Could fetishes be a evolutionary trait? Maybe spices up the gene pool a bit?
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Depends on what kind. After all, there are physical fetishes that can be realized, and fetishes that relate more to the brain. Aka mental. And I'd wager that these "mental" ones started and gained traction with the rise of the internet, which of course allowed people to communicate more and of course opened so many windows and possibilites. In relation to the physical ones that can be realized? No. I don't think so. Again, it depends on to what degree. Because even in the physical department there can be some pretty strange ones. I don't think it's an evolutionary trait so much as it is a reflection of a person's deep subconscious, which has partially been proven in the past, for example, spanking. Studies shown, that grown men who like to be spanked or dominated, put into a position of loss of power, were, in most cases, something exceeding 90%, spanked as children. What this did, in particularily bothersome kids, was fill the void of attention. Essentially, a kid who didn't get enough attention from their parents, subconsciously adapted to that, latching on to spanking as a form of contact, and an expression of love or care that they normally wouldn't receive, resulting, in an older man who sexually, liked to have their position of power removed in the bedroom. It's a complex question, to be sure.