What Is The Appeal Of Armpit Sex?
Armpit sex may be appealing for a number of reasons, but people with armpit fetishes often cite the smell or taste as part of the attraction.
Other reasons someone might engage in armpit sex include:
- There is little risk of STI transmission so it’s considered a safer sex alternative compared to genital, oral, or anal penetration.
- A person may have physical limitations or an inability to perform sexually.
- It can be considered erotic to some, and it’s worth noting that the armpit (when closed) resembles the slit of a vulva or butt crack.
It isn’t uncommon for someone to not know exactly why they’re turned on or where their fetish came from, so it’s okay if you’re aroused by an armpit and don’t quite understand the reason.
Axillism — wanting to have sex “with” an armpit — is one facet of something known as partialism, a sexual interest in a specific body part other than the genitals.
Body parts can include feet, eyes, breasts, buttocks, nose, hair, navel, belly, hands, and — you guessed it — armpits.
Just like other hairy areas of the body, armpits excrete sexual pheromones which can arouse us on a subconscious level, even when we are not aware of it.
This is backed up by science.
One study looked at the effect of pheromones on sexual arousal in women and found that certain pheromones found in sweat seem to generate the most arousal.
Another study found a similar effect on men who smelled women’s armpit and vulvar sweat.
People with an armpit fetish often prefer unwashed, unshaved armpits that are deodorant-free, which amplifies the intoxicating aromatic properties.
And because the armpit resembles the slit of a vulva or butt crack when it’s closed, the sensations caused during “penetration” of the area can rival those of real sex.