Resources

A dictionary of fetishes & kinks

Definitions, icons, and the abbreviation codes used to reference each fetish or kink across the site. Not a clinical or exhaustive registry — just the terms most commonly encountered.

Know one that should be added? Submit it here.

A

Sexual humiliation is the consensual use of psychological humiliation in a sexual context, whereby one person gains arousal or erotic excitement from the mixed and powerful emotions of being humiliated and demeaned. The humiliation need not be sexual in itself, as with many other sexual activities it is the feelings derived from it which are sought, regardless of the nature of the actual activity. It can be verbal or physical, and can be relatively private or public. Often it can become ritualized, and unlike some sexual variations it can also be easily carried out over a long distance or online. The distinction between humiliation and dominance in an activity such as erotic spanking is that the sought after effect is primarily the humiliation, the activity is just a means to that end.

Whilst mild or moderate humiliation is not an uncommon part of BDSM or other sexual roleplay, humiliation play can be taken to a point where it becomes considered edgeplay by most people, either due to its extreme nature or due to the controversial views on its psychological impact. This is a highly subjective issue, and depends greatly on context.

Sexual humiliation is very open ended. Broadly it can be divided into verbal, and physical aspects. Verbal aspects might include:

- Verbal belittlement, such as "slave", "boy", "girl", "missy", "pet".

- Insults and verbal abuse, such as "fat", "ugly", "stupid", "worthless".

- Degrading references such as "slut", "tart", "bitch", "faggot" and "whore".

- Slighting of body parts or behaviors, such as disparaging or cruel references to breasts, facial appearance, genitalia or genital size, bottom, and slighting of mannerisms such as walking, responsiveness, standard of self-care.

- Having to ask permission for everyday activities such as toilet, or eating or spending money.

- Small penis humiliation, where scorn is addressed towards the supposed inadequacy of the male's genitals or his inability to please a woman (and by implication his essential worthlessness as a man and his penis becomes an object of play for the woman).

- Forced repetition, such as being obliged to repeat back commands to confirm them.

- Mockery and ridicule.

Physical and tangible aspects might include:

- Ejaculating,defecating, spitting, slapping or urinating on the bottom's body or, especially, the face.

- Performance of menial tasks or abusive workload such as cleaning the floors with a toothbrush.

- Detailed accountability and control (micro-management) as to time spent or activities done, including list of jobs to do, precise directions as to how the housework is to be performed, exactly how to act and behave, and so on.

- Specific rituals and affectations to be adopted. This includes displays of subservience, such as lighting cigarettes, walking a pace behind the dominant, only speaking when spoken to, kneeling or eating after others, low status place to sleep, kissing the dominant's feet or licking their boots, etc.

- Roleplaying "lower status" beings such as animals (for example dog or horse) or babies (see human animal roleplay and adult baby play).

- Spanking, whipping, restraint or other BDSM activities such as cock and ball torture (CBT).

- Prohibitions or restrictions on clothing, or feminizing, cross dressing and/or sissification.

- Use of chastity belts or other means of erotic sexual denial.

- Wearing of external signs of "ownership" such as a collar.

- Having friends, family or strangers aware of or witnessing one's treatment (i.e.: public humiliation).

- Erotic objectification, where the bottom is cast in the role of an object, such as a footstool.

- Embarrassment.

- Forced Homosexuality

Some sexual humiliation involves inflicting pain but much of it is far more concerned with ridicule, mocking, degradation and embarrassment.

Sexual roleplaying may or may not involve humiliation. For example, one person might play the part of a dog because they enjoy being mock-forced into it and the top will emphasize the lowness of the bottom's status as an animal, whereas another person might play the role of the dog without any element of humiliation, simply as an expression of their inner animal or playful spirit.

B

C

Smoking fetishism ("capnolagnia") is a sexual fetish (paraphilia), consisting of the fetishisation of the smoking of tobacco and marijuana. Among heterosexual men, the fetish is often associated with oral fixations and fellatio.

A number of smoking fetish websites and discussion groups dedicated to gay men exist. The smoking fetish in gay men appears to be somewhat different from the general smoking fetish. There seem to be several subgroups of fetishists which differ depending on what aspect of smoking they found arousing. Some involve taking pleasure in watching visually dominant men smoking. For instance, it might include big and hairy men or men in uniform smoking a cigar, although the fetish might not be linked to cigar smoking. Another subgroup involves a fascination of young men smoking (usually cigarettes).

Some of these fetishers appear to be attracted to the "innocent young man" picking up smoking and the rebellious aspects of this action. Some may link this to "growing up" and becoming a real man. The fetish might also involve a fascination with the fact that the lungs of a healthy, clean, pure body of a young man becomes filled with harmful smoke. In some cases the fetish appears to be linked with the fascination with smoke damage - the fetisher might find it arousing that a healthy man will subject himself to the damage of smoking.

In spite of these differences, most gay men smoking web sites do not cater to either subgroup. They just focus on the general aspects of the fetish by posting pictures, novels etc. so the individual user is left to find the items most appealing to him.

Some fetishists have a fascination with the addictive properties of nicotine, and its ability to cause harm, and there is a sub-fetish relating to women or men being harmed by smoking, sometimes called "lung damage". For women this is seen in videos showing women smoking and coughing, suggesting self-destructiveness. More common videos are those showing a woman or a man in bondage, being forced to smoke or to inhale smoke.

