then.

 

[Miss Sassy1]

Hmm...yes that may be sexual arousal for me, but I don't know why it is....>.> *mumbles irritated and darkly under her breath*

 

[Rox_My_Sox1]

So WHERE did this 'spark' come from?

If the spark your referring to is sensuality I'm gonna say the human mind is almost always thinking about sexual things (seriously...almost 75% of the day actually). Who can really blame us humans though for that? Getting together and cuddling/tickling or even engaging in some bondage play with man/woman you truly love and want to be with is truly a wonderful way to pass the time.

Sexuality has been a big influence not just on civilizations (from Egyptian slave women dancing for the pleasure of a pharaoh to "Roman slave women being dressed up in elaborate show costumes and used by the mistresses of roman senators as Pony girls for grand races in the coliseum) but also a big influence on many important figures in history (even Catherine the Great was rumored have dungeons beneath her palace where she "visited" beautiful servant girls she had imprisoned for being disobedient).

Now a days it's less of a nobleman's (or noblewoman's) divine privilege and right to enjoy sexual foreplay and more of a commonly accepted thing (as long as things don't get to out of hand [aka child pornography and such]) for adults of all countries and elasticities to enjoy being sexual once and awhile. It's a sad fact though that many religions espoused by humans (especially Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) do their best to restrict the expression and celebration of a persons sexuality.