Obsession or sexual allurement, derived from admiring and finding enjoyment in another's foot.
In the heart of Paris, a 62-year-old woman named Marie, who used a photo of her feet at the beach for her Facebook profile in 2010, found herself receiving messages from strangers complimenting her feet. This was just the beginning of a growing trend in France – the business of selling feet photos online.
A study conducted by the statistical research institute Flashs in March for the Poderm laboratory revealed that one in five French people had considered sending a photo of their feet for payment. Among the 18-24 age group, the affirmative response was as high as 46%.
Maiwenn, a 25-year-old art director, was one of those who jumped into this digital market. She sent photos of her feet for payment on Twitter. Maiwenn had seven regular clients who bought several photos a week. The price for her photos ranged from 5 euros to 200 euros, depending on the client and the order.
However, Maiwenn and Marie have expressed concerns about the business being used as a gateway to prostitution. Some requests for feet photos have a pornographic connotation, with specific requests involving high-heeled shoes with a strap across the toes and dirty feet covered in mud. One client even requested that Maiwenn's toes be tied with a climbing rope and specific knots. Another request involved the woman crushing lasagna or pouring a substance resembling semen on her toes.
These experiences have changed their perception of the business. Maiwenn found it a lot of work setting up the process for sending photos for payment, and Marie found the attention embarrassing, leading her to deactivate her Facebook account.
The current status of the foot fetish market in France reflects a growing online entrepreneurial trend rather than traditional physical market data. In 2025, selling feet pictures online has become a viable business model, with sellers leveraging digital platforms, analytics, and trend monitoring to grow their presence and income.
This digital transformation points to a notable commercialization and normalization of the foot fetish subculture within online spaces in France, particularly among digitally savvy younger demographics. Sellers reinvest in popular content types, experiment with creativity, and use trending hashtags and forums to stay relevant.
However, the implications of this market include the monetization of foot fetish interests via digital platforms, which introduces opportunities and challenges around privacy, marketing, and platform competition. The exact market size and demographic-specific data for France are not readily available, but the emphasis on trends and tools to sell foot content online indicates a dynamic, growing submarket aligned with broader digital content monetization trends.
In summary, the foot fetish market in France among young adults is primarily an online, content-driven phenomenon centered on selling foot images and related media through specialized digital platforms, with growth fueled by trend adaptation and diversified revenue models.
- The foot fetish market in France has evolved into a legitimate business model by 2025, with sellers employing digital platforms, analytics, and trend monitoring to expand their reach and income.
- The growing popularity of selling feet photos online in France has led to a commercialization and normalization of the foot fetish subculture, particularly among younger, digitally savvy demographics.
- Despite its growth, the foot fetish market in France presents implications regarding privacy, marketing, and platform competition due to the monetization of foot fetish interests via digital platforms.