"Glamor" smoking and "dark side" smoking are the major divisions within the fetish. The glamor aspect of the fetish emphasizes the way smoking visually enhances women's sexual appeal; the dark side links smoking to female domination, bondage and domination, and sadism/masochism.

Both elements may be related to the appeal of the "bad girl" and the fantasy that even a "girl next door" type who smokes may be a tigress in the bedroom. A handful of producers specialize in videos appealing to one or both sides of the fetish.

The glamorous aspect of women' smoking traditionally has had wide appeal, among the general population as well as among those who find it sexually arousing. This appeal has always been emphasized in cigarette advertising, and undoubtedly one reason young women have been drawn to smoking cigarettes. Historically considered a masculine habit, the feminization of smoking with the advent of fashion brands specifically marketed towards women has drawn the attention of fetishists who see the use of these brands as a way for women to increase or enhance their sexual appeal. Most often this fascination is focused on young fashion-conscious professional women who are the target demographic for these brands, which are differentiated by slimness and added length over traditional brands of cigarettes. Videos for the glamor smoking fetish are typically a model or models smoking, sometimes directly to the camera (representing the viewer) but more often with the camera as an observer. Sub-fetishes may include specific cigarette brands (e.g. Marlboros, Newports), types (corks, lengths), holders (often with the woman wearing gloves), or specific methods of smoking (e.g. smoking multiple cigarettes, nostril exhaling smoke, french inhaling smoke, blowing smoke rings). Additionally, there are a plethora of web sites that have both videos and pictures of (typically) women giving oral sex whilst smoking, as well as in various sex positions, and often being ejaculated on whilst smoking.

The dark side of smoking emphasizes the dominance of the woman smoker, whether in BDSM fetish gear or as the "take charge" sadistic girlfriend. Videos produced for this aspect of the fetish often show a man in bondage with one or more women blowing smoke in his face, "ashing" him, forcing him to eat their ashes, and possibly being burned. Because of its relation to male humiliation and masochism, the dark side of the smoking fetish is most often combined with other fetishes, including corporal punishment. Dark side fetishists also include those whose attraction is to the lit cigarette (as an implement of pain) or to an ashtray of butts (as an object with which to humiliate him).

D

This is a paraphilia fetish where the sexuoerotic stimulus is associated with piercing, (puncturing the skin with a needle). This fetish can encompass the act of piercing others, the act of being pierced, or the aestheitic of piercing jewelry on onesself or other's. In some cases, the fetish centers around permanent piercings, but in most cases, temporary "play" piercings.

Play piercings, needle play, or recreational acupuncture is body piercing done for the purpose of enjoying the experience rather than producing a permanent body decoration. Needles, sharpened bones, or other tools used in play piercing are usually removed from the body when the episode is complete, allowing holes to heal over. Those who engage in play piercing may do so for self-expression, as a part of a ritual imitating mock tribal cultures, for the purpose of spiritual self-discovery, for sexual pleasure, for simple entertainment, raising awareness or relieving boredom.

Play piercing as part of a BDSM scene can produce an intense natural endorphin high which can last for hours and can induce orgasm in many of the people who experience it. The experience of multiple piercings in an erotically or spiritually charged context is qualitatively very different from the experience most people have had with phlebotomists in medical settings, in part because the needle is placed 'through' the skin at a tangent so that both ends are accessible, rather than 'into' the skin.

Play piercing should always be carried out using new sterile hypodermic needles or acupuncture needles, and preferably on skin which has been cleaned with an antiseptic such as alcohol or povidone iodine (which is a potential allergen), by people who have been properly trained. Improper technique can result in the transmission of bloodborne diseases (due to needlestick injuries, for example) or puncture wounds, but if done correctly there is far less danger of injury or infection than from being scratched by a cat due to the depth of insertion being controlled and the use of a sterilized needle.

Needles may be arranged in aesthetically pleasing configurations such as a smiley face, may be laced together like a corset, or may be used to sew on temporary decorations such as bells using sterile thread. Twisting of the needle(s) or pulling them away from the skin will also result a different type of sensation.

A more extreme form of play piercing is flesh hook suspension where a person is suspended vertically or horizontally by two or more hooks through their flesh. This practice is done in some cultures as a rite of passage or as part of a BDSM performance. There are also dance rituals in which flesh hooks attached to multiple people are attached together.

Dominance and submission, and the inner conflict and surrender connected to these are enduring themes in human culture and civilization as well as human sexuality. Human beings share with many other mammals the instinct to look up to certain individuals who become leaders often through strength of will and personality, and to lead or follow, submit or dominate. In human sexuality this has broadened out to include mutual exploration of roles, emotions and activities (such as sensation play, the exploration of intense physical sensation as an end in itself) which would be difficult or impossible to do without a willing partner taking an opposing role.

As such, D/s is far more subtle than its initial appearance of those who are cruel and want to brutalize, but some people like sensations of pain to an extent. Modern BDSM is very different from this (see #Myths), is based upon a deep ethos of mutual respect and has developed an entire subculture of values and approaches within which such explorations of oneself and ones relationships can take place in a safe, sane and consensual manner within either or both roles.

