‘No bigger than size five’: A brief history into the foot fetishists of Love Island

When you think of Love Island, let’s face it, you think vanilla. You think the most bland sexual activity you could muster; a sloppy snog and a two pump missionary bonk that ends with a whimper and never a wail. Foreplay out of the question. Love Island’s is a villa where the clean-cut and the ordinary reign supreme and fitting in is worshipped like standing out should be. Apart from one kink. One kink is an omnipresent motif that steps into play at the start of every season now, like some bizarre checkbox ITV feel they must tick off every year. Love Island has an obsession with feet, and the foot fetishists who lick them. Here’s a brief history of the foot fetish journey through the years on Love Island.

Finn’s toe sucking thumbs up

This picture sums up Love Island’s relationship with foot fetish content. Foot action on Love Island is usually framed as part of a dare in a game – played for laughs or to make audiences cringe or say “blurgh” whilst they sit on the sofa with their mam. Finn sucking on the toe above is that to a tee – a cheeky thumbs up to let everyone know there’s nothing serious about it.

Jake Cornish arrives as the first foot fanatic

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“I’m recording it, I’m recording it” Jake Cornish said with barely even an attempt to hide his gleeful arousal as he watched Toby suck Kaz’s toe in the early days of Love Island 2021. Jake made no bones about the fact he had a foot fetish – he mentioned it in his promo and didn’t hold back on having it at the front of his priorities. Then the evil, EVIL picture of him sucking his ex’s toe came out and we were all scarred for life. Does nothing to advance the normalisation of toe sucking for the foot fetish community.

Luca Bish and Gemma toeing it up in 2022

Luca and Gemma claimed that toe sucking was “their thing” in 2022, with their nary being a moment in which Gemma’s toes weren’t firmly tapping on Mr Bish’s teeth. There’s something extra evil about it when it’s Luca – I am partial to toe antics in the bedroom but I feel like Luca ruins the vibe completely.

It’s somehow even worse in black and white.

It’s kind of like The Blair Witch Project of feet when you think about it.

It wasn’t even just Gemma Owen’s toes that Luca got his foot gobbling chops around last year, either. Even in Casa Amor no toe was left unturned.

The feet content never stopped in 2022.

‘No bigger than size five’

Another year, another load of foot chat. Haris entered the winter Love Island villa with a clear mission statement: No feet above size five. He frames this as an ick, but I know better. This is a declaration of tiny foot fetish demand – he wants them little Love Island toes and he wants them now.

Just another unrealistic body standard for women to feel pressure to confirm to, I see. Sad!

‘Her tootsies were dirty so we got them nice and clean’

Okay, here’s the thing. On this year’s annual foot related early days dare game, the ask was for Will to give a “sensual foot massage” to the Islander of his choice. Off he trotted, much like the animals he famously tends to on his TikTok farm, to Olivia’s feet. After a quick rub, he gives the whole foot a hefty lick.

“Her tootsies were just a little bit dirty so we got them nice and clean”, he proudly declared. I thought he was just joking but when I rewatched her feet were actually filthy. What’s she been doing with them?

What the hell is going on?

The Tab spoke to sex and relationships expert, and founder of the BARE dating app, Gillian Myhill about foot fetishes and why we have them. She said “Foot fetishism or foot partialism or podophilia is actually the most common of sexual fetishism. A fetishism being classified as finding sexual desire from areas outside of sexual parts of the human body. How a person likes to play out their sexual attraction to feet also differs greatly but mostly will include some sensory interaction, from stroking to massaging and yes – toe sucking.”

I’m not sheepish about the fact I’m into feet – and nor should any of the lads or lasses on Love Island. No kink shaming here! What I do find interesting is that the whole portrayal of it on Love Island seems to be for clicks or laughs. Maybe that’s just the way the cookie crumbles when it comes to things not everyone finds erotic, but it would be nice going forward to have some organic toe sucking rather than it framed as some outrageous dare.

With Love Island churning out seasons like no tomorrow, it’s fair to say that the brief history of the Love Island foot fetish is just getting started.

Love Island 2023 continues at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX. For all the latest Love Island news and gossip and for the best memes and quizzes, like The Holy Church of Love Island on Facebook.

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• This is where the cast of winter Love Island 2023 went to university