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Gaining and feeding

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Jedlev (talk | contribs) at 06:27, 24 May 2017 (Added image of the Encouragement newsletter, which served the gay gainer community in the early- to mid-90s). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

File:Encouragement Newsletter - Final Issue Cover - April 1996.jpg
The cover of the final issue of the Encouragement newsletter.

Gaining and feeding are paraphilias centered on gaining weight. The term gaining is more common among gay men while feeding is more common among straight men and women and gay women. [1]

Both gaining and feeding are considered subsets of fat fetishism.[2]

Classification

Gainers and feedees are people who enjoy the fantasy or reality of gaining weight themselves. Encouragers and feeders enjoy the fantasy of helping someone else gain weight. Gainer and encourager are common labels among gay men, while both straight men and women as well as lesbian women often identify as feeders and feedees.[1] Gainers and feedees have a wide array of personal weight-gain goals--only 10 percent of gainers and 13 percent of feedees express interest in immobility as a fantasy or reality.[3][4]

While gaining and feeding are often considered fetishes, many within the gainer and feederism communities report viewing them more as a lifestyle, identity or sexual orientation.[1] As a result, gainer and feederism communities online have formed tight connections, with many seeking out friendships and relationships with other self-identified gainers, encouragers, feeders and feedees.[5] In an analysis of profiles on one feederism website, more than two-thirds of single people indicated that they were seeking a relationship with someone who shared their interest.[6]

History

The gay gainer community grew out of the Girth & Mirth movement in the 70s. By 1988 there were gainer-specific newsletters and in 1992, the first gainer event, called EncourageCon, was held in New Hope, PA. In 1996, GainRWeb launched, the first website dedicated to gay men into weight gain, ushering in the internet era.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Bestard, Alyshia (September 2008). "Feederism: an exploratory study into the stigma of erotic weight gain". University of Waterloo Thesis Paper: 27–28.
  2. ^ Swami, Viren; Tovee, Martin J. (1 January 2009). "Big beautiful women: the body size preferences of male fat admirers". The Journal of Sex Research. 46: 89–96. doi:10.1080/00224490802645302. PMID 19116865. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
  3. ^ Feederism Community Report
  4. ^ Gainer Community Report
  5. ^ Prohaska, Ariane (October 2013). "Feederism: Transgressive Behavior or Same Old Patriarchal Sex?". International Journal of Social Science Studies. 1: 104–111.
  6. ^ Feederism Community Report
  7. ^ Textor, Alex Robertson (July 1999). "Organization, Specialization, and Desires in the Big Men's Movement: Preliminary Research in the Study of Subculture-Formation". International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies. 4: 218–220.


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