First, thank you for taking an interest in my research and this book.

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve been driven by a deep need to understand not just how things work, but why they are the way they are. I’ve never been able to accept things simply at face value or accept answers just because society, tradition, or religion declared them so. This relentless curiosity shaped my path of self-discovery and launched a lifelong journey to explore human sexuality in all its wonderful facets.

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When I turned my clinical focus to foot fetishism, I was struck by a glaring contradiction: despite being the most common fetish in the world and despite our current culture's fascination with "foot pics" it remains severely under-researched and wrapped in intense taboo. The persistent stigma surrounding foot lovers and the eroticism of feet deeply puzzled me. I set out to explore every angle of this desire directly within the fetish community itself, grounding much of this book in original research I conducted in 2026.

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Foot fetishism is a nuanced, deeply fascinating aspect of human intimacy shared by people across the full spectrum of genders and sexual orientations, often spanning from sexual maturity into late adulthood. My hope is that Soles & Sexuality helps normalize foot fetishism, dissolve unnecessary shame, and equip foot lovers with the tools to build fulfilling, pleasurable relationships with their partners.

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Equally, I hope this work serves as an essential guide for clinicians, helping practitioners understand this dynamic deeply so they can treat their clients with the nuance, respect, and non-judgmental care they deserve.

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Claude Fourie