D/s may be ritualised or freeform. It is usually a negotiated lifestyle, where people discuss their wishes, limits and needs, seeking commonality. As such it may exist within, or separate to, a sexual or marital relationship and indeed in many ways may be considered a form of relationship of its own. This would not be so much because it is sexual, loving or long term (although it may be any or all of these), but because the essential intensity, trust and intimacy within it that are similar to those required to make any deep relationship possible.

There can be any number of partners in a D/s relationship, with one dominant sometimes having several submissives, who may in turn dominate others, or a submissive sometimes may have multiple dominants. Relationships may be monogamous or polyamorous. Romantic love is not necessarily a feature in D/s, partners might be very much in love or have no romantic relationship at all.

Variation in D/s (or BDSM for that matter) is virtually limitless and the activities take many forms, and may include servitude, verbal abuse, erotic humiliation, consensual slavery and sexual slavery and may be combined with other forms of BDSM in myriad combinations. A classic example of D/s is the Sissymaid, where an adult male dresses in cartoonish female clothing and performs stereotypical female chores such as houscleaning or serving tea.

Some D/s relationships are sexual, others completely chaste. Fantasy role play can also be a part, with partners taking classic dominant/submissive roles such as teacher/student, police officer/suspect or parent/child. Animal Play, where one partner takes the role of owner/caretaker and the other takes the part of a pet or animal, can also be D/s play.

E

In BDSM, gunplay is used to refer to the practice of including actual or sometimes simulated firearms into a scene.

The motivations for this vary significantly among participants with some using it as another method to experience/control fear while others see the power of a weapon as a symbol for dominance since it has often meant just that in history.

is rare that the weapon is loaded during a gunplay scene though a minority of gunplayers do in fact use loaded weapons for this activity. More commonly the gun is part of a mindfuck where the bottom is led to believe that there is a real risk of injury or death when no such risk from discharge exists.

Bottoms who are involved in gunplay scenes often describe how easily one can become fearful about having a weapon pointed at them, even when they know for a fact that the weapon is unloaded. Upon examination it seems not that they are dwelling on the possibility of an error by their top or dominant but that the mind's reaction to a gun is visceral and transcends the logical knowledge of safety issues.

Within the community debate rages over whether the use of a gun in a scene can be safe, sane and consensual under any circumstances, loaded or not and this is one of the reasons why gunplayers and others into edgeplay often identify as risk-aware consensual kinks.

Knifeplay is form of consensual BDSM edgeplay involving knives, daggers, and swords as a source of physical and mental stimulation. Knives are typically used to cut away clothing, scratch the skin, remove wax after wax play, or simply provide sensual stimulation. Knife play is sometimes, but not always, a form of fear play. Knife play can also be a form of temperature play or body modification. The 'victim' in some cases, is shown a sharp implement, and then blindfolded, and a blunt knife used on their skin. Usually sharp knives are used but for certain purposes special dull knives such as an oyster knife or a butter knife may be used for a mindfuck (for example: the practice of insertive sex play without the certain knowledge of the submissive that an exchange of implementsblunt for sharphas occurred. This is a form of fear play, yet it still maintains safety).

Knife play itself is quite broad. Such scenes can include anything from slowly and sensually scraping wax off a body or moving a blade along the persons skin without cutting them to role play where the fantasy abductor slices off the (willing) victim's clothing. Knife play can also break the skin, either for light scratches or deep cuts meant to scar.

For many knifeplay can be highly erotic, as the physical and psychological reactions can be intense. It is also an activity that takes a great amount of care to learn properly. As with any sort of edge play that can potentially draw blood, there is the risk of passing diseases along. Also, there is the risk of cutting the wrong spot and causing excessive blood loss, or accidental stabbing.

F

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K

Latex fetishism is the fetishistic attraction to people wearing latex clothing, or in certain cases, to the garments themselves. Sometimes this is called rubber fetishism also, as latex is closely-related to rubber (the latter usually being thicker and less shiny, more matte). Latex or rubber fetishists sometimes refer to themselves as "Rubberists". Gay Rubberists tend to call themselves "Rubbermen".

One reason why latex, and other tight shiny fabrics may be fetishised is perhaps that the garment forms a "second skin" that acts as a fetishistic surrogate for the wearer's own skin. Thus, wearers of skin-tight latex or PVC garments may be perceived by the viewer as being naked, or simply coated in a shiny substance like paint. Latex and PVC can also be polished to be shiny and can also be produced in bright colours, adding further visual stimulus to add to the physical sensations produced by the material. The tightness of the garments may also be viewed as a kind of sexual bondage. The smell of latex rubber is also a turn-on for some rubber fetishists, and such garments are usually impregnated with chemicals to enhance the odour. Rubberists also enjoy the idea of exhibitionism and some fantasise about going out in public wearing fetish attire. Some do this, especially in the more liberal areas (Berlin, New York, San Francisco, etc).

A compelling reason that people are turned on by wearing rubber is its transformative abilities. As with any costume, a rubberist can imagine themselves having a new identity, especially one that permits a different code of behavior.

