Have a shoe fetish? Join the club. Refitism is everywhere. We are legion.
Since the inception of Hollywood, gorgeous gams and pretty pedicured feet in sandals, stilettos, or high heeled boots have been an object of worship.
High fashion depends on our shoe obsession, as did the entire franchise of Sex in the City. We love to wear them, and we love to look at them.
There is something incredibly sensual about the lines of a woman’s foot in a high heeled shoe. There are also endless nuances of power exchange—a spiky heeled shoe is rock ‘n’ roll and defiant femininity, a slinky slipper is ultra feminine yet the wearer is somehow in charge.
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What Is a Shoe Fetish?
Shoe fetishism is simply the strong sexual attraction to shoes or to feet with shoes on, or people wearing shoes.
The shoe fetish means the fetishist derives sexual arousal and pleasure from shoes, and attributes attractive or sexual qualities to the aesthetic of shoes, and often to the tactile sensation or textures.
The shoe fetish has also been called refitism, derived from an erotic novel praising shoes, by Nicolas Edme Retif in the 18th century.
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The shoe fetish and shoes as sexual currency and power exist in many cultures. The entire foot-binding culture of ancient China, where upper class women were tortured, was shoe obsessed. The embroidered tiny shoes they wore were emblems of helplessness, as well as luxury.
Dance shoes are also a contrast between sweet and slippery softness, and steely determination. Ballet shoes are the subject of many films and artworks. Pointe shoes are pink and sensuous—yet they signify powerful, rigorous, obsessive hard work and torturous practice and discipline.
Shoes and beauty and power and sexuality are intricately intermingled in our shopping and fucking psyches! Those of us who seldom wear high heels (outside at least) still adore them. Even if our high heel obsession is not a bona fide shoe fetish or refitism, we still share the attraction.
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7 Types of Shoe Fetish
Shoe fetishism can be broad, with the shoe fetishist attracted to a wide array of footwear, or very specific.
1. High Heel Fetish
What is more sensual and sexy and powerful than a woman in high heels? The high heel shoe fetish is enduring and widespread. Almost everyone finds high heels sexy at least some of the time, and for many, sexual attraction and pleasure depends on it or is at least greatly enhanced by high heels.
Heels fetish is very common and can be a strong preference sexually, with any kind of high heel stirring lust and excitement.
2. Sneaker Fetish
The sneaker fetish is also quite common. Watching women work out in their athletic shoes and yoga pants, or jog by bouncing and breathing hard—sneakers suggests sweat, passion, and power.
Sneakers can be a fashion obsession and status symbol as much as high heels. The fetishism for buying pricy status sneakers and the glorification of athletic culture as well as the hip hop kings and queens hawking sneakers has led to kicks being a prize possession, tied to sexual attraction.
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3. Sandal Fetish
Sandals of various styles are kind of like shoe lingerie. The sandal fetish is a strong preference for sandals. This is all about the partial nakedness of the foot—the toes peeking all flirty out of a shoe. Sandals are like a g-string for the foot, or foot jewelry. Most people who prefer the sandal also have a foot fetish.
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4. Ballet Shoe Fetish
The ballet shoe fetish admires the ballet pointe shoe, which places the foot into an unnatural position like a swan neck. The contrast between the sensual softness of the dancer’s feet and the unnatural structure of the pointe shoes is suggestive of the encasement bondage kink.
The elegance and power of the dance itself is literally rooted in the ballet shoes, and this endows the pointe shoe with a kind of iconic power.
5. Stinky or Sweaty Shoe Fetish
The shoe fetish for some people is all about the sweaty scent of the foot that was in it, mingled with the leather or other fabrics of the shoe. The stinkier the better, for most! It is the same concept as the panty sniffing kink, but the object that brings the most pleasure is the stinky shoe or the sweaty shoe.
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6. Boot Fetish
The boot is a fully enclosed shoe that covers more of the foot, at least to the ankle and sometimes up to the knee or even mid thigh. Some shoe fetishists have a very strong preference for boots.
7. Pumps Fetish
Pumps are mid-heeled to high-heeled women’s shoes with closed toes. They can be pointy or round toed. Some people with a shoe fetish are most drawn to pump style shoes. Many of those with a pump fetish also have a pantyhose fetish.
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7 Shoe Play Ideas and Related Kinks
There are endless ways to play with a shoe fetish. Here are some ideas.
1. Shoe Dangling
Women (or men in high heels!) can tantalize their partner by flirting or seducing with a dangling shoe. The half-on, half-off shoe is a suggestive promise and for lots of us, just seeing it gets our motors racing.
2. Sex with Shoes On
It’s easy to indulge a lover’s love of shoes—just leave them on in bed! This can also work in tandem with the clothed-female naked-male (CFNM) kink.
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3. Shoe Worship
Shoe worship involves touching, licking, kissing, smelling, and gazing at shoes. This can be part of BDSM dominance and submission, or all about the shoe fetish itself.
4. Locking Fetish Shoes
Just like chastity cages or belts, but for the feet! You can lock her feet up with locking fetish shoes, and you hold the key. Or your femdom can lock your feet into locking fetish shoes.
5. Trampling and Crush Fetish
The shoe fetish features into many shoe-related kinks, such as being trampled or crushed. Many folks like the idea of being humiliated by being walked over and crushed by someone in the shoes of their fetish choice.
Read: Trample Fetish: The Kink of Stepping & Stomping
6. Cross Dressing Shoe Fetish
Simply wearing shoes can be part of a shoe fetish—women know that wearing their favorite shoes makes us feel like a million bucks. Guys can enjoy wearing the shoes that drive them wild too.
Read: How to Enjoy Your Crossdressing Fetish
7. Shop & Show
Indulge your lover with that new pair of shoes they have been lusting after. Before wearing them out on the town, have them parade them up and down your private runway with a selection of different outfits. This fashion show may be too hot to make it out of the house!
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Do you have a shoe fetish? How do you indulge your fetish? Please share!
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