Bears and Feet: A Look at Foot Fetishism in the Bear Community

Out of all the kinks and fetishes out there the foot fetish seems to reign supreme, though frankly there is not much literature readily available to support that claim (despite Ricky Martin’s recent admissions to GQ). A ten year old article from Psychology Today made reference to an Italian study in which 47% of ‘body part fetishists’ in an online forum favored feet (not accounting for gender or sexual identity) while a more recent article by our friend Zachary Zane for Men’s Health indicated that 14% of a 4000 person sampling reported having a sexual fantasy where feet or toes played a prominent role. Out of that 14% of people, 21% of them were gay or bisexual men, which was the largest category of person to report sexual fantasies involving feet. This does not necessarily imply that they were foot fetishists mind you, just simply that at one time or another the thought of feet got them off.

No, to be labeled a foot fetishist there would need to be more than just a fleeting foot themed fantasy or two. As Webster’s defines fetish, the foot must be the object of ‘irrational reverence’ or ‘obsessive devotion’ and its ‘real or fantasied presence is psychologically necessary for sexual gratification…to the extent that it may interfere with complete sexual expression’.

Well, after reading that there’s no wonder about the lack of literature or statistics on the subject. Webster’s language is steeped in judgement! Who the hell cares if you need a foot job to get off, am I right?! I mean everyone knows that foot fetishes are a thing, but it is so hard to get anyone (of any sexual orientation) to talk about it on the record, which really bums me out. Shame is so pervasive in our society, especially when it comes to sex. You hate to see it, especially with something as relatively common and harmless as a foot fetish.

At Bear World we interview a lot of artists and photographers who glamorize the bear form and something I have heard repeatedly is that their work will always get comments and likes for sure but throw some feet into the mix and numbers skyrocket through the roof! So why not talk about it and celebrate the community’s apparent love for feet? So, that’s what I set out to do.

Now, if I could have talked about having a foot fetish myself, I would have. I admittedly fall into the category of a person who’s had a fantasy or two about feet, but I wouldn’t really classify myself as a foot fetishist. So, I sought out some bears who would be willing to talk about it, and after a good amount of searching Tony Vega introduced me to Sean Lawrence, a self-described ‘chub with bear attributes’ from Los Angeles, and Boy Bruce, a bootblack and bear from Linden, New Jersey who were willing to openly and proudly discuss their foot fetish with me.

Both Sean and Bruce tell me they discovered their love for feet as kids:

“I knew that looking at naked/semi naked guys in the locker room was frowned upon” Sean said, “so I was always looking down at their feet. That felt safe to do.  Over the years, I didn’t realize I was developing a foot ritual. I was always looking down at guys’ feet during the summer. I would always get excited for flip flops/sandal weather.”

With respect to just what it is about feet that turns him on Boy Bruce explained:

“There’s just something aesthetically pleasing about a foot. Particularly with pretty, clean, well-cared for feet. I do enjoy a sweaty “smelly” foot, they just have to be pretty. I also like feet because they are such an under-appreciated body part, and focusing on the foot and working my gaze up to the rest of the person in front of me allows me to take them in as a whole.”

“I love the look of the feet” Sean added. “How they feel in my hands, in my mouth, and all over my body. The whole foot is sexy, but I’m drawn to the tops of feet. I’m attracted to thick (not bony or fat) feet. I love how the toes decrease with length. On a foot chart it would be Egyptian style feet (see chart below).  Feet support, carry, and hold you up. They are connected to the earth and ground us.” 

Both guys tell me that the biggest misconception people have about foot fetishists is that they are obsessed with smelly and dirty feet. It’s a generalization aimed at inducing shame or ridicule upon them, stemming from a lack of understanding and a desire to ‘other’ them. Or more colloquially, haters are trying to ‘yuck’ someone else’s ‘yum’. Sean put it best: “I’ll hear people say they won’t play with feet, but these same people will eat ass…Check her!”

