Sex and Psychology Podcast Episode 485: The Surprising History Of Fetishes And Porn
Mar 20, 2026
Esmé Louise James, PhD candidate and author of Kinky History, explores how cultural moments shape desire. She traces leather and nylon’s wartime roots, the curious rise of foot fascination, the long arc of porn as political tool, and how censorship and culture birthed hentai. Short, lively dives into why our fetishes look the way they do.
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Leather Fetish Rooted In Postwar Culture
- Leather became sexualized after World War II as returning soldiers kept leather uniforms and formed biker/queer communities that linked leather to machismo and queer safe spaces.
- Esmé Louise James cites Marlon Brando and postwar biker culture as key drivers that turned leather into an enduring fetish.
Nylon Fetish Born From Wartime Scarcity
- Nylon stockings became fetishized during World War II when DuPont's nylons were diverted to make parachutes, creating a black market and symbolic association with wartime sacrifice and postwar liberty.
- Esmé Louise James notes nylons were stolen, donated, and even painted-on, making them a coveted erotic item tied to 'war is over, nylons are here.'
Feet Become Sexual When Genitals Are Risky
- Foot fetish interest appears across ancient cultures and resurges during STI epidemics when genital contact is risky, shifting sexual focus to feet.
- Esmé Louise James links literary descriptions (Iliad/Odyssey) and historic epidemics (13th-century gonorrhea, syphilis, AIDS) to this pattern.