Some latex enthusiasts are also turned on by the wearing of draped latex garments such as cloaks. Other rubber paraphernalia, such as wet suits,gas masks, splash suits, Mackintoshes, galoshes and Wellington boots, are also often added to the scenario. Heavier fetishists often attempt duplicating all kinds of "everyday wear" into a rubber counterpart. Some PVC enthusiasts are turned on by PVC Hazmat suits and other forms of industrial protective clothing.

Latex fetishism often involves dressing up in the material, or looking at it worn by sexual partners, or fantasies about wearers of skin-tight or other latex garments, such as divers and workers wearing industrial protective clothing. Another common stereotype of is the image of a dominatrix wearing a skin-tight latex or PVC catsuit, usually jet-black.

For hygienic reasons, many sex toys such as dildos and butt plugs are made from rubber or similar materials, and this is also a factor in rubber fetishism. Some rubber fetishists are also medical fetishists or have an interest in klismaphilia - medical gloves and catheters are made from latex, as well as condoms.

Mask fetishism is a desire to see a subject wearing a mask or taking off a mask. The mask may be a Halloween mask, a surgical mask, ninja mask, a latex mask, or any other kind of mask. A similar fetish for women wearing Muslim or harem veils is veil fetishism.

There are many kinds of bondage hoods. A full-face hood is designed to cover the head completely in the manner of a mediaeval executioner's mask, and thus has an opening at the back to extend the neck hole. This opening may be closed up with a zip or cord. (Spandex hoods are often stretchy enough to go on without any extension of the neck hole.) Other optional openings include two eye holes (sometimes these can be closed using zips, as in an episode of the TV show, Family Guy), nostril openings, and a mouth opening (which is often closed with a zip or used by a gag that goes over the hood).

Spandex hoods are see-through, so a blindfold is also required if the intention is to keep the person from seeing. Darlex lets very little light through, and the other materials allow virtually no light through at all (though some may get in through breathing holes for the mouth and nostrils and/or poor eye zips).

Hoods can also be complemented by a gag or a mouth dildo, mouth or nostril tubes channelling respiration or even a funnel and tube system allowing forced drinking of any liquid poured in the funnel, such as urine (compare Funnel gag).

Wearing a hood is potentially extremely dangerous, as blocking all access to air will result in rapid asphyxiation. The safety warnings regarding gags also apply. It is wise to use a hood with a mouth hole and a gag over the hood that can be removed quickly.

There are also similar tight-fitting open-faced hoods, which are much safer to use because they do not obstruct the wearer's breathing. One of the most popular kinds is the "ponygirl" hood. This covers the wearer's entire head and neck with a large opening in front that frames the face in the manner of a medieval wimple or traditional nun's habit.

The open-faced hood, which fits snugly over the head much like a swimming cap, sometimes tapers down at the center of the wearer's forehead in a curved V-shape, thus creating a kind of heart-shaped frame for the face.

These hoods may have a small opening at the top, allowing lengthy strands of the wearer's hair to be tightly gathered, threaded through and left hanging down the back of the head as a ponytail, possibly for use in hair bondage. Other hoods of this type have no such opening for hair and instead feature a plume made of artificial hair protruding from the top and down the back of the head as a kind of decorative mock-ponytail. Using these for hair bondage may result in the ponytail breaking off.

Bondage hoods are most notably used in BDSM, their function being to objectify the wearer as well as providing sensory deprivation, and thus reduce them to the status of a sexual toy, rather than a sexual partner, as part of a scene. A rigid, tight-fitting hood (which typically means leather or latex) greatly reduces a gagged person's ability to make any noise at all. Ponygirl bondage hoods are often an essential fetish garment for BDSM ponyplay. Hoods are also used in head bondage.

A hood can also serve the function of disguising someone's identity when desired, for example at play parties. Tight-fitting open-faced bondage hoods are sometimes worn by dominatrices to depersonalize and erotically objectify the wearer, projecting an image of intimidating sexual power and superiority. Some feel that the aesthetic appeal of these open-faced hoods in BDSM lies in the way that they define the shape of the wearer's head with a smooth, shiny, luxuriant form-fitting fabric.

L

Fat fetishism is a sexual fetish in which sexual pleasure is derived from oneself or one's parter being overweight or obese. The weight ranges from being only mildly overweight or so obese as to be immobile and unable to walk. However, some argue that this is not a fetish and is simply a preference - as is liking, for example, women with large breasts or blonde hair.

The homosexual and heterosexual communities tend to parallel each other. In a basic fat fetish relationship, one or both partners are overweight. Often, the thin partner takes a dominant role due to the other's reduced mobility.

The relationship becomes more complex if feederism is involved.

Fat fetishism may at times overlap with breast fetish (especially large breasts), breast expansion fetish, inflation fetish and pregnancy fetish.

The fondling of the adipose tissue of an overweight or obese person for one with a fat fetish is usually sexually arousing and is often similar to that of mammary intercourse. They may be aroused by the presence of a pannus or other hanging flaps of skin such as those on the thighs, arms, back and other places. For those aroused by an obese male, the presence of fat under the chest simulating breasts (also known as "man boobs") is arousing.

