Why do some guys like feet?

This post I originally wrote for Yahoo! Shine attracted a lot of interest and some great comments. I hope it continues to do so here as well.

Guys who like feet are more common than many people might think. Feet are curvy, sensitive, and oh so responsive to touch. What guy wouldn't like them? But deep down women probably already know this. Why else would we totter around on ridiculously high heels or wear strappy sandals that show off our latest mango-hued pedicure? And besides, all that prancing about requires a nice foot rub at the end of the day.

Image source: morgueFile

Intimacy

Men who like feet want to do more than look at them. To a guy who adores tootsies, sucking toes and licking insoles are as intimate an act as

intercourse, according to self-proclaimed foot fetishist Izzy Cihak. Dr. Reef Karim, psychiatrist and relationship expert, said the fetish "could get a little more freaky like needing to be walked on by smelly, dirty feet." He told me that he has heard the "dirty feet thing" from a few people. But gals who are just looking for a soothing foot massage will be disappointed. A massage is too functional and removes all the sexiness involved.

 Cinderella

Any girl who watched Cinderella as a child drew a connection between men and feet, but not just any feet -- small delicate ones. The prince immediately rejected the big-footed stepsisters for Cinderella, who possessed a perfectly sized foot. Men, like Prince Charming, are visual creatures who are apt to focus on a particular body part.

Theories

Although there is really no telling why some men are focused on feet, theories abound. One Freudian belief suggests it stems from shame. Maybe a little boy sees a sex organ and quickly looks away out of embarrassment, focusing his eyes on the feet instead. Voila. Feet and sex become intertwined.

April Masini, relationship advice expert and author of "Date Out Of Your League," voiced a similar theory. She told me, "Men who are coming of age and discovering sexual feelings as they relate to women's bodies may have had an initial sexual urge at the sight of a woman's usually covered up feet. That memory stays long after the young man is a fully mature man."

Karim pointed out that women's feet can "serve a submissive purpose. Submissive men worship women's feet, like to be walked on by those feet, and the feet show sexy dominance."

Dr. Ava Cadell, who founded the Loveology University, explained to me, "Some foot worshippers can only experience orgasms while making out with a woman's foot because it is the most erogenous of all the sexual zones for them. They often long to be a foot slave to a woman and will suck toes (also known as shrimping) until the point of no return."

Compatibility

Regardless of the reason, if your honey likes feet and you abhor being touched there, well, the relationship will have a difficult time succeeding. On the other hand (or foot), if you like all the foot attention, this just might be a good fit.