Feederism: Transgressive Behavior or Same Old Patriarchal Sex?

Abstract

In this paper, I review the sparse scholarship on feederism, a behavior that involves one partner encouraging or participating in the process of the other partner’s weight gain. The desired goal for one of both partners is sexual pleasure, either through the process of weight gain or as a result of the attraction to fat.  I also discuss the results of a content analysis of feederism-related websites. My focus here is feederism in heterosexual relationships. I conclude that feederism takes many forms, and although it has been classified as a transgressive sexual behavior, it usually mimics patriarchal sex in the process.  At its extreme, feederism is an abusive behavior dangerous to the partner (usually the woman) who desires to gain weight as quickly as possible.  Suggestions for further research are given.