The issue of erotic weight gain has caused a collision, at least in a heterosexually-dominated realm, between the goals of fat acceptance (represented by NAAFA and others) and feederism, which some contend are not mutually exclusive interests/movements. One argument mobilized against the feeder movement is that sexuality is privileged over social movements toward fat acceptance, and direct criticisms usually entail the possibility that feederism contributes to a counter-productive objectification and dehumanization of the "feedee". Feeders/feedees and sympathetic FAs argue that most members of their community partake of this fetish only in the realm of fantasy and are more than mindful of rational boundaries. Also present is a belief that the sexualization of fat is not as pernicious as its detractors claim, and that if the "Fat Admirer" or "Chubby-Chaser (male)" archetypes become more visible or mainstream, fat will thus lose a major aspect of its general social and cultural stigma.

M

A sexual fetish (philia) involving sexual attraction to the arm pit, (where underside where the arm meets the shoulder.) This fetish can involve a number of factors and senses, the act of genital contact, but the olfactoral (smell) and visual are the most common sensory factors involved.

The natural body smell is a powerful force in sexual attraction, and can be focused by the strong pungent odor of the armpit: Alex Comfort considered that for a woman to shave her armpits was simply ignorant vandalism, obliterating a powerful sexual tool, and praised the French for greater sexual awareness than American deodorant culture in this regard.

A woman's armpits, armpit hair, and secretions can be seen as essential components of their femininity, whether this is positively or negatively valued. Physician Havelock Ellis found evidence that (in a non-sexual context) smelling one's own armpit could act as a temporary energy boost.

Certain pheromones found in armpit sweat, namely androstadienone is shown to improve mood when smelled or licked according to a 2013 study.

Those who have a mild fetish for armpits often enjoy licking, kissing, tasting, tickling and smelling their partner's armpits during sexual foreplay, perhaps asking partners not to shower or wash their armpits nor wear deodorant for a period of hours or even days.

The symbolic equation of armpit and vagina may underpin the fetish, as also the odor.

Bagpiping is a sexual practice in which the penis is stimulated by someone else's armpit. The name comes from the manner of how bagpipes are played.

Stressing the importance in bagpiping of the (unlubricated) friction being confined to the penile shaft, Alex Comfort saw armpit intercourse as "Not an outstandingly rewarding trick but worth trying if you like the idea".Problems may, however, arise in a relationship when penis to armpit contact becomes an exclusive sexual necessity for the armpit fetishist something which can produce long-term sexual desire disorder in a couple.

Masochism the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from one's own pain or humiliation.This can involve gaining sexual pleasure from pain or humiliation, but it can also refer to situations where people seek out or enjoy activities that create distress, discomfort, or pain.

Masochism is associated with BDSM, an acronym for sexual practices that involve bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism. A sexual masochist experiences sexual pleasure in response to pain, denial, or humiliation.

However, masochism can also apply to more general and often less healthy behaviors. In such cases, a masochist might engage in actions or accept treatment from others that are hurtful, degrading, or physically or emotionally painful that cause the individual to feel anxiety, depression, guilt, shame, or other distressing feelings.

There are four forms of masochism which are commonly accepted:

- Sexual:This involved a sexual pleasure in the act of involving pain.

- Psychological:his is a non-sexual type of masochism that involves deriving enjoyment from experiencing psychological pain. Such pain can be self-inflicted or caused by others.

- Moral:This is a form of masochism that involves invoking suffering to alleviate feelings of guilt. It can involve self-punishment and may represent a form of guilt complex, but it can also involve self-sacrificing, prosocial, or altruistic acts that benefit others.

- Adaptive:This type of masochism involves deriving pleasure from temporary periods of pain or discomfort that ultimately lead to some delayed gratification. For example, a person might save a favorite treat to enjoy later because they enjoy the agony of anticipation.
The only way to truly tell that someone is a masochist is if they tell you directly that it is something they enjoy. You might pick up on certain cues if you are their sexual partner, but the only way to know is if that person chooses to tell you.The exact causes of masochism are not entirely clear. Different types of masochism may have differing causes and more research is needed.

One theory about the source of masochistic tendencies may be traced to childhood.

The roots of a masochistic or "self-defeating personality" may be a result of an early struggle of will between a developing child and parents determined to maintain control of the child at any cost.

Parents who demand complete obedience and compliance do not allow room for a child to have their own needs, opinions, feelings, and desires. Love and acceptance is conditional and when taken to an extreme, controlling parents may chastise, abuse, and humiliate the child, threatening abandonment or worse punishment if the child does not comply.

Raised in this environment, children may respond by holding onto their hurt and resentment, wishing to fight back against their parents but lacking the ability or power to do so. This desire for pain, punishment, or revenge may be redirected internally, with the child punishing themselves. The controlling or critical behavior of a parent may become an internalized voice of a bullying and self-defeating inner critic telling the child that they deserve the treatment they are receiving.

As an adult, this can continue in a self-defeating way, or these impulses may be sexualized and expressed in the context of a consensual, communicative, and mutually respectful BDSM relationship.

N

Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia and necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses.

Rosman and Resnick (1989) reviewed information from 34 cases of necrophilia describing the individuals' motivations for their behaviors: these individuals reported the desire to possess an unresisting and unrejecting partner (68%), reunions with a romantic partner (21%), sexual attraction to corpses (15%), comfort or overcoming feelings of isolation (15%), or seeking self-esteem by expressing power over a homicide victim (12%).

