Thigh Fetish

Most men have experienced a powerful attraction to women’s naked thighs but fetishists take the attraction to its furthest extent. Although this fetish is common, it seemed to elude categorisation for a long time. In Western Europe and America, the importance of this area-isolated as it usually is-below the underwear and above stocking tops has become a staple of erotic imagery in films, photography and in advertising.

The enduring importance of lingerie in the erotic imagination of men in general-and fetishists in particular-is based almost solely on this spot. Even if a woman’s body is otherwise covered by a corset, stockings and panties-the one area below the waist that will always be available as a voyeuristic spectacle is the thighs. Suspender straps only heighten their appeal.

A recent poll about the favourite “secret fetishes” of Japanese businessmen found that the most popular one, above all others, was zettai ryouiki, which, when translated means “absolute territory”. In other words, they fantasize most frequently about that piece of exposed flesh between the top of a young woman’s thigh-high socks and the bottom of her mini-skirt. No nudity or overt sexuality is necessary, just an otherwise mundane detail which, when used as a catalyst for arousal, stimulates a significant response.