Fetish Memetics, or The Science of Armpit Licking in the Deep South

So a friend of mine (Le Sexpot) was telling me about a practice called figging (oh, the burning!), whom she’d heard about from another friend (the Obstinate Lover), and this of course made me do research (look on the internet) and wonder more broadly about fetish memetics. Meme (rhymes with gene) refers to a unit of cultural information or idea. The study of how they spread is called memetics. Much like the gene, the meme is a self-propagating unit and can undergo cultural evolution and mutation. Christianity is a meme, blogging is a meme, an Elton John song is a meme, smoking is a really bad habit (but yeah, it’s a meme too).

So what does this have to do with sticking ginger root in Le Sexpot’s too succulent big ass?  I’ll get to that. But first, let me explain my part in spreading a fetish of my own. I’m not a dom in any structured sense, but like most men I have dominant tendencies in the bedroom. As part of my sexual repertoire I’ve incorporated the fears of my lovers as an enticement. I’ve known since I was a young cat that women are embarrassed by someone smelling their scent, especially their armpits. This led to a pre-coital ritual in which I hold my lover’s arms above her head and against her will pretend to lick her armpits. Most women shriek and howl. Some have tried to tough it out and bite their lips, wrapping themselves around me while the heat of my breath grazes the tender skin and stubble until they can take no more. It’s a lot of fun. Nipples harden, pelvises lock, and all of the sexual senses are engaged. Mind you, I don’t have to lick the pits, just come tantalizingly close, grazing them with each lunge.

But then there was the case of the Obstinate Lover. After several near-passes and the typical resistance she said, “Go for it,” and lay back in surrender. As I got closer to her armpit I felt none of the struggle I’d felt before; her arms went rubber and I was face to face with actually licking and tasting her. It wasn’t bad, funky sweet. I went in again.  Side to side.  Kisses.  She moaned.  She liked it.  I really liked it.  She was tickled but this was new territory and the Obstinate Lover was / is all about new territory.  This is the part where I should get really scientific and tell you that it was all about human olfaction, its function and impact on psychology and behavior. But no, this was sex stripped to its core, five senses engaged. It was a moment of sexual flush that we’ll never forget. The Obstinate Lover had successfully taken on my meme.

Flash forward a couple of years. I keep in touch with the Obstinate Lover and she sends me a note saying that she’s been the giver and receiver of armpit love and highly recommends it to everyone. Her adaptation of my fetish meme had mutated. What I’d once used as a form of fun torture (“it’s armpit torture time, bitch!”), was now a loving gesture of intimacy.  Who knows what form her armpit love will take in future adherents.  Which brings me back to figging. Figging, I’m told by the mostly true Encyclopedia Dramatica , is the sexual act of inserting ginger into the anus while being caned.  It supposedly started out as an equine event, the burning sensation keeping the tail of the horse held high. Someone during the Victorian era thought this might be a good punishment for children and the British, buggers that they are, brought it into the bedroom.  At some point the Obstinate Lover got ahold of this idea mutated it into a loving gesture (she's just like that), told Le Sexpot about it and voila, I’m sizing up ginger root at Whole Foods. 

Trading fetish memes, Darwin would be proud.

Comments

[Freya]

The Obstinate Lover! I love it!

A foray into armpit licking is complete surrender-- complete sensual submersion. There's delicious taboo at that nexus of nerves. My armpits are the crossroads between my head, my heart, and my cunt. I'll always be glad that I got waylaid at that particular signpost. I don't know that I ever would have gone there if I hadn't been shown the way.

[Shay]

I've had a lover ask to lick my armpits once, but they are awfully nice, especially freshly cleaned and shaved. ^_^