I mean, it’s hard to argue that logic, isn’t it? Thankfully neither of the guys have experienced personal backlash for their proclivities.

In terms of types of foot play, both gentlemen enjoy touching, massaging and licking feet. Shrimping, or the act of sucking toes, is also highly favored. Any and all forms of foot worship, basically. Sean also likes people to explore his face, nipples and body with other men’s feet and isn’t averse to having a toe inserted from time to time.

For Bruce, however, feet are the tip of the iceberg. For him feet are just part of his arsenal as a member of the leather and kink community. He tells me his love of feet extends to socks, especially sheer and athletic socks which capture scent nicely:

“But what gives me the greatest satisfaction in life is being a bootblack. For anyone unfamiliar, a bootblack cleans and polishes boots and cleans and conditions leather garments (to quickly sum it up). This is something I can do during my spare time at home, but the real fun comes from going to leather events and doing all this while the owner is wearing the boots and garments. My SIR knew about my love of feet and my love of leather, and so he pointed me in the direction of bootblacking, and it’s been the most rewarding, fulfilling journey I could have ever embarked on.  I not only get to feel and smell the leather, I get to love on the leather owner. It’s a deeply erotic experience, and I highly recommend anyone that owns a piece of leather to seek out their local bootblacks.”

Not only that but Boy Bruce also notes the overlap between bears, foot fetish and other kinks:

“I think any and all kinks overlap with being a bear. Like leather and bears… they just go together! I mean, come on… what could be sexier than a Leather Biker Daddy Bear? A leather biker Daddy bear strutting around in a biker jacket, jeans, and size 13 Wescos… helping him out of said Wescos and massaging and sniffing his sweaty, smelly feet as he smokes a big, fat cigar?…”

Sean, on the other hand, describes himself as a foot purist. For him his foray into the fetish world begins and ends with feet so, naturally, I had to ask about where he finds other guys who are into feet.

“Back in the day, they used the hanky codes to determine what people were into sexually. Coral was or is our hanky color for feet play. Things have certainly changed since then. Now you can visit feet sites like Myfriendsfeet.com, Toegasms.com or Pornhub. You can put your love of feet in your Biggercity or Growlr profile with a foot emoji or attend foot parties.

There are so many groups online it would be hard not to find a “10 piece” (one Sean’s codes for toes/feet; he’s also partial to the term ‘piggies’) that fits your desire. Here are just a few to get you started: Facebook (The Male Foot Lovers Group II or Men Enjoying Feet), Instagram (@barefeetgods or @footcravingz) and X/Twitter (@feetboysw). Trust me, the feet algorithm gods will see the pattern and start sending you more feet connections.  You won’t have to do much “sole” searching to find them.”

Bruce adds that the Recon App is another good resource for searching out other foot fetishists.

Neither Sean nor Bruce requires potential dates or hook ups to be into feet they say, but it would help move you to the front of the line.

“It’s not a prerequisite if people don’t get into feet play” Sean said “But I love people who are willing to get a foot job. I love a novice who has never had their toes rubbed and sucked on. I love seeing a guy enjoy a foot orgasm (toegasm) while I massage and suck on them at the same time.”

Ultimately, both guys are striving towards normalization because shame in any capacity as related to our sexualities needs to go.

“We live in a sexually repressed society that likes to hide and shame sexual experiences,” Sean says. “That needs to change. If you couple that sexual shame with being gay, we go back into the closet, so to speak, with our fetishes.”

Bruce adds: “Fetish is hyper focusing on a specific part or parts of sex and sexuality, so much so that it can border on obsessive. I think this is all that vanillas focus on; they only see the obsession and categorize us as freaks and weirdos. But it’s in this obsession that we found our happiness and understanding of ourselves. For me, it becomes therapeutic, and meditative. We live in an often-negative world, so genuine happiness can seem foreign sometimes, especially when this happiness deviates from neurotypical heteronormative behavior.”

Mic drop.