Hey, everyone has their kinks -- we're not judging. But there's a strong difference between a kink and a fetish. A kink is something that gets you off; a fetish is something that you need to get off.
Hey, everyone has their kinks -- we're not judging. But there's a strong difference between a kink and a fetish. A kink is something that gets you off; a fetish is something that you need to get off. Fetishes can arise in thousands of different ways, and most of them are environmental; the well-known shoe fetish often arises from young boys watching their mothers get dressed. With that in mind, there are some fetishes that just have to have been developed by the Internet's constant need to make everything and anything weirder...
1. Ursusagalmatophilia
Also known as plushophilia, this is a sexual interest in teddy bears -- or whatever type of plush floats your boat. Now, we know that plushophilia is fairly recent; cavemen weren't painting pictures of big-boobed plush toys on the walls of their caves. Society is split on why plushophilia is occurring now, though; some blame the big-eyed, rounded cartoon characters that children grow up with, and others blame an increasingly infantilized culture. One thing we do know is that "plushies " -- as they often call themselves -- have been able to meet and organize throughout the Internet, propelling their niche hobby into a relatively well-organized trend.
2. Vorarephilia
Vorarephilia is the act of achieving desire through the act of eating of someone... or being eaten by someone... whole. Now, you might have noticed a bit of a problem here: namely, it's impossible to actually do. Yes, it's true. And that's why this item is definitely created by the Internet. The only way that vorarephiles can get their "fix " is usually through fan art, 3D renderings, and other depictions of people eating and being eaten. Though they may be quite dedicated to their fetish, it's simply not possible, unless you have access to a live, hungry, and large boa constrictor (and that's probably way less sexy than it seems).
3. Crush Fetishes
Here's the thing: crush fetishes probably existed before the Internet. Someone, somewhere, was probably sitting in a grass shack crushing stuff, as you do, and they thought "Well, that's an odd reaction I'm having. " But crush fetishes became incredibly popular through the Internet. There are countless crushing videos of feet simply stomping endlessly on a human face. Wait, no -- that's capitalism. Actually crush videos usually feature types of food.
4. Sploshing
Chalk this up as another win for the cam crowd. Sploshing, like crushing, is another fetish that was rapidly propelled into popularity by webcam models and other Internet vixens. Sploshing isn't that you think it is. It's not splooshing. It's sploshing. Remember those Jello fights that radio DJs insisted on hosting even though no one cared? It's a lot like that. Any item can be "sploshed " in, as long as it's incredibly messy. On the lists of "ridiculously harmless fetishes, " this one really tops the ranks.
5. Mechanophilia
It's always men who are into mechanophilia, and you probably don't need to be a psychoanalyst to figure out why. Mechanophiles love their cars. We mean... love their cars. And who wouldn't? With all that "car porn " spinning around the web -- fast cars, long tracks, high speeds -- there's definitely something sexual about modern car advertising.
6. Macrophilia
Let's just say "The Attack of the 50 Foot Tall Woman " did a number on the psyches of many young boys. Macrophilia is a fetish for extremely large people, and -- for whatever reason -- it's usually men. Macrophiles spend their time Photoshopping themselves or others in compromising situations with Godzilla-sized women. This isn't an Amazon fetish. We aren't talking rather-large-o-philia. This is giants. And, like many of the fetishes on this list, it's the Internet that has enabled its enjoyment.
7. Ephebophilia
Ephebophilia is the attraction to adolescents, usually between the ages of 15 to 19. Ephebophilia as a fetish has absolutely been popularized by the Internet, generally as a way to distinguish "hold on there, that's a little young " guys from, you know, pedophiles. But ephebophilia really didn't have much of a use before the grand Internet debates began, because before the Internet the conversation usually went like this: "Hey, I'm attracted to 18 year olds. " "No kidding. "
There's nothing wrong with a good fetish, as long as no one's being harmed and you can still live your life. That being said, the Internet has certainly created wave after wave of new fetish that, unfortunately, can't actually exist in real life. Well... yet. Maybe someday... maybe someday.