Fetish Friday: Leg Fetishism (Crurophilia)
While ‘kink’ refers to all socially deemed ‘unorthodox’ sexual practices that a person takes part in or is into, ‘fetish’ describes the focus of their sexual fantasies (whether living beings or inanimate objects). When considering both definitions, either is typically considered taboo, in terms of social norms.
Fortunately, our world is becoming ever more sex-positive and, as a result, many fetishes and kinks have been ‘normalized.’ However, not every fetish (or fetishes) that a person has is understood. This may be partly due to the varying subcultures that can branch from a fetish or kink. Consequently, those who do not experience it can be uncertain about what it entails.
Today, we’re discussing the topic of leg fetishism (also known as ‘crurophilia’), to help you better understand the subject. We hope it will give you a better idea of what it’s like to experience this fetish and what folks who enjoy it are into.
What is leg fetishism (crurophilia)?
Leg fetishism, also known as crurophilia, is a sexual attraction to legs. This can be covered or bare legs, as well as a specific area of the leg (such as the calves, knees, or thighs, for example). Folks who experience crurophilia may engage in leg worship, like tickling or massaging the limbs, kissing or sucking on the skin, or incorporating the legs into sexual play to stimulate the genitals. Remember: what each individual prefers can vary from person to person.
Common misconceptions
When discussing leg fetishism, several common misconceptions come up, and we’d like to address the main ones. Firstly, not everyone with a leg fetish also experiences foot fetishism, despite the foot’s attachment to the leg. Different elements of the leg can trigger arousal in different folx! What’s more, there isn’t an inherently ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way for someone with crurophilia to explore their fetish, so long as it is consensual and does not cause physical or emotional harm to another person.
How to talk about it with your partner
When you decide to talk to your partner about your kinks and fetishes, it’s essential to be open and honest with one another. Tell them how you envision engaging in leg worship with them and how you would ideally like to go about doing it. Get feedback on what they would feel comfortable to try and to what extent they’d be willing to go.
Before engaging in activities of a sexual nature, be sure that everyone involved is giving explicit and enthusiastic consent to it!
Things to try
If you or your partner experience a leg fetish, there are plenty of things you can do together to worship the legs truly. Our favourites include:
Shaving your sex partner’s legs, turning it into a slow and sensual event
Massaging body butter into the skin of the leg, beginning from the foot up to the hip
Trailing kisses along the length of the leg, including up the inner thigh
Experiment with a spreader bar (we love this one by Sportsheets!), so that a sex partner’s legs are up in the air for easy access
Are there risks to consider?
There are no inherent risks of becoming sexually aroused by legs or leg worship; however, sensual acts can often turn into sexual activities. That said, all folks involved should be aware of preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and, if pregnancy is a concern to those participating, birth control options should be explored for penetrative penis-in-vagina sex.
As in our fun suggestions above, when venturing into using BDSM furniture (like a spreader), be sure to have a safeword in place.
How can I learn more?
While we’ve provided a solid foundation for exploring leg fetishism — including some suggestions on activities you can enjoy with a sexual partner — the world of crurophilia extends beyond this. For additional ideas, we recommend checking out many of the best sex blogs on the internet. Watching ethical porn is also an excellent way to not only develop further ideas for sensual pleasure, but also for arousal if you do not currently have a sexual partner to worship.
We hope you now understand what it means to experience crurophilia, including what is involved in the fetish and why it can lead to intense arousal for some people. Should the topic come up down the road, we anticipate that you will feel more open to speaking about it candidly from a place of knowledge. Whether you feel open to further understanding the fetish from someone who partakes in it first-hand or educating someone who may be apprehensive about it, we feel that we have done our job to help make the world a more sexually inclusive place.
Have you felt a sexual attraction to either covered or bare legs? Is leg fetishism (crurophilia) something you experience yourself? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
