boot fetishism

One of the earliest descriptions of boots as a fetishistic object can be found in Émile Zola's 1868 novel {{lang|fr|Thérèse Raquin}}.Edward Shorter: Written in the Flesh: A History of Desire. University of Toronto Press 2005, pages 222-223, {{ISBN|0-8020-3843-3}} Actual boot fetishism is described in the diaries of 19th-century British woman Hannah Cullwick, of which parts have been published.{{cn|date=November 2021}}

Hermine Hug-Hellmuth described boot fetishism scientifically in 1915.Whitney Davis: [https://books.google.com/books?id=uG3V-Cov3UwC&pg=PA326 Replications: Archaeology, Art History, Psychoanalysis]. Pennsylvania Stat Press 1996, page 326, {{ISBN|027104411X}}. Accessed August 27, 2013. This article has also been published in English with comments by Arlene K. Richards in 1990, as Female fetishes and female perversions: Hermine Hug-Hellmuth's "A case of female foot or more properly boot fetishism" reconsidered.Psychoanalytic Review, Vol. 77, No. 1, 1990, pp. 11-23, [http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1990-22871-001 American Psychological Association]. Accessed August 27, 2013.

Boots were used by Stanley Rachman as a subject for research on conditioning as a cause for fetishism in the 1960s, making men sexually aroused by seeing pictures of boots,S. Rachman: Sexual fetishism: An experimental analogue. The Psychological Record, Vol 16(3), 1966, 293-296. but the results have been put into question later, as boots already were very much en vogue for sexually attractive women at the time.[https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2012/aug/08/50-shades-grey-psychology-sexual-arousal Dean Burnett: Fifty Shades of Grey matter: the psychology of sexual arousal], The Guardian, August 8, 2012. Accessed August 27, 2013.

Unlike shoes, boot styles have often appeared as street wear before they inspire fashion designers.Quinn, p. 130 Boots are usually seen as a sign of empowerment for the wearer, especially when worn by women.Quinn, p. 152–169 This may be a reason for the connection to BDSM, where boots usually are seen as a statement of dominance. So-called boot worship became a common subcultural practice among sadomasochists and related fetishists in the early 20th century.Quinn, p. 73

High-heeled boots help to elongate the calf, creating a longer-legged appearance which is generally considered to be more sexually attractive. The length of the boot shafts also adds to this impression. Boots have been displayed in magazines such as Leg Show, and there are also magazines and websites aimed directly at this fetish.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Boot fetishism may be accompanied by a fetish for the material from which it is made, such as leather, rubber, or latex - the latter two giving rise to the fetishization of Wellington boots. Boot fetishism is often targeted at fashion boots and riding boots but there are also boots expressly made for fetish purposes, such as ballet boots and some forms of thigh-high boots.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Thigh-high boots are perhaps the type of boots that are most popularly associated with boot fetishism.

There is also a very prominent subsection of mostly gay men who fetishize men's boots, with "boot worship" being a common practice in this group, to the point where there is a yearly contest to see who is the best bootblack.{{cite web|url=http://www.imrl.com/bootblack/index.php|title=Bootblack Contest|website=International Mr. Leather}} The types of boots favored by men differ from those worn by women, with men typically preferring more sturdy, rugged boots, such as combat boots, rigger boots, jump boots, motorcycle boots, or riding boots.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

These boots feature prominently in outfits worn by leather enthusiasts in competitions such as International Mr. Leather.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Hsu and J. Michael Bailey (2019) argue that there is little evidence for "sexual conditioning" explanations of boot fetishism, since only a small minority of men who have seen attractive women in boots develop boot fetishes. They also say that "boot fetishes would not occur in a world without boots, and in a world where men and women switched boots, different patterns of fetishes would likely develop". They argue that random developmental processes which are still poorly understood make some men more prone to developing paraphilias and fetishes.{{Cite journal|last1=Hsu|first1=Kevin J.|last2=Bailey|first2=J. Michael|author-link2=J. Michael Bailey|date=2019|title=The Poverty of Conditioning Explanations for Sexual Interests: Reply to Grey (2019)|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336818727|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior|language=en|volume=49|issue=1|pages=53–55|doi=10.1007/s10508-019-01561-5|pmid=31650324|s2cid=254255382 |issn=1573-2800|via=ResearchGate|doi-access=}}

The television series The Avengers, which ran in the 1960s, often featured fetishistic clothing, with Emma Peel, played by Diana Rigg, wearing thigh-high boots as a characteristic sign of her as a sexy and strong woman.Quinn, p. 159–160 Patrick Macnee and Rigg's predecessor Honor Blackman (as Cathy Gale) released a 45 RPM single in 1964 entitled "Kinky Boots".Ken Tucker. [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,312961,00.html All You Need Is Steed: 'Avengers' You Can Dance To] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623192759/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,312961,00.html |date=2013-06-23 }}, Entertainment Weekly, January 11, 1991. Accessed August 27, 2013.

Female comic book super heroines and villains, like Wonder Woman and Catwoman, also often wear boots as a sign of combined female power and sex appeal.Quinn, p. 161–162

Jill, protagonist of the video game Mighty Jill Off, is a sexual submissive with a fetish for boots.{{cite web |last=Shoemaker |first=Brad |url=http://www.giantbomb.com/super-meat-boy/3030-25114/|title=Super Meat Boy (video game )|publisher=Giant Bomb |date=2010-10-19 |access-date=2011-04-25}}

{{Portal|Human sexuality}}

• List of boots
• Foot fetishism
• Fuck-me boots
• Shoe fetishism
• Bootblacking (BDSM)
• People:
• Charles Guyette
• Eric Stanton
• Gene Bilbrew
• Irving Klaw
• John Willie
• Lionel Bussey

{{Sex fetish}}

Fetishism

Category:Sexual fetishism

Fetishism