Friday, December 15, 2006
Flip Flops and Howard Hughes
I was walking around, on my way to brunch, when I spotted this boy in flip flops. Cool. But then he did the most annoying thing. He was at a crosswalk and he needed to push for the light to change. Instead of just using his hand, he lifted up his leg and used his foot to press down on the button. Not sexy. Not cool. But people do this ALL the time!
Why did he lift his leg and use his foot where his hand was supposed to go? Because he was afraid of germs. Have you noticed this? People do this so often, especially young people. When did it become socially-acceptable to do this? It does look kinda weird but people do it very nonchalantly: raise leg, give button a tap or a stomp. It's gross. And it's so common that people assume that's the way to go. I know that, when I'm at one of these crosswalks, I do hesitate but end up using my hand, usually a thumb.
We have celebrity germaphobes like Kelly Ripa and Howey Mandel and all these anti-bacterial products and scare stories in the media about germs. So, it seems okay to be weird this way. I'd say this whole germ phobia thing has definitely spilled over to all of society. Notice how we're all that much more careful about touching doorknobs, especially going into a public restroom? We'll take a paper towel and use that to touch the door on the way out. Wastebaskets are now located next to these doors just for this purpose. I say there's no turning back on this one, it's part of us. Just like our collective impulse to be a bit over-sexed and prone to such wild delights as toe-sucking. So, I ask you, how can a person afraid of germs still engage in such close and intimate contact with feet that you don't know where they've been walking on? That's a good question.
I think poor Howard Hughes was way ahead of his time regarding this whole germ phobia thing. If only he had been alive in a more enlightened time, such as ours supposedly is, he probably could have functioned well enough in society: taken the right medication, continued to manage his affairs, even appeared on talk shows. It was the stigma of his obsessive compulsive disorder that drove him into hiding. For a man of such extremes, he probably could have indulged in foot sex and balanced his need to remain clean. I could see that. Who knows. I know I'm free-associating quite a bit here. So, what's my point? Well, as more and more information is available and as more things that were once stigmas or taboos join the mainsteam, it's up to us to figure out how to make the most sense out of it all.
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Even though I know how dirty and germ infested everything frequented by people can be, I guess as a guy it really doesnt bother me. But I do wash my hands in public places because like I said I've been aware of how grimey everyday people are, since before any hollywood germ awareness. Actually, most of civilization have always leaned towards cleanliness anyway. Considering your question, as long as a girl doesnt have crap on her foot or those charcoal black dirty soles its all good. One has to take into account that people caress & touch each other's faces with their hands, which have most likely dragged along a germ posse off a doorknob, all the time. That theory of yours could be spot on too, funny but it makes sense. I also thought I might aid you on your quest for understanding with some foot fetish tidbits I had come across a while back, if you havent read such articles already. I think you'll find the first paragraph on phermones refreshing considering its an often overlooked scientific notion giving more insight to foot love.
footnight.com/articles/muffy.html
footnight.com/articles/muffy.html
# posted by 
: 2:23 AM
: 2:23 AM
im of a mind to think that the kind of focus that a "fetish" (by which i mean a focused attention to something aside from societal norms; like, say flip flops) dictates, and OCD (to whatever degree it manifests) go hand in hand. if not "hand-in-hand," then perhaps it's wiser to say the those proclivities, in my opinion, tend to occur in tandem.
I think your observations about HH are spot on, though. i would think that his behavior would not be at all aberrant today. does that mean that a michael jackson would be less odd in the future? life is cyclic, eh?
t
I think your observations about HH are spot on, though. i would think that his behavior would not be at all aberrant today. does that mean that a michael jackson would be less odd in the future? life is cyclic, eh?
t
# posted by : 12:20 PM
: 12:20 PM
Jay, I wasn't aware of the information you referenced and it is greatly appreciated. I do agree that, at some point, you just need to ignore those pesky germs.
T, I love your feedback too. Well, I suppose that Michael Jackson is enjoying a great deal of acceptance and tolerance already which is a pretty weird situation. What will be interesting in regards to us foot lovers is how this passion will continue to make its way into the mainstream. What I see happening is a comfy acceptance of the foot fetish world in the future as we embrace Betty Page today. And Betty is definitely still maintaining her edge but she's far more out in the open.
There's more I need to say about Betty Page. Also, stuff that ties in with Michael Jackson. And a slew of top ten lists I am starting to compile. Just making a few notes here. Lots more to come.
T, I love your feedback too. Well, I suppose that Michael Jackson is enjoying a great deal of acceptance and tolerance already which is a pretty weird situation. What will be interesting in regards to us foot lovers is how this passion will continue to make its way into the mainstream. What I see happening is a comfy acceptance of the foot fetish world in the future as we embrace Betty Page today. And Betty is definitely still maintaining her edge but she's far more out in the open.
There's more I need to say about Betty Page. Also, stuff that ties in with Michael Jackson. And a slew of top ten lists I am starting to compile. Just making a few notes here. Lots more to come.
