Whether it is over a man in uniform, a woman's delicate foot or a pair of sexy underwear, fetishism is alive and well in our society today.
People drool over their partner's hair, legs or buttocks. And whether they know it or not, they are taking part in a fetish.
Some ask whether this type of sexual practice is healthy for the fetishist and his or her partner, along with the greater society.
Fetishism is the practice of taking sexual enjoyment from an inanimate object or body part that is not normally considered sexual in nature, according to an article by Psychology Today, published on Yahoo's Sexual Health Center.
There are two types of fetishes: media fetishes and form fetishes. With a media fetish, the important sexual aspect of the object is its material and feel, meaning whether the object is made of lace or silk, for instance. With a form fetish, the object itself is what is important, for example a football uniform or a bra.
While predominantly a male phenomena, according to the same site, both men and women do experience fetishism.
A fetishist derives pleasure only from the sexualized object itself, according to Psychology Today. This can work to create a very depersonalized and objectified sexual experience for the fetishist and his or her partner.
Annette Owens, a certified sex counselor at the Charlottesville Sexual Health and Wellness clinic, disagrees with such a strict definition.
"For a few people fetishism becomes a real problem, such as if you are dependent on it and need it all the time," Owens said. "But for many, fetishes can be healthy and okay to have. There are different graduations of fetishism, and they can be positive or negative depending on the situation. Some are acceptable and part of a normal and healthy sex life."
Although the exact cause for fetishism remains unknown, some psychologists have attributed it to the sexualizing of a certain object during a person's childhood, such as during sexual abuse. The child would then carry that object with them as a fetish into adulthood, according to Psychology Today.
The article also says other theorists blame masturbatory habits in adolescence for adult fetishism.
The New York Times' Daniel Goldman reports that many sex experts believe these kinds of sexual attractions are not harmful to relationships and can even work to enhance them, as long as no one is hurt or forced into participating.
University English Prof. Susan Fraiman, who has done extensive study in gender issues, agrees.
"As long as the practice is consensual, I am uncomfortable presuming to judge other people's sexuality," Fraiman said. "I strongly defend people's right to have complex and disconcerting sexual practices as something basic to free society."
Fraiman also said she believes that there is no such thing as a politically correct sense of sexuality.
"We have learned that desire is not politically correct, and to want it to be can have repressive effects," she said. "Sexuality is complicated, and attempting to prescribe a politically correct sexuality is scarier than even the most disconcerting sexual practices."
Fraiman argues that society should not be so quick to blame the fetishist.
"Fetishes use a cultural language that is already out there," she added. "They don't create it. They just draw on codes and disturbing notions of gender, race and authority."
While Fraiman presents one of the more compelling arguments in favor of fetishes, many people are directly opposed to them and find them harmful.Healthyplace.org, an online mental health community, believes that sexual fantasies, like many fetishes, often go too far.
They said they believe these obsessions can lead to risky, unwarranted behavior and can cause mental disruption.
Fourth-year College student Jody Kyle said he agrees that fetishes can be harmful, but for different reasons.
"If you take them obsessively far, like hurting yourself or someone else, then they can be very bad," Kyle said.
"If you remove sex from the equation and just focus on the object, I believe this can be harmful for relationships," Kyle continued. "If all you see is the fetish, then you are losing out on everything else that can come from a positive sexual experience."
Owens does offer treatment for fetishes that have become a problem for patients. Rather than focus on the fetish itself which can often be hard to correct, she offers alternative means of arousal that the patient may not have previously explored.
"I discuss other ways of getting aroused, such as visual stimulation, reading erotica and seeing sexy videos and pictures," she said. "Once a person starts experimenting, they can often find other ways of getting aroused"
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