Researchers have come a long way since 2004 when they first attempted to catalogue human’s seemingly endless sexual fetishes. Back then, the most common fetishes involved body parts, namely feet and toes, followed by body fluids (blood, urine, etc.), then body types (tall, short, fat, to name a few). The research also documented objects that go on the body—stockings, shoes, skirts and, of course, the most popular, underwear. The most shocking fetishes recorded then probably had to do with catheters and pacemakers…we’ll let you use your imagination.

But now, psychiatrists have taken on the monumental task of attempting to record all of the sexual fetishes in the world in order to include them in the ever evolving Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). In the latest DSM released in 2010, the focus turned to Paraphilia, or “the experience of intense sexual arousal to atypical objects, situations, or individuals.” Before doctors understood that paraphilia fetishes were just a kinky sexual preference, people called these fetishists “perverts” or “sexual deviants.” These days, researchers just want to understand fetishes like Dacryphilia (a BDSM variant whereby sexual enjoyment or arousal is gained from tears and crying) to record and try to make sense of all the endless ways people express erotic desire.

Want to have some kinky experiences yourself? We are all about endless erotic desire here!

Check out more about the history of sexual fetish research here.