Actually Flip Flop Girl, I think foot related intimacy has played a part in some mainstream film in the past several decades, maybe even more long ago considering Marylin Monroe's infamous habit of going barefoot a lot. I do remember seeing the similar scenario of a girl playing footsie with a guy's crotch under a restaurant table in numerous movies circa late 80s/early 90's, and have also noticed momentary close-ups on feet in commercials [the milf in the Special K ad for one] and even in films where one wouldn't guess the director is an admitted foot fetishist, i.e. Quentin Tarantino [props on the Juliette Lewis close-up in From Dusk Till Dawn]. Like I said in more detail in reply to tabloidwhore's article concerning Rachael Ray's husband, if a taboo such as homosexuality is already integrated, I'd even say mass indoctrinated, into everyday media - thus giving more oppurtunity to be socially accepted, how could it be difficult for people to accept the fact sucking, smelling and admiring cute toes floats some other folk's boats. Now I cant say for sure if these directors/producers picked up any symbolic connotations the foot carries in dreams while at film school, which Freud and Jung would suggest as sexuality/divinity/grounded-personality oriented, but I gotta give it up for them cuz they keep doing their thing with those subliminal foot shots. In my eyes, the limelight tootsies are getting seems more abundant as time passes. So in reality, the comfy acceptance you're referring to may already be putting its best foot foward, right under our noses [couldnt resist].
Also, this is an extra foot related peice I found @
podiatry.curtin.edu.au/footsex.html
Also, this is an extra foot related peice I found @
podiatry.curtin.edu.au/footsex.html
# posted by : 12:25 AM
: 12:25 AM
Jay,
What an awesome post!! That's another amazing link you contributed. I'm a bit busy today so I don't know if I'll have time to create a new full blog entry. I want to do something special after all your contributions.
In the film, "From Dusk til Dawn," I think you're thinking of Selma Hayak, right? That's a very hot scene. Yeah, Quentin was definitely expressing his foot love but he was also caught up in the hipster accept. Foot love has already been accepted by many in that crowd. And I'm sure he was looking to do something different on film with this hot topic. Yeah, I see feet becoming more and more of a hot property. It could be we're already at that point but people are still catching up.
And I do think the full-on reference to a foot fetish may have took off in the '80s. Although you'd think there would have been something going on earlier. All the way back to silent movies.
I'd like to try to gather up my thoughts and at least start out with a top ten list of movies in general and then try to break it down to different movie categories. Does anyone remember, "The Coca-cola Kid"? It starred Eric Roberts and Greta Scacci and has the great twist of Greta sucking on Eric's big toe. This was 1985. Not a major American film! Australian.
What an awesome post!! That's another amazing link you contributed. I'm a bit busy today so I don't know if I'll have time to create a new full blog entry. I want to do something special after all your contributions.
In the film, "From Dusk til Dawn," I think you're thinking of Selma Hayak, right? That's a very hot scene. Yeah, Quentin was definitely expressing his foot love but he was also caught up in the hipster accept. Foot love has already been accepted by many in that crowd. And I'm sure he was looking to do something different on film with this hot topic. Yeah, I see feet becoming more and more of a hot property. It could be we're already at that point but people are still catching up.
And I do think the full-on reference to a foot fetish may have took off in the '80s. Although you'd think there would have been something going on earlier. All the way back to silent movies.
I'd like to try to gather up my thoughts and at least start out with a top ten list of movies in general and then try to break it down to different movie categories. Does anyone remember, "The Coca-cola Kid"? It starred Eric Roberts and Greta Scacci and has the great twist of Greta sucking on Eric's big toe. This was 1985. Not a major American film! Australian.
I meant to say "hipster aspect" not "hipster accept", although he definitely wanted to be accepted by hipsters!
I got you the 1st time Flip Flop Girl, wasnt aware that was a certain demographic he was trying to lure, seems like he made a smart move telling from how his cinematic style's prominence in Hollywood is rolling in sync with a growing trend of 'Bohemian' inspired fashion, notably female fashion. Yeah that Salma Hayek scene was really really heavy, one of my favorite scenes footplay related. Though I was referring to the scene in the RV when Quentin's character is fixated on the preacher's daughter's toes, awesome footage [pun intended]. I also tried thinking back to silent film, even 'black & white' film but I dont think I've seen enough to say whether or not its been done. Might be a long shot, but in 50-75 years from now I can see the elite film critics of the industry giving praise to an era of toe licking like in Sid & Nancy ('86) or the extreme close-up of sensual flexing when the neighbor in Edward Scissorhands ('90) has her hair cut, so much to the point there is debate over an underlying significance from a certain visage, the end of the Cold War for example. Kidding aside, I do think at some point in time foot love in film will be discussed with as much merit as other forms of cinematic expression. Until then I'll settle for spontaneous foot fetish related focus & dialogue in the media, we're almost there anyway. Have fun with the list, I already love it.
# posted by : 1:12 AM
: 1:12 AM
Thanks, Jay. I had totally forgotten about that very hot scene in "Sid & Nancy." And I'll have to look over "From Dusk til Dawn" again. Are we reaching ten films to start with? There's at least another Quentin Tarantino film, "Kill Bill," which has some wild close-ups of Uma's toes. Okay, I can't stand it, I've waited to long for inspiration to kick in--I'm going in there a post something new, the start of our list.
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