What Are Sex Fetishes?

Published November 01, 2008 by:
Lourdes Portela

What things make us sexually excited? Many, and if we consider how complicated our brain is, we realize that it can react to infinite possibilities. At the end, sex is a physical activity that is possible if the brain is being stimulated. We can perform sexually if we are excited, and the way to stimulate us depends on our preferences.

Every person is sexually turned on by different things; Men are quite more visual than women, they enjoy looking and they are aroused by what they see. For most women, the brain is their more important sex organ, they like to elaborate deeper the sexual situations that make them sexually excited.

Sexual fetishes are the things that sexually excite us the most, in a way that is almost obsessive. We need this particular thing to have a gratifying sexual experience, and we fantasy about it while we have sex or when we masturbate.

The word fetish comes from the Portuguese, and it means "powerful object" or talisman. The meaning of the word gives us an idea of the power that a fetish has in some people to allow them to enjoy sex. The psychological meaning of the word fetish is that we need to transfer the power of something important for us to a manageable copy.

Why people need fetishes to enjoy sex? Everybody is sexually turned on by something they like. We have brains and imagination, we don't copulate only as a physical need, and that makes us different from most animals. Our own personality is part of the reasons why we are obsessed by something that turn us on sexually. Introverted and shy people maybe would need to feel powerful, and dominate sexually the others; that people will enjoy bondage and sadistic sexual practices. And in the opposite, if we have plenty of responsibilities and we are used to lead others, we may like to feel submissive and being sexually controlled. Our life history can also be a reason for our sexual fetishes: if we were raised in a family ruled by strong characters, we may enjoy having sex with dominant persons, or the opposite; the possibilities are infinite.

There are many types of sex fetishes. When we think about it, one of the first ones that come to mind is the bondage and dominance; that is the need to feel powerful and dominate our sexual partner. The paraphernalia that comes with this, as leather, vinyl and pain infliction tools, are as important as the sexual activity per se. We are turned on by the materials, by look at and touch the leather, or the vinyl. The same happens with the opposite, when we enjoy being dominated we love to touch a whip or masturbate with a high heel leather boot.

Feet are other popular sex fetish; some people can orgasm using their partner's feet, and this can be extended to other body parts, as hands or even teeth. The person that is sexually turned on by feet normally enjoys play with shoes as well.

Some men are sexually obsessed by cosmetics and make up, and they are excited when women wear lipstick or nail polish, and they can even use these things in themselves.

More extreme fetishes involve physical real pain, and the vision of suffering and blood, and the use of feces. The "golden rain", or the pleasure obtained by urination is a popular sexual fetish.

Is it wrong to enjoy sexual fetishes? The line between what is right or wrong in sex is difficult to draw. Everybody fantasizes when they have sex, and all of us have something special we like that helps us to feel sexually aroused. If these things become an obsession that interfere in the rest of our lives, stopping us for living as we want, they can be dangerous, and can be a sign that something is wrong with us. We should reconsider what we are doing as well if we realize that our sex fetishes are harmful to others who don't want to be harmed.

What is wrong or right depends of many different factors, and I think that every person has the right to explore and enjoy sex to the maximum extend, drawing lines only to stop themselves causing or suffering an unwanted pain or any kind of damage.

From: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1141628/what_are_sex_fetishes__pg2.html?cat=7