Navel fetishism

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Navel fetishism is typically a sexual fetish where an individual is strongly attracted to the human navel (also known as, and is referred to by most 'navel fetishists' as the belly button). Navel fetishism is often related to stomach fetishism (alvinolagnia).

There are essentially three main types of navel, appearing as a depression, a protrusion, or something in between colloquially known as an “innie”, an "outie", or an "in-betweenie" respectively.

Those with outies are often embarrassed about them, and can be ridiculed for being different from the norm. ^[1] ^[2] Many navel fetishists however, exhibit a strong attraction to outies, due to the visually prominent umbilical tissue. This is evidenced by the popularity of websites and Yahoo! Groups which focus solely on outie navels. There generally seems to be a limit on the amount of protruding umbilical tissue before it can be considered by some as unattractive.

A navel fetishist can be sexually aroused by (but not limited to) viewing, licking, tickling, sucking, sniffing or kissing the navel of another person, or by having any of that done to their own navel by another or, to a lesser extent, themselves. Some navel fetishists engage in outercourse involving the navel. The fetishist response to the navel is the same or very similar to arousal at seeing genitals (or the sex-specific features like female breasts).

Most navel fetishists can also exhibit varying levels of sexual stimulation in the brain just by hearing key words, often being “belly button” or “navel”. This is thought to be another phenomenon related to fetishistic behavioral imprinting – the brain associating particular images, or in this case, sounds with impending pleasure and sexual orgasm.

There is also a sub-category of navel fetishism for navel torture – where the objective is to inflict intense sensory stimulation and even pain to a person’s navel. Some more common examples of this include:

Forcing the navel into an outie where the navel that was once an innie is sucked or pulled out. This is often done with the aid of a syringe.

Dripping hot wax into the navel.

Poking pins into the navel, not to be confused with navel piercing.

1 Proposed explanations for navel fetishism
2 Trivia
3 See also
4 Sources
5 External Links

[edit] Proposed explanations for navel fetishism

The cause of navel fetishism is largely unknown. Most believe that this fetish (along with most other paraphilias) is derived from behavioural imprinting in early childhood, however there have been very rare anecdotal cases of individuals developing this fetish in their teens and adult life. Due to the slight rarity of this fetish, there have been no known studies on exactly what events can occur in childhood to cause an individual to develop a navel fetish.

Some claim that the navel and genitalia can send sensory information to similar parts of the brain. Several anecdotal reports ^[3] including US Big Brother 3 winner Lisa Donahue stating “I can achieve orgasm just from my navel touched the right way” ^[4] can add weight to this claim.

The anthropologist Desmond Morris has argued that the bellybutton is a miniature image of the vagina. ^[5] This is a disputed theory, partly due to the fact that navel fetishism is present in some homosexual males and heterosexual females.

The abdomen is, in some cultures, a symbol of feminine fertility and sensuality.

[edit] Trivia

It is possible that navel fetishism is peculiar in that it seems to have no limiting factor regarding gender or sexual orientation. From the demographic of most navel fetish forums, it is believed to be most common in heterosexual males, however there are also many homosexual and bisexual males, as well as females of all sexual orientations who also have this fetish. The latter factor being of particular interest considering classical views of women and fetishism

Most navel fetishists exhibit a strong dislike towards the practice of navel piercing, although there is a (albeit uncommon) sub-category from mainstream navel fetishism for those who specifically prefer pierced navels.

Quotes:

"He ate popcorn and honey from my navel all night" -- Rock/pop singer Apollonia on rock star Prince.

"I feel a nerve shoot up my spine whenever I insert my finger in my navel" - - Pop star Madonna, from People Magazine (who also requests that her navel is not to be airbrushed in photos).

"I even put the crystals in my navel" - - Actress/Singer, Cher - Star Magazine.

More Opinions About Navel Piercing:

Many navel fetishists believe the navel piercing trend started as a result of the Aerosmith music video "Cryin'", in which Alicia Silverstone had a fake ring "pierced" onto her navel.

A small amount of navel fetishists think navel piercing is a good thing, since it maybe a hint that women want men to stare at their navels. It also serves as an excuse to talk openly about navels with such women. However, most navel fetishists believe navel rings ruin the natural beauty of the navel, or completely blocks the view of the navel itself.

Favorite Female Celebrities Among Navel Fetishists:

Mena Suvari was a favorite of the navel fetish community because of her overall beauty and her unique outie navel, which was shown in many of her movies and magazine spreads. Recently, she had a drop in popularity among navel fetishists because she had pierced, which is very uncommon among women who have outie navels.

Mischa Barton is a current favorite among navel fetishists because of the large amount of candid photographs of her wearing bikinis while she swims or sun tans.

Navel fetishists are fond of female musical artists who often wear bare midriff outfits in their music videoes or while they perform live concerts. Past favorites include Shania Twain, Toni Braxton, and all-girl bands TLC and Destiny's Child. Current favorites include Nelly Furtado, Rihanna, and all-girl bands Girls Aloud and The Pussy Cat Dolls.

Female athletes who bare their midriffs during their sporting events or for magazine spreads are also favorites among the navel fetish community. Current favorites include tennis player Maria Sharapova, ice skaters Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen, beach volleyball players Misty May and Kerri Walsh, and Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard.

Favorite Television Series Among Navel Fetishists:

TV series which feature many women in bare midriff attire in most, if not all of the series' episodes are favorites of the navel fetish community. Xena: Warrior Princess and Charmed are examples of such series. Currently, many navel fetishists enjoy WWE programs Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown, since the WWE Divas usually wear cropped tops and sports bras during their promos and matches.

Favorite Films Among Navel Fetishists:

Bring It On is a very popular film among the navel fetish community because of all the various bare midriff attire that was worn by the film's actresses. As a result of this, there were bare navels in almost every scene of the film. Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union became favorites of the navel fetish community because of this film.

Crazy/Beautiful, also starring Dunst, is another favourite.