While most countries have federal laws which make this act illegal, many were enacted within more recent years, (the United Kingdom for example, enaced the legislation in 1993,) and the United States has no federal legislation which specifically prohibits sex with a corpse, although most states have their own laws forbidding the practice. Almost every country, however, has laws regarding the desicration of a grave, cemetery, or place of burial.

There is a broad spectrum of necrophilic behaviours, ranging from fantasies alone to murder for the sake of procuring a dead body. Experts have subcategorized the paraphilia according to where it falls on that spectrum.

"Necrophilic fantasies" of corpses, never acted upon, still fall within the scope of necrophilia and some authors have categorized this as a "neurotic equivalent" to necrophilia.

"Pseudonecrophilia" describes isolated incidents where the sexual contact with the corpse may happen without pre-existing fantasies or desire to have sexual contact with the body.

Even in its truest form, necrophilia can be quite varied, ranging from simply being in the presence of a corpse to kissing, fondling or performing sexual intercourse or cunnilingus on the body.

The presence of other paraphilias or personality disorders, however, can manifest in more grotesque or sadistic elements such as mutilation of the corpse, drinking the blood or urine, or homicide ("necrophilic homicide" or "necrosadism"). The latter is the most disturbing end of the spectrum.

Because the nature of sexual philias and fetishes is to 'get to the next step', and to evolve one's fantasies into reality; any person who harbors a sexual desire of a necrophiliac nature may become a risk, and should seek psychoanalysis immediately to be on the safe side. (42% of those who fulfill their necrophiliac desires commit murder to achieve their fantasy.)

Neoprene fetishism is the fetishistic attraction to people wearing neoprene clothing, or in certain cases, to the garments themselves.

Neoprene is most commonly found in wetsuits, and the fetish has been none to be exclusive to wetsuits in many cases. Wetsuits come in different thicknesses depending on the conditions for which it is intended. The thicker the suit, the warmer it will keep the wearer. Because wetsuits offer significant protection from jellyfish, coral and other hazards, many divers opt to wear a thin suit which provides minimal insulation (often called a "bodysuit") even when the water is warm enough to comfortably forgo insulating garments. A thick suit is stiff, so mobility is restricted; at a certain thickness the suit would become impractical, which is why drysuits must be worn in particularly cold environments. A wetsuit is normally described in terms of its thickness. For instance, a wetsuit with a torso thickness of 5 mm and a limb thickness of 3 mm will be described as a "5/3". Some suits have extra layers added for key areas such as the lower back.

Different shapes of wetsuit are available, in order of coverage:

- A sleeveless vest, covering only the torso, provides minimal coverage. Some include an attached hood. These are not intended to be worn alone, but rather as an extra layer over or under a longer wetsuit.
A jacket covers the torso and arms, with little to no coverage for the legs. Some jackets have short leg sleeves like a shorty, others feature leg holes similar to a women's swimsuit. A third style, the beavertail, which was quite popular until the 1980s, had a flap which closed over the crotch and attached at the front with a fastener.

- A shorty or spring suit covers the torso and has short sleeves for the arms and legs. There are also forms of spring suits with long arms and short legs.

- A long john or farmer john/jane (depending on the gender the suit is designed for) covers the torso and legs only; it resembles a bib-and-brace overall, hence the nickname.

- A full suit or steamer covers the torso and the full length of the arms and legs.

- A mermaid suit covers the torso and the full length of arms and legs but it is unbifurcated - it couples the legs together into a tail like a mermaid's tail which ends with a monofin. Although it restricts movement and makes walking impossible, it has better hydrodynamic properties than a suit with separate legs. Despite the name, the mermaid suit is equally used by men and women.

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Sounding, or urethral play (UP) is any play or activity, usually sexual in nature, that involves the insertion of toys or items into the urethra. The urethra or urethral tract is the membrane lined tube that leads from the external meatus (opening) of the male or female into the bladder. Its main purpose is the elimination of urine (urination) from the bladder. However, in the male it also serves as the delivery mechanism for semen and fluids during the act of reproduction.

Any time an object is introduced past the meatus and into the urethra, most authorities would consider this action to be of a medical nature, considering the delicate nature of the urethra lining and associated membranes. Any item not properly sterilized can easily introduce infection into this area, so the medical implications of urethral play must be taken into account.

For males who are interested in urethral play, the introduction of either soft or rigid items into the meatus of the penis (and further down) is quite thrilling. Items and toys, such as urethral sounds, are usually inserted down the penis to Cobbs Curve (considered to be the "Safe Area" of the urethral tract) and can usually be easily retrieved. Other toys and items, like catheters, are introduced deeper and in some cases even into the bladder. Some items may even be allowed to curl several times or expand within the bladder in this regard. This action in the male seems to be directly or indirectly associated with simulation of the prostate gland and some types of bladder control (BDSM).

When these items are left in place for sexual pleasure or other activity (BDSM), and orgasms are allowed then special care needs to be taken. After either a male or female orgasm the bladder's mouth becomes very tight and removal of objects can be very difficult and may tear tissue. Usually, several minutes need to pass to allow slow removal of deep object or toys and usually some kind of urinary effort to aid in that process.

