The word Fetich comes from the French word fétiche, which in turn comes from the Portuguese word feitiço which means "bewitched". This word comes from the Latin word "facticius" which means "artificial" or "man-made". (The English word “Factory” also comes from this Latin word.)
A fetish is, in a religious context, a form of strong amulet, god figure or spirit figure which is attributed supernatural powers and is cultivated.
Sexual fetishism is a sexual attraction to an inanimate object or a body part that is not the genitals.
WHO defines a fetish as a dependence on an inanimate object as a stimulus for sexual arousal and sexual satisfaction. Many fetishes are extensions of the human body, such as clothing or footwear. Other common examples are characterized by a particular texture such as rubber, plastic or leather. Fetish objects vary in their meaning to the individual. In some cases, they simply serve to increase sexual arousal obtained in ordinary ways (eg, having the partner wear a certain article of clothing).
In the following, a sexual fetish is described for the sake of simplicity, simply as a "fetish".
A person who has a fetish is called a fetishist. People who practice certain fetishes sometimes have their own nicknames. For example, some rubber fetishists call themselves "Rubberists."
A fetish can be considered a non-pathological aid to sexual excitement or a mental disorder, if it causes significant psychosocial distress to the person or has detrimental effects on important areas of their life.
Sexual arousal from a specific body part other than the genitals can be further classified as partialism.
Some fetishes are easier to understand, while others are objects that have no sexual function at all or are associated with something sexual by other people.
(Wikipedia, Sexual fetishism) and (WHO / ICD-10 2016)
The word fetish is now also used by many, as slang for something they are very passionate about. "Fetich" is also used interchangeably to describe, for example, BDSM activities and other sexual desires, which are not actually a fetish, but are actually more a "kink" or fashionable.
The spelling "fetich" is the Danish way of writing the word. In English it is written "fetish".
A sexual fetish belongs to the concept of paraphilia. More on paraphilias later.
Confused about what a "FETICH" is
Depending on who you ask, there are different perceptions of what a fetish is. For many years I have stuck to this short definition: “A sexual attraction to a non-living object or a body part that is not the genitals”. Based on that definition, living things and, for example, situations are not a fetish. But some people have a fetish for bees or beetles. So what about them? What about those who are specifically turned on by dwarfs or giant people? What about those who are turned on by the idea of smoking in hell or being smeared in food? So what about them?
F65.1
I think that an explanation must be found in the public classification systems for diseases and mental disorders, for example ICD-10 from WHO. I have already mentioned their definition in this chapter. If you read further in section F65 (Sexual deviations), you will see that, for example, sadomasochism has its own section. The same goes for Voyeurism and Exhibitionism. Finally, there is a section for "everything else" (F65.8) and one for what you don't know what to do with. (F65.9). In F65.8, many different actions and activities are placed. For example, rubbing yourself up on others on the bus, phone moaners, outdoor sex and choking. Attraction to animals is also placed here. So a good big "catch-all". A section that captures everything that has nothing to do with "non-living objects" or body parts that are not the genitals. ICD-10 has been in use for many years now, and was replaced by ICD-11 at the beginning of 2022. However, many countries have not yet adopted the new version. So perhaps that is why I, myself among others, have stuck to the idea that living things, situations and actions are something other than a fetish (which in my eyes was F65.1).
In the new version of the ICD, fetish, fetishistic transvestism and SM have been removed. and Vupti, then 150 million people became healthy overnight. It is of course said with a smile 😉
We will return to that.
Here are a few other definitions:
A sexual fetish is typically defined as an intense interest in an object, body part, or scenario that is not considered traditionally sexual. In other words, it is something that someone gets sexually excited about and that falls outside of "normal" sexual behavior.
A fetish is defined as “an abnormally strong fixation with a non-human object, activity or situation” In other words, it is an intense interest in something that is not traditionally considered sexual.
Time for a new definition?
I think the time has come for ME to make MY own definition - it will be here when it is finished.
But I wonder if it will be something close to this, which is still "work in progress":
A fetish is a strong emotional and sexual desire for an object, material, action, situation or body part that is not the genitals. This typically means that something must be present to trigger sexual satisfaction.