Alvinolagnia

A woman exposing her midriff

Alvinolagnia or belly fetish is a partialism in which an individual is sexually attracted to the stomach or belly.

Stimuli

Individuals tend to be sexually aroused by a watching or specific forms of physical interaction with the stomach.

Viewing

Anthropologists and behaviorists have discovered substantial evidence that the waist-hip ratio (WHR) is a significant measure for female attractiveness, thus making the female belly one of the most attractive features of a woman's body. Some find a slender muscular stomach with a defined V-zone to be a turn-on.

Physical activity

Some fetishists get a turn-on from touching or rubbing their belly region. While some tend to gain sexual thrill from either tickling the belly of a sex partner or being subjected to their own belly getting tickled using objects such as feathers, brushes, etc. Licking the lower abdomen can produce erotic sensations in women, since the nerve endings lead to the female clitoris.

Accessories & Tattoos

A woman with a belly chain and navel piercing.

Accessories like belly chains, navel piercings, tattoos etc., can enhance the appearance of the belly.

Belly chains are worn by women to accentuate their midriffs. It can be a delicate thin or heavy thick chain. A delicate belly chain will emphasis on narrowness of the female waist. Managing editor of digital of Canadian magazine Flare Rebecca Perrin stated in a article, "a woman’s waist and hips are two of the most physically attractive body parts there are – emphasizing them shouldn't immediately be considered a faux pas and should instead be encouraged." Celebrities like Beyonce, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus etc., are known for flaunting their belly chains. Croatian singer Rita Rusic wore her necklace as a belly chain while at a beach in Miami.

Navel piercing and navel tattoos has become more common among young women. The trend of piercing or tattooing the navel became popular in the 1990s. It is popular among middle-aged women. Some belly chains attach to a navel piercing; they are called "pierced belly chains". Similar to navel piercings, hip piercings are also popular among women to express a bold personality.

Some get stomach tattoos to attract attention of the onlookers. However, these tattoos are more commonly preferred by women than men and look extremely beautiful and sexy.From tribal to flowers, the choices are innumerable as far as stomach tattoos are concerned. Some women even get these tattoos drawn on their lower backs and flaunt them in low-rise jeans, shorts or skirts.

Sometimes, looser clothing such as scarves or skirts around the female waist and curves can be incredible turn-on. Scarves wrapped around the waist are common among belly dancers.

Connections to other fetishes

It often co-exists with fat fetishism

It often co-exists with navel fetishism. Sometimes it is connected with pregnancy fetishism and inflation fetish.

Fat fetishism

It is sometimes considered to be a part of feederism. Fetish model Calico Bombshell stated ,"My specialty is to rub and shake my belly for the camera. Men love watching me jiggle" Another model Gayla Neufeld of Bulge Chat stated,"They tell me it's the perfect belly. Some larger women they have a double-layer or a two-tier belly but mine is a single. That is really attractive to a lot of men" Belly fetish model Helena Strong stated, "People admire my belly.The only thing I expose is my belly.Most guys with belly fetishes get embarrassed if they see me fully naked."

Cultural background

Belly dancing movements are considered to be seductive

Western culture

Some assume that alvinolagnia is a cause of the prevalent western fashion of female midriff exposure. According to a study done by All-Bran with 2,000 women aged over 30s have found that 67 percent of them stating female celebrities are making it more acceptable for women to wear belly-baring clothes. In the Victorian era, a small waist was considered the main trait of a beautiful woman. The advent of bikinis in 1946, the cheerleading fashion of the 1970s and low-rise fashion started in the early 1990s have contributed to it. Midriff exposure also became common in the culture of 20th-century music with many famous female pop stars appeared on and offstage and in music videos with their midriff exposed. Some get attracted to women wearing a crop top or bikini.

File:Sherlyn Chopra at Playboy press meet 06.jpg

The exposure of midriff and navel in a sari

Middle Eastern culture

The eastern art of belly dancing places the female midriff on center stage. The dance movements of the torso are considered to be seductive. Some men tend to get aroused by watching belly dancing. Some belly dancers often have navel piercings or insert sequins into their navels to make it look attractive when they perform.

Indian culture

The bare female midriff is considered attractive and erotic in India. Baring the midriff has always been a fashion in Indian women attire. Indian women have traditionally worn saris that bares the midriff, especially South Indian women. The exposure of midriff in a sari is considered to be erotic. The midriff is revealed in other traditional female attires like Ghagra choli and the Nauvari.

Men are intrigued by the demure floor-length attire and tantalising display of a bare midriff in the back. Some men tend to get aroused by pinching the exposed female belly in a sari or madisar. The navel tattoos and belly chain known as kamarband in India when worn with low-rise saris and lehengas are considered sensuous. Most Indian women wear belly chains during weddings and other ceremonies as a show of culture and tradition. Nowadays, women have been pairing these chains with western outfits, mostly to draw attention to their figures.

See also

• Midriff
• Navel
• Navel in popular culture
• Navel Fetishism
• Belly dance
• Waist
• Waist-hip ratio
• Abdominal obesity