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In erotic and psycho-sexual terms, Feminization (a.k.a. "sissification") is sometimes used to describe the practice, especially in female dominance, of switching the gender role of a male submissive, (see this semi-explicit reference site). However ,it is also sometimes associated with sexual reassignment, which may be sought by an individual with Gender Identity Disorder (considered separate and more serious than typical tranvestic activities). It is usually achieved through cross-dressing, where the male is dressed in female attire, ranging from just wearing female undergarments to being fully dressed in female attire. Some males take on tasks, behaviours and roles that are overtly feminine, and adopt female mannerisms and postures in task such as sitting, walking and acting in a feminine manner.

A common genre is "forced feminization", when the man is told to put on womens' clothes and instructed how to behave and talk. This emasculation may be coupled with punishments such as spanking or caning to gain cooperation and highten submission of submissive male. In practice the man has consented to, if not paid for, the feminization. Probably the most common modern incident of true "forced feminization" is sexual slavery in prisons (although the rate and severity of prison rape is controversial). For this reason it is not uncommon that men with "forced fed" fantasies also enjoy "prison rape" fantasies; although there may be some hetreosexual men who only have interest in feminization by women. Additionally, descriptive statistics have shown that many homosexual or bi sexual men enjoy gay pornography, with the single exception being feminization or other scenarios that puts women in the "dominate" role.

That said, individuals may have a philia solely associated with the garment itself. Some people can experience sexual excitement from wearing, while others get their excitement when observing, handling, or smelling the underwear worn by another, or watching somebody putting underwear on or taking it off.

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Biastophilia and raptophilia refer to a paraphilia in which sexual arousal is dependent on, or is responsive to, the act of assaulting an unconsenting person, especially a stranger. The source of the arousal in these paraphilias is the terrified resistance to the assault, and in this respect it is considered to be a form of sexual sadism.

Similarly, some fetishists imagine themselves being coerced, or otherwise forced into a sex act.

45.8% of men in a 1980 study reported fantasizing during heterosexual intercourse about "a scene where [they had] the impression of being raped by a woman" (3.2% often and 42.6% sometimes); 44.7% of scenes where a seduced woman "pretends resisting;" and 33% of raping a woman.

One form of sexual roleplaying is the rape fantasy, also called ravishment or forced sex roleplay. Ravishment has become a more preferred term in BDSM circles, as it makes a distinction between consensual roleplay and nonconsensual assault. Though consensuality is an important component of sexual roleplay, the illusion of non-consensuality (ie. rape) is important to maintaining the fantasy. Crossing the line may constitute an assault.

Since the illusion of non-consensuality is important to the fantasy, one or more safewords are typically employed. This way, a participant can protest without stopping the scene, unless the safeword is used. Often a variation on the "stop-light" system is used, with different colors designating different messages: "red" to stop everything, "yellow" to slow down or take it easy, and so forth. For scenes where there is an element of surprise, the top or "ravisher" may use a "startword" or other identifying signal.

In healthy ravishment scenes, all participants carefully negotiate what will transpire beforehand. Limits are respected and made very clear, to maintain safe, sane and consensual play. Such negotiation would also include discussion of emotional issues for both partners, especially if there has been a prior history of actual sexual abuse or assault.

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Thiliphilia is a sexual fetish associated with nipple play. Nipple play refers to any of several erotic BDSM activities focusing solely on inflicting pain on the breast, nipples, and areola for sexual gratification. Breast-oriented BDSM activities range from relatively safe and benign, such as the use of clothespins on the nipples, light flagellation, or simple breast bondage to activities that can include great risk, such as more severe caning, amateur piercing, or being suspended by the breasts.

While it is well documented that non-consensual sexual torture has been common in both modern society and in the past, the term "tit torture" in this context applies to consensual sexual activity. Many sexual fantasies, including those involving breast torture, reflect a desire to use a partner without fear of consequences, regardless of how extreme the use. Rational people understand this kind of desire is just that -- sexual fantasy -- and that most of these fantasies can be role-played safely, sanely and with enjoyment on the part of both partners.

In an erotic context, both the giver of breast punishment and the receiver receive some kind of pleasure from the experience. In many cases, people experience increased physical pleasure as a result of the release of chemicals called endorphins into the blood stream. Their pleasure may be psychological, derived from being completely controlled by another person and/or from the pleasure the other person gets from the experience.

The person delivering the punishment may enjoy the power they have over their partner, or they may simply enjoy more basic sensual satisfactions, such as seeing the bouncing ripple of a victim's breast from a riding crop's blow or the puckering of a dark nipple between the jaws of a clamp, feeling the breast flow between crushing fingers or the nipple harden in a rough tweaking pinch, or hearing the victim's moans as the tips of her breasts are slowly chilled with an ice cube or her whimpers as the cold crevices of her chilled areola fill with molten wax.

Both may enjoy sexual roleplaying their actions, such as acting out a dominant lover's latent nipple-fixated vampire dreams or a submissive partner's breast torture rape fantasy. Regardless, in most cases the pleasure is derived from some combination of these physical, emotional and psychological factors.

