From movie and reality TV portrayals to the Internet, fetishism holds a place in popular culture. But how much is fact and how much is fiction?
Defining a fetish
A "fetish" is generally an inanimate object that is given a sexual function or association when it normally would not, Kinsey Institute Communications Director Jennifer Bass said.
"The classic term of a fetish is more like an object than a person," Bass said. "A fetish is an object that is not considered a sexual object but is used for a sexual purpose ... like shoes."
Attractions to specific people or types of people deemed non-normative would fit under the general heading of paraphilia, which defines all actions or desires "outside the sexual norm," Bass said. She also said that the meanings of paraphilia and the sub-classification of fetish are loosely defined.
Medically, the "umbrella" definition of paraphilia is for some people considered controversial and subjective, explained Dr. Margaret Nichols, an American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists certified sex therapist, and director of the Institute for Personal Growth. "It's a hodgepodge of so-called sexual-mental disorders, ranging from transvestic fetishism, which is men dressing in women's clothing, to pedophilia, which is a non-consensual act, to people who liked to be spanked ... It's [any sexual act] statistically [deemed] non-normative," Nichols said. "Fetishism is another one of these subjective definitions -- if feet turn you on you're a fetishist, but if lingerie turns you on it's normal."
Nichols said some aspects of the definition of paraphilia are based on dominant cultural norms and social stigmas, as was the case in the 1970s with the American Psychiatric Association's designation of homosexuality as a paraphilic.
"People lose their jobs, housing and kids all the time because of their participation in adult sexual acts," she said, noting "there is a lot of practical significance" to the definition of paraphilia.
The world of fetishes
Many popular conceptions of fetishes are related to the materials used in sexual interaction, explained Dr. Russell J. Stambaugh, member of the Board of Directors for AASECT.
"As the term fetish is used in the popular imagination, it relates to anything people find really sexy," Stambaugh said, noting leather is one of the most popular fetishes.
Other types of fetishes include scatological materials, bonding or piercing, Bass said.
Having a fetish does not necessarily mean that a person is unable to have sexual encounters without the desired item present, Stambaugh said, noting the partner may become "more attractive as they happen to have this kind of [accessory] at that moment, but if you don't have that leather mini-skirt it doesn't mean you can't have sex."
The rise of the Internet has played a significant role in history of fetishism, Stambaugh said. "There is a huge amount of material [such as pornography] available to people for free ... The opportunity costs to get involved in such material has gone way down," he said.
There has also been a growth in "Web site communities with similar interests... They can have it their way -- a kind of 'Burger King' theory of sexuality," he noted.
Counseling for fetishes
Despite the rise of the Internet, the number of people who are considered fetishists is statistically low, Stambaugh said.
Dr. Russ Federman, director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Student Health, said students do come in for counseling and referral due to complications with fetishes.
"The physical manifestation of a fetish represents a lot of complex psychological issues, and it needs to be understood and sorted through," Federman said. "Usually [students who have contacted CAPS] would be referred out because paraphilia, given its complexity, is not easily amenable to short-term [counseling]."
Counseling for fetishes may relate to a number of different problems, Stambaugh said.
Some people "complain of individual problems within [themselves], but there is very little of that," he said. "It could be a problem for a partner ... a lot of people are worried about catering to the fetishes of their partners."
The roots of fetishes
There are a number of hypotheses related to the origins of a person's fetish, mostly because "the science is poor," Stambaugh explained. One belief psychoanalysts used to hold, he noted, was that sexual fetishes had their origins in transitional objects, such as baby blankets and stuffed animals from childhood.
"One of the most famous papers is about transitional objects, like Linus' blanket from the 'Peanuts' [comic strip], and fetishes," he said, noting fetishists may have been "attached to these things when they faced growing up [because these objects made the] transition easier to bear ... but millions of people have transitional objects ... and we don't know if they grow up to be fetishists."
Another theory links fetishes to traumatic experiences where people fixate upon objects, Stambaugh said, noting that again, evidence is not conclusive.
Though sexual attraction to non-sexual objects may still be a gray area today, as studies of its origin progress, it may not have to remain in the dark.
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