Among paraphilias, trichophilia is unique in that for some, it has strong associations with time and place of the sexual development of the paraphiliac. There is a subculture among both gay men and heterosexual females (and bisexuals of both genders) who fetishize long-haired males, some finding males without long hair completely unarousing. The demographics of trichophiliacs particularly attracted to long-haired males - including a large number of persons born in the 1960s who became middle aged adults in the 21st century - suggests that ambient culture and fashion during the time of their early childhood and also around the time of puberty development may have contributed to the strong preference, especially among those whose personality attraction is to "rebel" types. Younger women of the early part of the 21st century - a time during which Japanese manga and anime became extremely popular, have also shown signs of this fetish owing to the unusually long hair on males in a great deal of this art, particularly that originating in the 1980s and 1990s. The difference is that the middle-aged trichophiliacs became attracted to something considered at the time to be daring and edgy, something classically worrisome to parents as it was seen as a symptom of lessened masculinity in the conservative populations; the later generation of long-haired male fetishists associated this look with very trendy, popular, socially-acceptable Japanese media featuring "bishonen" - or "beautiful boys", so totally different cultural associations have likely been made with their object of desire. It is no longer considered as strange for males to grow their hair long in present times, as compared with the mid-20th century. However, it is rarer in Japan than in America, which may explain why Japanese fantasy comic books and graphic novels feature so many men and boys with long hair.

Aside from the cultural significance of long hair, trichophilia is also possibly related to the presence of pheromones - chemicals which excite one when inhaled, given off by persons in states of arousal from the skin around hair and from under the scalp. Short hair, having less surface area, can accommodate less accumulation of pheromones and other body scents associated with sexual attraction.

Some fetishists may find they have a strong dislike for pubic and/or body hair but a strong attraction to head hair. Likewise, some fetishists find themselves attracted to body hair but not head hair. Specific hair types can be found as a fetish, not just hair in general.

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Bondage refers to the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties. Bondage is usually, but not always, a sexual practice. It may be used in the context of BDSM or in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage. The paraphilia of being sexually aroused by bondage is sometimes known as vincilagnia (from Latin vincio, to bind or fetter with chains, and lagneia, lust).

Some couples incorporate elements of bondage into their otherwise conventional sex lives at some point in their relationships. Bedroom bondage games often constitute foreplay. Bedroom bondage is usually mild bondage, with one partner voluntarily being put into restraints by being tied up, cuffed, spread-eagled, possibly blindfolded and gagged etc. by the other, who then sexually stimulates the tied partner theoretically at will by masturbation, oral sex, a vibrator or intercourse.

The tied partner's satisfaction is often indicated by writhing, struggling or vocalizations etc. The tied partner may derive additional pleasure from being in a largely "helpless" position in the hands of a trusted partner, and the other may enjoy being in a dominant situation. Either way, many established couples find playing bondage games relationship-affirming, as they both require and imply a level of trust between them that is not normally found within more casual relationships, as well as being a shared facet of their sex lives that many couples prefer to keep private and personal. This form of bondage has its own niche on some internet websites, where images and movies usually depict voluntarily-tied models undergoing inescapable intense sexual pleasuring, rather than any menace, force or pain.

Safety rules followed by couples are frequently context- and trust-based. As the tied partner will more often than not be held in a submissive sex position, sex therefore takes place with their pre-agreed consent. For example, an unexpected photograph taken while one of the parties is incapable of resisting may be considered to be a very different scenario to that of a consensual sex game or rape fantasy enactment, etc. The use of bondage by couples in their homes tends to be different from that associated with bondage in (for example) a BDSM dungeon, where bondage may be an end in itself with no sexual contact at all and is often combined with infliction of pain.

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Furry fandom is a fandom distinguished by its enjoyment of anthropomorphic, often humanoid, animal characters. Examples of anthropomorphism in the furry fandom include the attribution of human intelligence, facial expressions, and [sometimes] anatomy, speech, bipedalism, and the wearing of clothes. Members of this subculture are sometimes known as furry fans, furries, or simply furs.

Art and entertainment celebrated by furry fandom may be any fictional work that employs the concept of animal characters with human characteristics, rather than any particular type of fiction. For this reason, any work, in any medium, may be considered part of the furry genre simply by inclusion of a fantastic animal character, although such characters are most often seen in comics, cartoons, animated films, allegorical novels, and video games. The science fiction and fantasy genres make frequent use of anthropomorphism, and as a result, are especially popular in furry fandom.

Differing approaches to sexuality have been a source of controversy and conflict in furry fandom. Compounding this are stereotypes regarding furries and sex. Examples of mainstream sexual aspects within furry fandom include erotic art, a style sometimes known as yiffy art (from the subculture term "yiff" referring to sexual activity or arousal, supposedly derived from the sound Arctic foxes make when mating), and pornographic movies of sexual activities between participants wearing fur suits. According to The Pitch, examples of the word's present usage include "a yiffy fur", meaning a furry who is sexually aroused or active, "yiffy artwork", meaning sexually explicit furry artwork, "to yiff", meaning to have sex, etc.

The term is most commonly used to indicate sexual activity or material. This applies to sexual activity and interaction within the subculture whether online or offline; it is also applied to sexual arousal and to erotic material causing it. The explanation offered for the etymology of the term within the subculture is that it is an onomatopoeia for the sound foxes make when mating.

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